Profiles of the Big Ten: Purdue Boilermakers
by Brian Speers on May 15, 2010 12:54 PM CDT
in Conference Realignment
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PrintOur first look at a Big Ten school that shouldn't ever threaten our football team should we join the conference, but will likely hand us our rear-ends on a yearly basis on the hardwood. Purdue University.
Adding to the list of midwestern states with a landscape full of corn (In the early years, the school was referred to as the "Cornfield Sailors" rather than the Boilermakers" , Indiana is more than a jog from anywhere near the Husker state. Travelling from Lincoln to West Lafayette will take you through the visually stunning lands of Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Make sure you get that DVD package installed...
Without actually having been there, I will try to relay some of the more interesting things to note for Husker fans who may travel deep into Big Ten country for a game:
Football: Known as the original "Quarterback U" by sportswriters and coaches across the land, Purdue has just a scant few bragging points with regards to their football program. Purdue QB's have registered more NFL starts, and accounted for more NFL touchdowns than any other school. 15 Boilermaker quarterbacks have been sent to the NFL, with the most recent and notable being Super Bowl champ Drew Brees. PU has turned 3 of these (Len Dawson, and Bob Griese) into Super Bowl MVP's...also the most from any other school.
Should be interesting to see what the Blackshirts do to a football program with such a good history of drop back passers. Naturally, I anticipate that any strong season or Heisman run by a Purdue quarterback will be set back a bit on the date they play the Cornhuskers.
Other sports: The basketball tradition seems to be what holds up the rafters in the sports world at Purdue, although very unassuming. Consider these facts: The Boilermakers own more Big Ten Conference championships than any other school. (More than Indiana, OSU, and Michigan?..impressive). They are also the only Big Ten program to boast an all-time winning record over every other conference program. Funny, because I can't think of any real notable players that came out of this school. Glenn Robinson is the only one I even recognize. Gene Keady led the school to over 500 wins in his career, and although they have reached the final four on a few occasions...the PU won it's only national title clear back in 1932.
Nebraska will have it's hands full with regards to almost allof the Big ten schools when it comes to basketball, especially if Doc can't figure out how to right his ship in Lincoln. The women's b-ball team also see success on a regular basis, winning it's only national title in 1999.
Location: West Lafayette will be a haul. 612 miles from Lincoln, which equates to about 10 hours of driving. Plenty of time to catch up on drinking, sleeping, or just cursing this new conference alignment and it's affect on Husker fans' gas consumption. My plan will be to drive to Chicago and stay overnight while doing some sightseeing...and then making the 2 hour trip directly south into W. Lafayette on gameday. About 22k residents(2000 census), tightly packed in to the small community. Not sure where Purdue would end up if we see an East and West division setup. My guess would be the West, so we'd be seeing them on a yearly basis. Which is a good thing... I'll explain later.
Football Games are played at Ross-Ade (like Gatorade?) Stadium. Recent renovations have reduced it's former seating capacity from 70k down to around 62k seats. So, basically only about 30k will be seeing Purdue black and gold on Husker gamedays. Natural Bermuda grass playing surface.
Basketball games are held at the more recognized Mackey Arena. The place seats about 14k fans, and is regarded as one of the loudest arenas in the country due to it's domed aluminum roof. I love it loud!
History and Traditions: As I mentioned earlier, Nebraska needs a yearly contest with the PU. Why? Nebrska has never beaten Purdue. What?! Can you believe it? Well, okay...we've only playd them once, but that still burns my buscuits. We will need just two years to turn that table, but still...I'd like to see more games between the schools. Just seems odd that they've only squared off once since 1891. (The lone win coming at Purdue in 1958, prior to Nebraska emerging as a national power).
Purdue has only earned to a handful of bowl wins in the modern era, but have had two this decade. The '02 Sun Bowl, and the '07 Motor City Bowl.
The only trophy tradition I could dig up for Purdue was the Old Oaken Bucket. Found on a farm in southern Indiana, this trophy is possibly the oldest in the nation. No ideas on a Nebraska-PU trophy...
