The word “Boilermaker” has been used for all things Purdue, like athletic teams and other organizations, since the 1890s. This name was given to the 1891 football team by a Crawfordsville, IN reporter; he wrote about the team’s victory over Wabash College, their local rival. Soon after, the Lafayette newspapers used the name and, in 1892, the school newspaper approved the nickname. This nickname is usually shortened to “Boilers” by the school’s fans. The Boilermakers played as an Independent until 1889 when they joined the Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association, then the Big Ten Conference in 1896. The Boilermakers have been Big Ten Conference champions 8 times: in 1918, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1943, 1952, 1967 and 2000. They made their first Rose Bowl appearance in 1966 and finished 2nd in the Conference; the conference’s rules at the time said Michigan State couldn’t appear in consecutive Rose Bowls.

In 1967, under NFL Hall of Famer Bob Griese’s leadership, the Boilermakers beat the University of Southern California Trojans and won the Rose Bowl. The following season, though, they were kept out of the Rose Bowl because of the no consecutive Rose Bowls rule; they didn’t make it back until 2001 when they lost to the University of Washington Huskies. Their most recent bowl game appearance was in 2007’s Motor City Bowl where they beat Central Michigan University. The Boilermakers’ home games are played in Ross-Ade Stadium, which was called Purdue Stadium, and was named after David E. Ross and George Ade, who were the primary benefactors. It opened on November 22, 1924 and had a seating capacity of 13,500. Additions and remodeling made the capacity go to 70,000. The trophy games the Boilermakers are involved in are: the Old Oaken Bucket with the Indiana Hoosiers, Purdue Cannon with the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Shillelagh Trophy with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.