West Lafayette Sports & Outdoors

I have gotten plenty of questions on this, so I will answer it here - Purdue's mascot is the Boilermaker. A boilermaker works at a steel mill, railroad, shipyard, oil refinery, factory, etc., making and repairing boilers that supply steam for power. They also make and repair large vats and vessels that hold liquid or gas. (taken from dictionary.com)

A boilermaker is also a drink, but even though plenty of that goes on at Purdue, that is NOT our mascot.

Purdue actually has 4 mascots: Purdue Pete, Boilermaker Special, Boilermaker X-tra Special, and Rowdy.

Purdue Pete is a costumed person dressed as a boilermaker, and Rowdy is a 10 foot tall inflatable costume of a young boy with a person inside.

Boilermaker Special is the world's largest mascot. It is an actual street-legal vehicle in the shape of a locomotive. It weighs 10,800 lbs and is 24 feet in length. It is driven all over the country to major Purdue sporting events.

The Boilermaker X-tra Special is a mini-version of the Boilermaker Special. It leads the team onto the football field and makes appearances on the basketball court.

(Thanks to purduesports.com for the picture)

1 more image

THE POSTER EXPLAINS how your ticket tells you what color shirt to wear.

Equipment: A GOLD SHIRT OR A BLACK SHIRT