Fans: Smart people. Nerds. (77% of residents hold a bachelors degree or higher). Really, I have no idea on this one. I know just one hardcore PU fan/alum, and rarely do we talk about gameday in West Lafayette. Do they tailgate by using the latest in super-conductive metals and expirementing with genetically engineered "super-meat" while discussing the next best time to study for finals? Maybe I'm being too nice..
I'd imagine that the lack of dominance by any college football program has ingrained a good sense of sports-humility in the population of this state. With PU's location being so hemmed in by schools like Illinios, Northwestern, and Indiana..most of the fan base is probably made up of current or former students. But if any of these geeks look like this, I'm game for a road trip!
That's what I have. Any PU fans out there that would like to share some interesting facts, places to eat, or whatever...comment please!
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On Purdue
Purdue gamedays can actually be pretty cool. The Students participate in the “Breakfast Club” early mornings before the games. Basically, they dress in costume, go to the bars at ungodly hours of the morning, and get hammered.
The Boiler fans are usually nice enough and tailgate decently.
The team is also famous for Joe Tiller’s “basketball on grass” style of play. They run a very effective passing spread and, while they are mostly famous for their quarterbacks, are also really good at developing pass rushing defensive ends.
The one weakness purdue has is that they haven’t been able to consistently stop the run for a long time and have had trouble developing the kind of linebackers and DT’s that specialize in stopping the run.
http://victorypolka.blogspot.com/
by KC_HAWKEYE on May 15, 2010 2:11 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
So Nebraska should be more concerned with
preparing our DBs and safeties over putting the QB on his back? Of course, we’d want to do both….
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"
GO BIG RED!
by Brian Speers on May 15, 2010 4:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Love it
The dismissal of Purdue football is so funny to me. Yeah we may not be the best in the Big10 but they don’t call us Spoilermakers for nothing! We often beat teams that we shouldn’t (at least according to the experts).
If this were a Texas blog
I could get some of the dismissive sentiment for pretty much the entire conference (although at their own peril). But Nebraska has been “back” for exactly one season. The future looks bright, but until Osborne-era dominance returns it seems pretty silly to be counting automatic wins against such a wide swath of an entire league.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on May 16, 2010 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions
Wow
Thanks Mr. Corn! It’s completely arrogant “sports writers” (and I say that lightly) like you that make it such a pleasure to beat teams we shouldn’t. So we have not had the most success as of late….but what has Nebraska done lately? Sure, you compete for Big 12 North titles every year. (Not exactly a bragging point) From what I’ve been able to see, winning the North is about as difficult as talking an alcoholic into going out for a drink.
When looking at the two recently, though, Nebraska and Purdue seem to have a lot of similarities in that we both seem to have a handful of what could be classified as “solid” football years followed by some heartbreaking and/or disappointing seasons. Being a big fan of the Big 10 expansion, I think Nebraska could bring another potentially solid team to a conference full of hard-nosed competitors on the gridiron.
As for your basketball comments, there are a good handful of players from Purdue that have made their impact on the game whether it is in the NBA or at the collegiate level. Don’t get me wrong, Big Dog was a show stopper. But how about a guy that holds a college coaching record of 664-162, 10 National Championships as a coach and 1 as a player, and the first player ever to be named a three-time consensus All-American? I mean, to look over a contributor like John Wooden is like leaving out the contributions and achievements of Bear Bryant and Vince Lombardi combined! It’s just not right…
Another Boiler who made the trip to the NBA was Joe Barry Carroll, with 10 years of NBA playing under his belt. As for Boilermakers currently in the league, we have Carl Landry, Brian Cardinal, and Brad Miller. (Those are just the significant careers—4+ years—not counting those shorter)
In all, it’s completely ridiculous for you to write-off Purdue athletics. I can’t wait to show you what a mistake you’ve made when this expansion is complete.
Oh…and the picture at the top, showing you exactly how easy it would be for the Husker Nation to invade Ross-Ade…that’s Indiana’s stadium! Good luck taking over Ross-Ade.
Not a sportswriter, just a typical Huskers fan...
