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When you think of the elite teams and venues in the Big 10, Purdue probably doesn't
immediately pop into your head. But that might be a big mistake, for the Boilermakers
have recently put together a great football program to vault them into the national
rankings and certainly among the top teams in their conference. And for this, our first
visit to West Lafayette, Indiana, we could not have picked a more significant occasion -
two undefeated teams playing for Big 10 supremacy and a chance to advance their
cause for the National Championship.
Let's clarify a little bit about college athletics in the State of Indiana. Bobby Knight, the
Hoosiers sort of symbolize the state. Or maybe Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish and
Touchdown Jesus. But not here in Lafayette and West Lafayette. Purdue stands alone
and proud as an enclave away from some of their more famous competitors, so much
so that we aptly dubbed this region "The West Berlin of Indiana". And Purdue University
is certainly the academic and economic engine of this city. Unlike some institutions of
higher learning, this campus has a decidedly conservative feel to it, almost a place
where Dick and Lynne Cheney would be happy to send their grandkids to. Whether
that's a good thing or a bad thing we'll let you decide.
Ross Ade Stadium is one of the classic, stately old college football venues, built in the
20s and renovated and expanded several times over the decades. But its most recent
facelift, costing nearly $70MM, has given this venue a definitive modern feel, from its
fresh new concourses, to its brick facades and ornate iron fences, to a sparkling
enclosed club and suite concourse and premium seating area. Despite the
enhancements, the nearly 65,000 seat seating bowl retains its old look and feel, a one
level horseshoe configuration complete with bench seating, a small dot matrix
scoreboard in one end zone, and in deference to modernity, a new video board in the
open end zone. Right next door is Mackey Arena, home of the Boilermakers proud
men's and women's basketball programs (the ladies won the NCAA championship
just a few seasons ago).
Prior to the kickoff, the onfield presentation includes not only the national anthem, but a
stirring rendition of an ode which concludes with the phrase "I am an American!" which
everyone calls out in unison. The Boilermaker train theme is very much the thing here -
"Boiler Up!" with players coming into the stadium via a path which looks like train
tracks, lead by a replica train engine.
Fans here herald each first town with a chant started by the band, and culminates with
" 1-2-3-4, FIRST DOWN", again, all done in unison. The electricity and enthusiasm
generated by their cadre of loyal fans holds up with any college program we have seen
thus far.
A number of factors combined to make this visit a truly extraordinary one - to begin with,
ESPN College Gameday was in town, and that meant that personalities Lee Corso,
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit would be hosting their renowned show live from
Purdue, with Boilermaker fans showing their antics in the background. Next, we were
given the VIP invitation of our very own from the Purdue front office, as well as an
appearance on the Purdue Sports Network halftime show. Media credentials provided
and that gave us a chance to enjoy and tour this venue from the press perspective.
Finally, the coolest Purdue fans, "The Knuckleheads", invited us to their tailgate party
and the chance to experience the tailgate scene firsthand.
We so wanted to deliver the USRT Karma to the home team, but it was not meant to be.
Purdue lead Wisconsin 17-7 with eight minutes to go, but the Badgers roared back
with 2 touchdowns of their own. Kyle Orton and the Boilermakers had one last chance
to tie or win the game, but the drive stalled and kicker Ben Jones' field goal sailed wide
as time expired. The home town fans were crushed and broken hearted, and we were
sad along with the rest of 'em.
Thanks go out to Tom Schott, Sports Information Director for Purdue, for setting up our
visit to West Lafayette. Former Western New Yorker Tim Newton of the Purdue Sports
Network also paved the way for our visit, and "Knucklehead" Ray Young was a perfect
host. Thanks to everyone we met and talked to for making our trip to Purdue a special
and memorable one. We hope to come back someday again (umm.. Mackey Arena??
