Purdue Boilermakers Boilermakers is the official nickname for the intercollegiate athletic teams of Purdue University . As is common with athletic nickname s , it is also used as colloquial designation of Purdue ' s students and alumni at large . The nickname is often shortened to " Boilers " by fans of the school . Purdue has one of the few college athletic programs that is not funded by student fees or subsidized by the university . Origin of ' Boilermakers ' nickname . The nickname ' Boilermakers ' goes back to 1891 when the Purdue football team defeated nearby rival Wabash College in Crawfordsville , Indiana 44 – 0 . An account of the game in the Crawfordsville Daily Argus News of October 26 , 1891 was headlined , " Slaughter of Innocents : Wabash Snowed Completely Under by the Burly Boiler Makers from Purdue . " Engineering education in the 1890s at Purdue meant hands - on work in the forge room , where students heated and molded metal , just like the " blacksmiths " and " boilermakers " the football team was called after defeating opponents . The local Purdue press picked up on the name , with a notice in the November 1 , 1891 Lafayette Sunday Times , " As everyone knows , Purdue went down to Wabash last Saturday and defeated their eleven . The Crawfordsville papers have not yet gotten over it . The only recourse they have is to claim that we beat their ' scientific ' men by brute force . Our players are characterized as ' coal heavers , ' ' boiler makers ' and ' stevedore s . ' " Several of the local schools added to the boilermaker tradition by suggesting that Purdue was going up the Wabash River and hiring workers from the nearby Monon railroad yards to play football . Of course it wasn ' t true . However , Purdue ' s official mascot is a Locomotive , the Boilermaker Special . Over those early years Purdue ' s football team were called ' grangers ' , ' pumpkin - shuckers ' , ' railsplitters ' , ' cornfield sailors ' , ' blacksmiths ' and ' foundry hands ' , but ultimately it was ' Boilermakers ' that finally stuck . Purdue ' s athletic teams typically wear old - gold - and - black or old - gold - and - white ensembles , colors that have identified Purdue since 1887 . Varsity sports . Football . In the early 1890s Purdue fielded dominating football teams . In 1891 Purdue went 4 - 0 , outscoring opponents 192 - 0 . In 1892 Purdue went 8 - 0 , outscoring opponents 320 - 24 . In 1893 Purdue went 5 - 2 - 1 , outscoring opponents 334 - 144 . In 1894 Purdue went 9 - 1 , outscoring opponents 288 - 36 . Over these four years , Purdue ' s combined record was 26 - 3 - 1 , outscoring opponents 1134 - 204 . Purdue beat in - state rival Indiana University 60 - 0 , 68 - 0 , 64 - 0 , and 6 - 0 by an understandable forfeit . Purdue went 2 - 1 against Illinois , 2 - 1 Wisconsin , 3 - 0 against Chicago and split 2 games with Michigan . The Purdue Boilermakers competed as ' Independent ' until 1889 . In 1890 , they joined the ' Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association ' and , finally , the Big Ten Conference in 1896 . The Purdue Boilermakers have been Big Ten Conference Champions in 1918 , 1929 , 1931 , 1932 , 1943 , 1952 , 1967 and 2000 . However , they made their first appearance in the Rose Bowl - the " grand - daddy of them all " - with a 1966 second - place finish in the Big Ten ; conference rules at that time prevented Michigan State from appearing in consecutive Rose Bowls . The Boilermakers , under NFL hall - of - famer Bob Griese defeated the University of Southern California Trojans 14 - 13 to win the 1967 Rose Bowl . When the Boilermakers shared the Big Ten title the following season , the consecutive - appearance rule kept them out of the 1968 Rose Bowl . Purdue did not return to the Rose Bowl until 2001 , losing to the University of Washington Huskies 24 - 34 . The Boilermakers have appeared in a total of 16 post - season bowl games , compiling a record of 9 - 7 . Their most recent appearance was a 37 - 32 victory over Western Michigan University in the 2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl . Purdue has traditionally been called the ' Cradle of Quarterbacks ' , having produced NFL stars Cecil Isbell , Dale Samuels , Bob DeMoss , NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl MVP Len Dawson , NFL Hall of Famer Bob Griese , Mike Phipps , Gary Danielson , Mark Herrmann , Scott Campbell , Jim Everett , Eric Hunter , Billy Dicken , Kyle Orton and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees . Purdue QBs have thrown more touchdowns in the NFL than any other university , 1 , 311 at the end of the 2010 season . In 2011 , there were three starting quarterbacks in the NFL from Purdue : Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints , Kyle Orton of the Kansas City Chiefs , and Curtis Painter of the Indianapolis Colts . After Joe Tiller retired as head coach , Danny Hope took over as head coach in 2009 . Basketball . The Boilermaker men ' s and women ' s basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships ( regular season and tournament ) than any other conference school , with 37 conference banners , including a league - leading 22 for the men ’ s team . Men ’ s former head coach Gene Keady coached his final season with the Boilermakers in the 2004 – 2005 season after 25 