If you live in Indiana, then you’re probably removed from Husker fans. I live in Iowa though where there are plenty, and every single one of them are complete windbags like this one, completely dismissive of any of their programs save for football (one of the biggest Husker fans I know here cheers for Duke basketball instead of the Huskers, if that gives you an idea of their fanbase), and completely delusional that even football hasn’t been really relevant since they crapped the bed on national television in consecutive games at the end of the Eric Crouch era. Look at the writer of this blog’s profile, his supposed focus is Husker basketball, yet all he wants to do is concede that they’ll be the new Northwestern of Big 10 basketball, concede ignorance on Purdue basketball history or even current status as one of the elites, then harp on Husker football’s past glory. Yes, that’s right; Husker football fans are the equivalent of Hoosier basketball fans, only they’re worse because they’re concentrated together in the most boring state in the country south of the Dakotas that doesn’t have a professional sports team or another high-profile university to distract and dilute them from their collective ignorance (in case you were puzzled, this is also why there was a condescending tone about Purdue fans mostly be mading up of alumni).
by Tracer Bullet 82 on May 18, 2010 10:02 AM CDT up reply actions
Actually....
….I thought the write up was pretty good. Had a few good “shots” in there, but nothing too offensive or untrue. And you have to admit, we probably know just as much about Nebraska as they do about us. So, let’s all try to get along:)
By the way (the the originator of the article), Purdue football game days are awesome! Tailgating, breakfast club, rides on the Boilermaker Special! And unlike SOME schools (eh hem…IU) Purdue fans actually GO to the games instead of spending the whole day tailgating and getting blitzed. Granted, we do that too, but we appreciate our football and enjoy a good gridiron battle.
Hoosier by birth, Boilermaker by the Grace of God!
I appreciate that Chev...
I’ve been waiting for Purdue fans like you to come on and have a good go around, and actually contribute something!
I bet the gamedays are great, and I hope I get to see one someday.
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"
GO BIG RED!
by Brian Speers on May 19, 2010 9:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Purdue fans
are great on game day. They are (possibly to their detriment) the nicest, most hospitable fans I’ve encountered in an away setting. They turn out en masse, support their team with pride and are cordial to and respectful of the visitors. Huskers fans may not be impressed with a trip to West Lafayette per se, but they’ll certainly come back with glowing things to say about the locals.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on May 21, 2010 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Touchy touchy!
Come on you gus, lighten up a bit will ya? It’s 2 years minimum before we could even see this happen….so let’s try contributing something more that emotional turf-guarding. Yeah…I get it. We had a few down years during Callahan’s reign. But if you think we are comparable football programs, you’re out of your gourd! Show me some hardware, and we can discuss.
It’s telling that the most relevant input has been from a Hawk fan. Let’s hear (from PU fans) more about what fans can expect to see and hear when going to your stadium to watch a game. We really would like to know….
P.S. I stand corrected on the stadium in the photo. I’ll just have to go in person now to see it for myself.
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"
GO BIG RED!
Living in the past is what Notre Dame does.
Regarding stadium experience, its fairly typical for a Big Ten school. Nearly everyone wears black (student section shirts were gold when I was there. They were awful.), students stand the entire game, seniors yell at fans around them to sit down and not cheer so loudly, and nachos are a favored item at the concession stands. One more thing regarding the student section, while they can be vulgar (and believe me, we were), we’re no Wisconsin. No one can hold a candle to them. :D
On the football side of things, I’m expecting at least better line play this year. A better secondary and special teams would be nice, but I don’t know yet. Also, the running game took a big hit with Ralph Bolden’s knee exploding. On the upside, I’m really excited to see what Robert Marve can do in his new environment and how the receiving corps does.
Stadium Experience
Here is a game day guide I wrote a few years ago for visiting fans. It has pretty much everything you need to know.
http://www.hammerandrails.com/2008/06/game-day-guide-to-west-lafayette.html
A futile crusade to prevent mass ignorance
HammerAndRails, SBNation's Boilermaker Blog
by BoilerTMill on May 18, 2010 10:01 AM CDT up reply actions
Interesting analysis
I am glad I found this today. In football we’re much better now than we were 15 years ago even with a pair of losing season the last two years. in basketball we’re going to be a top 3 team coming into this season with tons of hope for the future as well.