Basketball? No need to twist our arms!)
immediately pop into your head. But that might be a big mistake, for the Boilermakers
have recently put together a great football program to vault them into the national
rankings and certainly among the top teams in their conference. And for this, our first
visit to West Lafayette, Indiana, we could not have picked a more significant occasion -
two undefeated teams playing for Big 10 supremacy and a chance to advance their
cause for the National Championship.
Let's clarify a little bit about college athletics in the State of Indiana. Bobby Knight, the
Hoosiers sort of symbolize the state. Or maybe Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish and
Touchdown Jesus. But not here in Lafayette and West Lafayette. Purdue stands alone
and proud as an enclave away from some of their more famous competitors, so much
so that we aptly dubbed this region "The West Berlin of Indiana". And Purdue University
is certainly the academic and economic engine of this city. Unlike some institutions of
higher learning, this campus has a decidedly conservative feel to it, almost a place
where Dick and Lynne Cheney would be happy to send their grandkids to. Whether
that's a good thing or a bad thing we'll let you decide.
Ross Ade Stadium is one of the classic, stately old college football venues, built in the
20s and renovated and expanded several times over the decades. But its most recent
facelift, costing nearly $70MM, has given this venue a definitive modern feel, from its
fresh new concourses, to its brick facades and ornate iron fences, to a sparkling
enclosed club and suite concourse and premium seating area. Despite the
enhancements, the nearly 65,000 seat seating bowl retains its old look and feel, a one
level horseshoe configuration complete with bench seating, a small dot matrix
scoreboard in one end zone, and in deference to modernity, a new video board in the
open end zone. Right next door is Mackey Arena, home of the Boilermakers proud
men's and women's basketball programs (the ladies won the NCAA championship
just a few seasons ago).
Prior to the kickoff, the onfield presentation includes not only the national anthem, but a
stirring rendition of an ode which concludes with the phrase "I am an American!" which
everyone calls out in unison. The Boilermaker train theme is very much the thing here -
"Boiler Up!" with players coming into the stadium via a path which looks like train
tracks, lead by a replica train engine.
Fans here herald each first town with a chant started by the band, and culminates with
" 1-2-3-4, FIRST DOWN", again, all done in unison. The electricity and enthusiasm
generated by their cadre of loyal fans holds up with any college program we have seen
thus far.
A number of factors combined to make this visit a truly extraordinary one - to begin with,
ESPN College Gameday was in town, and that meant that personalities Lee Corso,
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit would be hosting their renowned show live from
Purdue, with Boilermaker fans showing their antics in the background. Next, we were
given the VIP invitation of our very own from the Purdue front office, as well as an
appearance on the Purdue Sports Network halftime show. Media credentials provided
and that gave us a chance to enjoy and tour this venue from the press perspective.
Finally, the coolest Purdue fans, "The Knuckleheads", invited us to their tailgate party
and the chance to experience the tailgate scene firsthand.
We so wanted to deliver the USRT Karma to the home team, but it was not meant to be.
Purdue lead Wisconsin 17-7 with eight minutes to go, but the Badgers roared back
with 2 touchdowns of their own. Kyle Orton and the Boilermakers had one last chance
to tie or win the game, but the drive stalled and kicker Ben Jones' field goal sailed wide
as time expired. The home town fans were crushed and broken hearted, and we were
sad along with the rest of 'em.
Thanks go out to Tom Schott, Sports Information Director for Purdue, for setting up our
visit to West Lafayette. Former Western New Yorker Tim Newton of the Purdue Sports
Network also paved the way for our visit, and "Knucklehead" Ray Young was a perfect
host. Thanks to everyone we met and talked to for making our trip to Purdue a special
and memorable one. We hope to come back someday again (umm.. Mackey Arena??
Basketball? No need to twist our arms!)
ROSS
ADE
STADIUM
West
Lafayette,
Indiana
USRT Visit:
October
16,
2004
Wisconsin
Badgers
at
Purdue
Boilermakers
| West Lafayette, Indiana |
Ross Ade Stadium