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What Is A Boilermaker
The year was 1891, and a little-known school that prided itself on educating men and women for
productive, utilitarian careers was just beginning to experience success in football. DePauw, Wabash and Butler were
the football powers of Indiana in those days. Purdue was late to the game, fielding its first team in 1887 and losing
its only game to Butler 48-6.
By 1891, Purdue had hired two coaches from eastern power Princeton and was on the verge of an era of total domination.
In the 1891 season opener, Purdue traveled to Wabash College in nearby Crawfordsville. Besides coming away with a
44-0 victory, the Purdue "eleven," as football teams were known back then, headed back to West Lafayette with a new nickname.
In the 1890s, hometown newspapers were considerably more protective of college teams than they are today. After the 44-0 drubbing,
one Crawfordsville newspaper lashed out at the "Herculean wearers of the black and old gold." Beneath the headline "Slaughter of
Innocents," the paper told of the injustice visited upon the "light though plucky" Wabash squad
Purdue Pete:
A boilermaker if ever there was one, Purdue Pete first took the field to cheer on the Boilermakers in 1956.
Initially, students with tumbling ability were chosen to portray Pete. In those days, Pete had a papier mache head and a bit of
padding but was expected to tumble along with the cheerleaders. Today, Pete's head is crafted in the same aviation technology
lab that produced the locomotive body of the X-tra Special. In addition to the head, the four students who portray Pete wear
shoulder pads and carry a hammer.
Pete got his start in 1940 as an advertising icon for University Bookstore, and he continues in that role. He first
appeared outside bookstore ads in 1944, when editors of the Debris yearbook put an adapted Pete on each page. For instance,
in the home economics section, Pete had a bucket and mop; for civil engineering, he peered through a transit.
Purdue Pete lore is filled with tales of wrestling matches against opposing mascots and muggings by opposing fans. Once, on the
way back from Iowa, Pete's head blew out of the back of the Boilermaker Special. It was never found.
Pete has changed with the times, boasting more than five makeovers through his years rooting on the Boilermakers.
Purdue Pete stays very busy during the year attending many local, state and national level events. Click here for appearance
requests.
Purdue University Traditions:
On October 26, 1891, the Purdue football team was, for the first time,
called "Boiler Makers" by a Crawfordsville reporter who wrote about Purdue's 44-0 trouncing of Wabash
College. Soon after, Lafayette newspapers picked up the name, and in October 1892 The Purdue Exponent
gave it the stamp of approval. In the early days of Purdue football, the team was called other names
as well, including "haymakers," "railsplitters," and "cornfield sailors."
Purdue Pete was created in 1940 when "Red" Samuels and "Doc" Eppell, founders of University Book Store,
asked Art Evans to develop an advertising logo for the store. Like magic, this one-dimensional form evolved
into a human shape, and in 1956 Purdue Pete started his remarkable life as entertainer and energizer of
Boilermaker athletics
Today, three students share the responsibility of acting as the mallet-wielding Boilermaker. To be
chosen, they must be at least six feet tall, weigh no less than 180 pounds, be involved in campus
activities, and possess leadership qualities.
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