A futile crusade to prevent mass ignorance
HammerAndRails, SBNation's Boilermaker Blog
QB's
Actually, Drew Brees is not the most recent NFL starting quarterback from Purdue. Kyle Orton is.
perhaps
but Orton is not recent AND notable, is he?
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 18, 2010 3:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Deadspin would disagree -violently-, sir!
…even though he’s toned down the stuff that made Deadspin love him.
Also, it’s notable he probably did quite well being traded for Jay Cutler this past year. Notable but not super notable.
by Beavis Beefcake on May 19, 2010 6:05 PM CDT up reply actions
4 quaterbacks currently in the NFL
Brees – Saints
Kyle Orton – Broncos
Curtis Painter – Colts (backup)
Joey Elliott – Eagles (undrafted free agent signing this year)
A futile crusade to prevent mass ignorance
HammerAndRails, SBNation's Boilermaker Blog
Um...cough cough
BASKETBALL.
http://www.jetskvetch.com
Come join me as I fanatically follow the goys in green!
Pretty sure I was clear on that one...
Wouldn’t think to put NU over just about anyone on the court. That’s why I referred to the b-ball team not standing a chance…..twice. In fact, I even went so far as to call it impressive after learning of the conference titles.
In basketball, you would have us easily. But football? Really?
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"
GO BIG RED!
by Brian Speers on May 18, 2010 7:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Yes, really...
The reason you’re pissing off Purdue fans isn’t your ridiculous arrogance over things you haven’t done in a decade (no top ten finishes), as we’re used to that from Hoosier basketball fans. What’s pissing us off is that you’re implying that Purdue’s program is so bad, your middling program would routinely roll us with half an effort. They’re not, and if you stepped out of the trailer and turned off the the SNL “Da Huskers!” tunnel vision, you’d see that despite the negative press the Big Ten gets because of the Ohio State NC debacles, it’s still a much tougher conference than the Big 12 North (and certainly much tougher than an Iowa State team using their backup freshman QB on the road).
AS OF RIGHT NOW, your program is pretty comparable to Michigan’s; a program with a big name that has a shot at finishing ranked, playing in a January bowl, but has no real national relevance. God forbid you hicks ever make it back to national prominence, but in the meantime you can’t pretend that you really are just because you want them to be.
by Tracer Bullet 82 on May 19, 2010 8:55 AM CDT up reply actions
dude
someone living in iowa doesn’t get to refer to Nebraskans as hicks with any level of credibility whatsoever.
pot=kettle=black.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 19, 2010 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions
Farmland does not automatically equate to being a hick.
Nebraskans are just like Kentuckians; an entire state that bases its identity on the fortunes of a single sports program at a university the majority of them didn’t attend. Although thankfully you didn’t go and hire the slimiest thing imaginable to find under the table ways to turn around your beloved program like they did, so kudos there.
Either way, saying that I’m the pot calling the kettle black doesn’t mean my points don’t stick any more than it will erase the 70 point drubbings that Texas Tech has hung on your elite program in recent years. What? They run a spread too you say?? Ruh roh Ruskers…
by Tracer Bullet 82 on May 19, 2010 12:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Are we jumping into our way back machines now?
“recent years” lol. Too bad that was a coach ago and NU had the nations top defense a year ago.
You can't possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you're a fool.
~Wanko the Sane
Big Red Kool-aid Drinker @ Corn Nation
"Way back"?
That TTU drubbing was MUCH more recently than the last time you shared a national championship (or got destroyed in a NC game for that matter), I believe… For a program that so prides itself on its history, you seem to have a selective memory. Purdue football prides itself on being offensive innovators, not defensive stalwarts like Nebraska, and yet we haven’t had 70 points hung on us in recent memory. But you’re right, Callahan was an awful, panicky hire that stripped Nebraska of their identity after a spoiled fanbase thought Solich’s 10 wins weren’t good enough… Pelini’s a much better fit, and I’m honestly glad you have him for college football’s sake.
At the same time, the point of this entire post was to look at potential future matchups, which means that all of your history means precisely dick. The reason Purdue fans are pissed with about this post is that you all seem to think your program as of right now is at a much higher point than Purdue’s. It’s not. Your past history does not mean you’d automatically roll us. I’ll concede that your past history may give you a higher ceiling if you can pull an Oklahoma-type revival, but let’s see it on the field before you talk like you have it.