years with the Boilermakers . Coach Keady became Purdue ' s all - time - winningest coach on December 6 , 1997 . In his years at Purdue , Keady led the Boilermakers to more than 500 victories . The current coach of the Boilermaker men ' s basketball team is Matt Painter . Athletic accomplishments . Since its establishment in 1869 , Purdue has won three NCAA championships , one in men ' s golf , one in women ' s basketball , and one in women ' s golf . Track and Field : Women . INDOOR OUTDOOR Wrestling . " c = Co - Champions " " † = Women ' s championships were not fully sanctioned with the Big Ten Conference until the 1981 - 1982 season . " Notable non varsity sports . Rugby . Founded in 1970 , Purdue plays college rugby in the Big Ten Universities conference against its traditional Big 10 rivals such as Indiana , and also plays in the annual Big 10 rugby sevens tournament each fall . Purdue men ' s rugby is led by head coach Dan Fitterling , and Purdue women ' s rugby is led by head coach David Bugay . The golf complex houses 2 distinct 18 hole courses , The Ackerman Hills course and the Kampen Course . The golf complex also includes the Pete Dye Clubhouse , Tom Spurgeon Golf Training Center , short game areas and a driving range . The Kampen Course hosted the Women ' s NCAA golf championship in 2003 and the Men ' s NCAA championship in 2008 . The Aquatic center was an addition to the Purdue Recreational Services Center in 2001 . The aquatic center includes an Olympic sized pool , diving well , dressing facilities , hot tub , and spectator areas . The Tennis Center is the newest facility for Purdue Athletics . The facility is home to 6 outdoor and 6 indoor tennis courts . 6 additional outdoor courts are currently under construction . In addition to having Belin Court as a dedicated surface for Volleyball , the IAF is also the location of several other athletic facilities . The Athletic Ticket Office , Jane P . Beering Academic Learning Center , and large weightroom are also inside the IAF . Additionally , the football locker rooms are located in the IAF . Originally home to the Boilermaker basketball team and the Boilermaker Swimming Team , the fieldhouse now is used solely by the Men ' s and Women ' s Track teams for indoor competitions . The pool has been filled in to make way for a training center for the wrestling team . An indoor training facility used primarily for the football team . It includes a full practice football field , extensive weight room , and offices for the football program . Also housed in Mollenkopf is the Purdue Football Hall of Glory . Rivalry . Purdue ' s main rivals are the Indiana University Hoosiers , against whom the Purdue football team plays annually for the Old Oaken Bucket . The Purdue football team also competes against the Fighting Irish from the University of Notre Dame for the Shillelagh Trophy and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini for the Purdue Cannon trophy . Athletic bands . Purdue ' s Band was formed in 1886 and named the ' All - American ' Marching Band in 1935 . The AAMB has made 90 consecutive appearances as the host band for the Indianapolis 500 . The AAMB performs at all home football games where they play the university fight songs , Hail Purdue ! being the most famous , and other songs ranging from jazz to rock . Gold and Black Sound ( GABS ) is the athletic band for Women ' s Basketball . Boiler Brass is the athletic band for Men ' s Basketball . Boiler Box Band is the athletic band for the Volleyball team . Mascots . Boilermaker Special . The Boilermaker Special has been the official mascot of Purdue since the 1930s . The ' Specials ' are Victorian era locomotive s . The Boilermaker Special I made its debut on the first day of classes in 1940 . Alumni , faculty and students have since then raised funds to replace the Special as it has worn out . The Boilermaker Special V was unveiled in 1993 at the Purdue – Notre Dame game . Purdue Pete . In 1940 , the then owners of the University Bookstore , Doc Epple and Red Sammons hired local artist Art Evans to draw a boilermaker to use as an advertising icon for the bookstore . A modernized version is still used in that capacity at University Bookstore . In 1944 , the editors of the university ' s Debris yearbook sought , and obtained , permission from University Bookstore to use Purdue Pete on the cover of the 1944 edition of the Debris yearbook . When asked the name of the boilermaker depicted in the advertising drawing , Epple coined the name " Pete " . Since 1956 , Purdue Pete has been a regular at Purdue games - usually wearing the head with a football or basketball uniform and portrayed by one of four selected members of the spirit squad . Originally , the head costume was made of chicken wire and papier - mâché , but in later years has been made of fiberglass for better durability during rainy football games and the like . Bradley - Bourbonnais Community High School in north - east Illinois also uses a mascot similar to Pete called " Bruno the Boilermaker " . The Boilermaker . The Boilermaker is a statue located adjacent to Ross Ade Stadium that was dedicated on Friday , November 4 , 2005 , as a monument commemorating the " indomitable spirit of the boilermaker " . Radio Network Affiliates . 2011 Radio Network Affiliates