50 Fun Facts About Purdue

In which Indiana city is Purdue University's flagship campus?

It sits on the west bank of the Wabash River, across from the larger city of Lafayette.

Who was John Purdue?

He gave $150,000 and land in 1869 and asked to be buried on campus, opposite University Hall.

In which year was Purdue founded?

The first classes were not held until September 16, 1874.

Under which 1862 federal law did Indiana establish Purdue?

Indiana University and Butler were also considered for the designation.

What aviation milestone does Purdue claim?

It also offered the country's first college-credit flight training courses.

Which famous aviator joined the Purdue faculty in 1935?

She advised on flight courses and women's careers; the library holds her papers and records of the search after her disappearance.

How many Purdue graduates have become astronauts?

Hence the nickname 'Cradle of Astronauts'.

Which two Purdue alumni were the first and last people to walk on the Moon?

Mercury Seven astronaut Gus Grissom was a Boilermaker too.

How did Purdue's teams come to be called the Boilermakers?

The name stuck and gave rise to the Boilermaker Special and Purdue Pete.

What is the Boilermaker Special?

The Purdue Reamer Club cares for it and uses its horns to wake dorm students on game days.

What does athletic mascot Purdue Pete carry?

He is a muscular boilermaker; the Boilermaker Special is the official mascot.

Purdue's colours of old gold and black were chosen in 1887 to resemble which school's?

Princeton's orange and black team was successful at the time.

Which conference did Purdue help found?

It sponsors 18 varsity sports.

What trophy do Purdue and Indiana play for in football?

Found on a southern Indiana farm, it first went up for grabs in a 0-0 tie in 1925 — so the first chain link reads 'IP'.

What was the result of the first game for the Purdue-Indiana bucket trophy in 1925?

Purdue led the series 77-42-6 as of January 2024.

Whom did Purdue beat 14-13 in its first Rose Bowl on January 2, 1967?

Jack Mollenkopf coached; Bob Griese had been Heisman runner-up that fall.

Which coach passed Jack Mollenkopf in 2008 to become Purdue's winningest football coach?

He took the Boilermakers to ten bowls in 12 years, including the 2001 Rose Bowl with Drew Brees.

Which three Purdue quarterbacks have won Super Bowls?

That is why Purdue is called the Cradle of Quarterbacks.

Which Purdue running back is the school's all-time leading rusher?

He got his chance after a teammate's suspension and went on to a Pro Bowl career with Tampa Bay.

In which season did Purdue win its first Big Ten West title before losing the title game to Michigan?

Coach Jeff Brohm left for his alma mater Louisville right after.

How many Big Ten regular-season basketball championships has Purdue won, the most in the conference?

Purdue is also the only Big Ten program ranked No. 1 in the country in three straight seasons.

Which legendary coach played at Purdue and beat his old school in the 1969 NCAA final?

He was the 1932 National Player of the Year under Piggy Lambert and the first three-time consensus All-American.

Which All-American led Purdue to the 1969 NCAA final?

It was the school's first conference title in 29 years.

Which coach won six Big Ten titles at Purdue and has Mackey Arena's court named after him?

He came from Western Kentucky and never reached a Final Four despite 17 NCAA trips.

Which Purdue star recruited in 1991 became known as 'Big Dog' and won National Player of the Year?

He was the school's second National Player of the Year after Wooden.

To which 16-seed did top-seeded Purdue lose in the 2023 NCAA Tournament?

Purdue were 23.5-point favourites — the biggest upset in tournament history.

Which Purdue centre won back-to-back National Player of the Year awards in 2023 and 2024?

He was the first to repeat since Ralph Sampson in 1983.

Whom did Purdue face in the 2024 NCAA championship game?

It was billed as twin towers: Edey against 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan.

How many Final Fours has Purdue men's basketball reached?

1969, 1980 and 2024, without ever winning the title.

In which year did Purdue's women's basketball team win the NCAA championship?

They were runners-up in 2001.

Which Purdue coach won 11 Big Ten titles in the 1920s-40s and mentored 16 All-Americans?

Bob Knight later tied his record.

Which popcorn entrepreneur is a Purdue alumnus?

Other business alumni include Bechtel's Stephen Bechtel Jr.

How many Nobel laureates has Purdue been affiliated with?

Herbert C. Brown and Ei-ichi Negishi won theirs while on the faculty.

Where do the Boilermakers play home football games?

Mackey Arena hosts basketball and Lambert Fieldhouse indoor track.

What distinction does Purdue claim in computer science?

Purdue also had the country's largest engineering enrollment for half a century from 1925.

Which for-profit school did Purdue announce it would acquire in 2017 to create Purdue Global?

It converted the school into a public Indiana institution.

Which campus tradition raises over $1 million a year for Riley Hospital for Children?

More than 2,000 students dance for 18 hours with no sitting or sleeping.

Which two nationwide organisations began as clubs founded by Purdue students?

The Reamer Club, which cares for the Boilermaker Special, is another campus institution.

Which Purdue alumni have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

Lamb founded C-SPAN.

What was the preliminary name of the institution before it was named for its benefactor?

The General Assembly named it Purdue University on May 6, 1869.

What campus building is considered an icon of the university and appears on many of its logos?

Elliott Hall is one of the world's largest proscenium theatres.

In 2024 Purdue opened a new campus extension in which city after splitting from IUPUI?

It grants West Lafayette degrees on a 28-acre downtown footprint.

Purdue's football team plays Notre Dame for which trophy?

The Boilermakers once had a regular rivalry with the University of Chicago too, until Chicago abolished its football program in 1939.

What is the name of the trophy the Boilermakers and Illinois play for in football?

It sits alongside the Old Oaken Bucket and the Shillelagh Trophy among Purdue's rivalry prizes.

Because of its long line of NFL passers, Purdue football is traditionally nicknamed what?

Purdue quarterbacks had thrown 1,754 NFL touchdowns by the end of 2023, more than those from any other university.

In which sport did Purdue win its only men's NCAA team championship, in 1961?

The same program produced two individual NCAA champions, Fred Wampler in 1950 and Joe Campbell in 1955, and the women's team added a title in 2010.

Before returning to Purdue, Matt Painter spent one season as head coach at which school?

He took over there after Bruce Weber left for Illinois, then joined Purdue as Gene Keady's designated successor for 2004-05.

Purdue lost a six-overtime game, one of the longest in college basketball history, in 1955 to which team?

Coach Ray Eddy's era also saw Ernie Hall become the first African-American player to wear a Boilermaker uniform.

In which year did the Boilermaker Special I make its debut on the first day of classes?

The locomotive mascots are Victorian-era designs; the Boilermaker Special V was unveiled at the 1993 Notre Dame game.

Whom did Purdue beat 63-50 in 2024 for its first Final Four win since 1969?

The Cinderella run of the Wolfpack and big man D. J. Burns ended there, sending Purdue to its first title game in 55 years.