And good for you for the #1 ranked defense, glad to see you have your identity back, but it still didn’t even really register your program on the national scale yet outside of Suh being such a stud and an admitted joy to watch.
by Tracer Bullet 82 on May 20, 2010 11:07 PM CDT up reply actions
I have Husker posters in my office
with the scores of the games on them. And yet I cannot find this Texas Tech game you keep harping on, so yes if it’s so long ago that I don’t have the poster up any more it’s “way back”. (not to mention BOTH teams now have new coaches).
Past performance often indicates future performance. Nebraska’s fans, the ones you hate soooo much, won’t let the football team stay down for long. The lesson of the Callahan era was- kick NU while it’s down, cause they aren’t staying there for long. Those “horrible” fans were also still packing Memorial stadium and traveling in force during those down years. So if we are guilty of reveling in our past, you are guilty of ignoring it, and thus underestimating what it means to the program. I’m not surprised given the lack of tradition from your side.
As for Purdue, I think of them as a middle of the pack B10 team. They share fans with 2 other schools in the state, and compete with the Colts for football fans. I’d say NU is better than them right now (don’t forget that NU was 1 sec away from a BCS title game), but we’d have to play some games to see huh?
Last I’d say you are seeing the NU revival, to be continues this season, where NU will be ranked ~top 10, where will Purdue be ranked?
You can't possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you're a fool.
~Wanko the Sane
Big Red Kool-aid Drinker @ Corn Nation
1 sec away from a BCS title game?
You were one sec away from possibly beating Texas who went to the BCS title game. You guys were never in contention all season for being in the BCS title game.
by HawkeyeRecon on May 22, 2010 11:04 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah BCS game not title.
But everyone has a chance to make the title game! Had NU beaten VaTech 3rd game of the year I think there would have been some buzz. But anyway yes that was a typo.
And I have a score of 36-76 KU from 2007. So yeah, everything gets written down.
You can't possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you're a fool.
~Wanko the Sane
Big Red Kool-aid Drinker @ Corn Nation
I've never been to a farm...
Just an FYI.
Again, a lot of anger for some reason…..
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"
GO BIG RED!
by Brian Speers on May 19, 2010 10:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Geez, you share a town with me??
I should probably say that I respect Nebraska’s football program; and love the way they play; I just hate their fans. Granted, I went to ISU (where we did have marginal success against NU during my tenure there), but I’ve got to point out that you don’t have a real comeback. Nebraska’s an SMU has-been right now until they prove otherwise.
by Tracer Bullet 82 on May 21, 2010 12:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Yep. Sure do.
I like it here. I have been to several ISU and UI athletic events, and I enjoyed watching them play. Once in a while, I actually get to see the Huskers play in Ames, which is nice.
It’s interesting that you say you hate the fans. Every young ISU grad I run into is the same way. No explaination, just that they hate the fans. But what is really interesting is that they all say the same thing about Iowa fans.
So I wonder what’s going on in Ames sometimes. Maybe the lack of respect for ISU causes that? Who knows. I know that many NU fans know about getting no respect, which is why it was so huge that we did what we did in the 90’s. Interesting comparison to Kentucky fans. I’d say that is actually pretty darn accurate. Just tremendous amount of pride in the one thing you do vey well. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.
I actually enjoy watching ISU basketball, and find myself pulling for them out of the Big 12 most years. Hilton is a great place to watch games, despite the recent down years. I watched Brackins take us down this winter, and I think with Hoiberg around…you guys may have a shot at a conference title here before long.
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"
GO BIG RED!
by Brian Speers on May 21, 2010 7:03 AM CDT up reply actions
ISU?
That explains a lot.
You can't possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you're a fool.
~Wanko the Sane
Big Red Kool-aid Drinker @ Corn Nation
Wow - thanks for underestimating us
Purdue football doesn’t have the history of O$U, Michigan, etc, but don’t write us off. Since Coach Tiller arrived, Purdue has been a middle of the pack Big Ten team that occasionally threatens for a conference title. 15 years ago, Nebraska would have completely dominated Purdue on the gridiron. Now, Purdue has improved, and Nebraska isn’t what they used to be. I think it would be a fairly competitive series. I’m not saying Nebraska can’t get back to their past glory, I’m just going on what I’ve seen recently.
