Boilermakers

General Information

• Conference: Big Ten
• NCAA Division: Division 1
• City: West Lafayette, Indiana
• Stadium: Ross – Ade Stadium

Championships

• National Championships: 2
• Conference Titles:12
• Division Championships: None

Past Conferences

None

Purdue Boilermakers Stats & Analysis

Check out all the information related to team stats.

All-Time Purdue Boilermakers Stats & Records

Passing Yards

• Drew Brees: 11,792
• Curtis Painter: 11,163
• Mark Herrmann: 9,946
• David Blough: 9,734
• Kyle Orton: 9,337

Rushing Yards

• Mike Alstott: 3,635
• Kory Sheets: 3,331
• Otis Armstrong: 3,315
• Scott Dierking: 2,863
• Montrell Lowe: 2,638

Receiving Yards

• John Standeford: 3,788
• Taylor Stubblefield: 3,629
• Dorien Bryant: 3,548
• Brian Alford: 3,029
• David Bell: 2,946

Purdue Boilermakers – NCAAF History

Team History

The Purdue Boilermakers began playing football in 1887. The team made history for the first time in 1922, when head coach James Phelan led the team to their first undefeated season at 8-0. Additionally, it’s the first-ever time the Boilermakers won the Big Ten outright. History was made yet again in 1943, when the team went 9-0 under coach Elmer Burnham. They shared the Big Ten title that season and finished third in the AP poll.

Jack Mollenkopf helped push the program to new limits during his tenure from 1956-1969. The Purdue football team only had one losing season during his entire time at the helm. In 1967, he led the Boilermakers to their first Rose Bowl game and win over USC. Quarterback Brian Griese, running back Leroy Keyes, and quarterback Mike Phipps all nearly won Heisman trophies under Mollenkopf from 1966-1968.

More history came along as freshman quarterback Mark Herrmann broke the record for passing yards and touchdowns for a freshman in 1976, under coach Jim Young. Young and Herrmann did a lot together. In 1978, the team finished 9-2 and beat Georgia Tech in the Peach Bowl. Young became the first coach in Boilermaker history to be named Big Ten coach of the year. The Boilermakers were rather quiet in the 1980s and 1990s, but everything changed in 1997 for the Boilermakers. Joe Tiller was brought on in 1997.

Purdue’s Best Coach of All Time

Tiller is easily the program’s best coach of all time. With him at the helm, the Boilermakers made a bowl game in ten out of his twelve seasons, including a Rose Bowl appearance in 2001. Super Bowl-winning quarterback and future Hall of Famer, he became the starting quarterback in 1998. Brees and Tiller were a dynamic duo. Tiller introduced the spread offense to the Boilermakers, and Brees maximized it. In Brees’ three years as a starter, he finished with 11,792 passing yards and 90 touchdowns. Brees was drafted in 2001 by the San Diego Chargers. Tiller coached the Boilermakers until 2008. He finished his career at Purdue with the most wins and bowl game appearances.

Jeff Brohm is the current coach at Purdue and has been since 2016. Purdue went 6-6 in its first season under Brohm. The Boilermakers also reached the Foster Farms Bowl by beating Arizona 38-35. It was their first appearance in a bowl game since 2012. The year 2018 was a great year for the Boilermakers because the team beat three ranked teams, including second-ranked Ohio State. The year 2021 was undoubtedly the best year for the Boilermakers under Brohm. They finished with an 8-4 record. During the season, they beat Iowa and Michigan State, who were both ranked in the top five at the time that the Boilermakers beat them. They clinched a ticket to the Music City Bowl against Tennessee. The Boilermakers went on to beat Tennessee 48-45 in an absolute thriller.