Besides the Old Oaken Bucket with Indiana, Purdue also plays for the Sheleleigh (sp?) with Notre Dame and the Purdue Cannon vs. Illinois.
Basketball is a different story. My fear is that if Nebraska joins the Big Ten, all they will do is drag down our RPI. Sorry, I’m not trying to be an a-hole, but that’s my take.
And you know what? The more I think about it, the less I want you snide schmucks in my conference. It’s okay when someone from Illinois or Wisconsin trash talks us, because they’re family. What about you? What on earth do you really know about the Big Ten? Of our history? Of our legacy? Of the things our schools represent?
Purdue is one of America’s finest universities, and academically speaking, your little sweat stain of a college doesn’t hold a candle to us. We have a great athletic program, and both our major teams are on the rise. We’ve got the Boilermaker Special, the Big Bass Drum, Breakfast Club and one of the best marching bands in the world. We’ve sent Neil Armstrong to the moon and Drew Brees to the Super Bowl. We have the Grand Prix, the greatest spectacle in college racing, and thousands and thousands of proud alumni across the globe.
Nebraska isn’t a Big Ten school. We are. In fact, we founded the conference back in 1895 when our President Smart first convened a meeting of major midwestern universities. Stick with Kansas and Iowa State – we neither need nor want you here.
BTFU and STFU.
http://www.jetskvetch.com
Come join me as I fanatically follow the goys in green!
You don't really want to do this...
Call them out on their BS and then they’ll get on their high horse about being the self-appointed “classiest” fans in the country. Just watch.
by Tracer Bullet 82 on May 18, 2010 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Seconded
a very slippery slope.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on May 18, 2010 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't think
you’ll find a lot of that here. Maybe on other Nebraska sites, but not so much here.
Hey, but I’ve been wrong before!
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 18, 2010 2:29 PM CDT up reply actions
I thought
Neil Armstrong was a Meechegan man. Aren’t there two flags on the moon because all three men from Apollo 11 were from Michigan? (I could look it up, probably, but I’m just asking).
And whether you want us or not isn’t at issue. In fact, whether we want to be there or not isn’t an issue either. Some times things happen that are completely out of your control.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 18, 2010 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions
He's a Boiler
I’m not sure where he’s from originally, but Neil Armstrong is a Purdue grad. I believe Purdue has produced more astronauts than any school other than the Air Force Academy.
None were from Michigan
To correct you again:
Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio and graduated from Purdue
Buzz Aldrin was born in New Jersey and graduated from West Point
Michael Collins was born in Rome, Italy and graduated from the US Military Academy
None of the 3 from Apollo 11 were born or graduated from Michigan.
Are you joking?
Neil Armstrong graduated from Purdue, not Michigan. You couldn’t be more wrong.
by Emily Ahlersmeyer on May 18, 2010 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions
oh, actually
yes, I could. This is the internet…….
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 18, 2010 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Funny thing is that the reason we started this series...
…is for Husker fans to learn a little bit about the other schools in the Big Ten.
And so far, what we’ve learned is that Purdue fans are the most hypersensitive fans we’ve found in the Big Ten. :-)
I never realized...
that boilermakers were so touchy.
As a Buckeye alum, I would love for Nebraska to join our matematically challenged conference. I just hope those kids on campus behave themselves around you guys. (We’ve got a well-deserved bad reputation for not being very nice to opponent fans. See also Penn State.) Maybe bumping elbows with Husker fans will class us up a little.
I have a suggestion for a cornnation piece: how about giving us some of your positions on these Big East candidates that are being talked about?
Oh and congratulations to Purdue fans for the upset last year. Here’s hoping you purdon’t do that again for a decade.
You might be right about that...
Let’s just say that Purdue modest athletic achievements have yet to match Purdue prodigious academic achievements.
Love how you think you can invade Ross Ade
the picture is from this years bucket game held at IU. Where their fans dont bother to show up late or leave early they dont show up.
by Delaware Boiler on May 18, 2010 1:59 PM CDT reply actions
Purdue
Purdue grads include the first, and last, men on the moon. Trophies beyond The Bucket (Indiana) are the Shillelagh (Notre Dame, or Our Lady as we like to jeer), and The Canon (Illinois).
You might want to step off your high football horse — I haven’t seen Nebraska do dick in the last ten or so years. You guys kind of remind me of Notre Dame lately.
by U-P Boilermaker on May 18, 2010 3:58 PM CDT reply actions
it's
the state people drive through on their way to see the Rockies in Colorado… if they’re coming from the east.
at this point, I think I’d speak for most of us when I’d say that the Purdue people who’ve shown up here have surprised us with their complete lack of a sense of humor.
Are all Purdue fans this sensitive?
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 18, 2010 11:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Misinformation?
If you wanna drive the whole Stadium picture thing into the ground, be my guest. It’s rather difficult to know which stadium you’re looking at based on a few rows at the top. Does Ross-Ade look so much different? Does it really matter? Sueme.
There wasn’t anything else in the post that was incorrect. Facts are facts. I didn’t leave out or change any statistics, so I’m not sure what you are referring to.
What you and others aren’t understanding, is that if you think there were some things left out, that’s fine…and it’s because of this: To the average person ANYWHERE outside of Purdue, the other players you mentioned or traditions we left out, are simply unknown. Joey Elliott? Until he does something in the NFL, he’s just the lead-singer for Def Leppard. Your giant drum? Cool….but apparently not cool enough to show up anywhere that I was researching.
And guess what? This series was to allow for people to add those types of things….but don’t act like we’ve missed some major highlights about your programs. Someone even sounded ultra-proud after stating that PU has been consistently in the middle of the Big Ten each year! Seriously! The middle, and that’s special because….
Sounds like little-brother syndrome to me. Too many yars of getting looked down on by OSU and Michigan? We’d actually like to help you out there….
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game;
In the deed the glory"
GO BIG RED!
by Brian Speers on May 19, 2010 8:46 AM CDT up reply actions
If you are referring to my post
The middle of the pack reference was an attempt to show you that there isn’t a big difference between our 2 football programs currently. Most years, Purdue finishes near the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Sometimes it’s higher, sometimes it’s lower. Sure, I wish we went to the Rose Bowl every year, but that’s not what’s happened.
My point is that Purdue (typically) = middle of the pack B10 team.
Nebraska (in recent history) = middle of the pack B12 team.
Now how exactly does that translate to Nebraska dominating Purdue on the football field?
Nebraska fans sound a lot like ND fans. “But, but but, we were good 20 years ago… that counts for something, right?” Sure, it counts for something – a good history is always good to have. But when you haven’t done anything in so long, people don’t roll over in fear when your program comes to town. Don’t expect cupcakes in Ross-Ade.
Maybe we're all just bored
now that basketball season is over and we have a long wait until the fall.
Besides, would no Husker fans have reacted if say, a Wisconsin site posted an article all about how they couldn’t wait to just roll over Nebraska if they join the Big Ten?
Aren’t these sites all about (civil) trash talking between fans of different programs?
yeah
especially during the offseason.
I can’t believe we’ve gone this far and no one has mentioned the nickname “Purdon’t”.
What’s up with that?
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 19, 2010 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Non-mention mention!
Thank you for not doing so right away.
We really are hypersensitive about that. It is a wretched, wretched pun, especially since people who use it seem to think we never heard it before. I decided to avoid pointing out that Nebraska is largely corn in return, because I am not that rude.
Good to see these articles. As you mention, they may be jumping the gun but we need something this off season.
by Beavis Beefcake on May 19, 2010 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Just tell us about how the N
stands for “knowledge”.
It never starts being funny.
You can't possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you're a fool.
~Wanko the Sane
Big Red Kool-aid Drinker @ Corn Nation
That's funny in a meta way
I briefly enjoyed picturing the sort of poor slob who actually tells it more than once. I often forget they’re out there.
For the record, Purdue fans get corn stuff in the big city too. I got some chicken jokes on the east coast (Perdue, geddit?) which at least offered variety.
And actually, anyone who brings up the Denis Leary quote from Judgement Day gets credit. “I hate Purdue! When’s the last time they won anything?”
by Beavis Beefcake on May 20, 2010 5:16 PM CDT up reply actions
I can vouch for Nebraska's ability to travel
I was at the Wake Forest v. Nebraska game a couple years ago and was thoroughly impressed/annoyed by the amount of red at BB&T Stadium. Granted, Wake’s stadium only seats 31,500 and the Deacs have never had much of a football program.
Ross-Ade has dealt with its share of invasions, but even with aOSU only 4 hours down the road, it has never been close to 50/50. This past season, the mongol hordes had the privilege of watching an epic upset of a top 10 team. Danny Hope has brought some fire back to the program and shown that the Boilers aren’t going to roll over and play dead based on the logo on the helmet. Purdue/Nebraska would be a fun matchup to watch, just don’t be so quick to count the next two as W’s.
Lord, jager me strength.
by doublegoldandblack on May 18, 2010 7:11 PM CDT reply actions
We're mostly just vocal
I think a lot of it comes from playing Notre Dame every year and having to put up with their crap. It gets very annoying to hear about how awful we are compared to their awesomeness.
A futile crusade to prevent mass ignorance
HammerAndRails, SBNation's Boilermaker Blog
That's probably a fair statement...
As well as a good parallel. Although admittedly, Nebraska has done a little more than ND recently… Just not as much as they seem to think they have.
by Tracer Bullet 82 on May 19, 2010 9:01 AM CDT up reply actions
that's probably
a fair statement as well.
2010 will be the season that tells us whether or not we can step back up on the national stage. Washington looms large.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 19, 2010 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions
population:
You mentioned Purdue being situated in a community of about 22k residents. That’s probably accurate enough for your readers, but I thought I’d clarify just a bit.
http://www.city-data.com/city/West-Lafayette-Indiana.html
According to this data there were ~30,847 residents in 2008. Not to mention the students at purdue numbering around 36,000 (obviously this fluctuates from year to year)
but that’s just half the story. Just across the river is Lafayette
http://www.city-data.com/city/Lafayette-Indiana.html
weighing in at around 64,049 residents in ’08.
All around, if you take the entire Greater Lafayette Area, you’re looking at more like 130,000-150,000 residents.
just wanted to make sure you don’t think that Purdue is sitting out in the middle of some tiny little village.
What does it say about Nebraska...
That having a bachelor’s degree makes you a “nerd.”
Ever Grateful. Ever True.
try
to add something, not just parrott what the guys at Boilersports.com are giving you already.
77% having a Bachelor’s Degree? I think you’d have to agree that’s a pretty high percentage, don’t you?
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on May 19, 2010 11:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Not a big deal
I don’t take offense to any of the comments made here. I actually enjoyed reading a perspective from outside the B10. I have heard Nebraska fans travel very well and I will say Ross-Ade hasn’t been quite as packed lately but I think Danny Hope is re-energizing the program and there should be more people in the seats next year. If you do visit on a gameday the one thing you have to do is show up for Breakfast Club. Students begin lining up outside the bars as early as 5am in rediculous costumes, Jakes and Where Else both open at 7am and are usually full within 20 minutes. It is by far the best tradition at Purdue and something any visitor should check out.
Back to the topic at hand
As a Boilermaker, I would love to see Nebraska join the Big Ten.
You bring tradition and a dedicated fanbase. I love programs that pride themselves on defense (Purdue does this in basketball) and I think it would create some great matchups with our football program, which has become known for a passing attack.
As to our “sensitivity” – understand that Purdue exists in a state with two other major division I programs (ND in 1920s/1940s football and IU with disco-era basketball) so we hear the historical arguments against our programs all the time and are quick to respond. I’m jealous of a school like Nebraska which gets to dominate the entire state.
That being said, if you come over, get ready to meet some real ‘blackshirts’ when you face the Boilers. I hope we get to see it!
Would love to have you
The more Universities with good Ag. schools the better. And just think, you could leave the Big 12, and join the…….Big 12!
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