Boiler Up
Purdue University — West Lafayette, Indiana
Founded 1869. 25 astronauts. #1 Most Innovative university in America. Neil Armstrong's alma mater. The Cradle of Astronauts. A love letter to the school that shaped how I think.
1869
Founded
50,000+
Students
25
Astronauts
#1
Most Innovative
Famous Purdue Alumni — Ranked
21 notable Boilermakers scored on Achievement, Purdue Pride, and Impact. Maximum 30 points.
| # | Name | Ach | Pride | Imp | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neil Armstrong BSc Aero Eng 1955 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| 2 | Gus Grissom BSc Mech Eng 1950 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
| 3 | Gene Cernan BSc Elec Eng 1956 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
| 4 | Drew Brees BS Industrial Mgmt 2001 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 27 |
| 5 | Brian Lamb BA 1963 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
| 6 | Orville Redenbacher BSc Agriculture 1928 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 26 |
| 7 | Roger Penske Attended 1958-59 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 26 |
| 8 | Chesley Sullenberger MS Industrial Psychology 1973 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 26 |
| 9 | John Wooden BSc 1932 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 26 |
| 10 | Amelia Earhart Purdue Career Counselor 1935-37 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 25 |
| 11 | Robert Griese BS 1967 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 25 |
| 12 | Philo Farnsworth Researcher at Purdue | 9 | 7 | 9 | 25 |
| 13 | Brian Cardinal BS 2000 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
| 14 | Ward Cunningham BS & MS Elec Eng/CS | 8 | 7 | 9 | 24 |
| 15 | Mike Epps Indianapolis native, Purdue connection | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 |
| 16 | Roscoe Turner BS 1924 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 23 |
| 17 | Jerry Ross BS & MS Mech Eng 1970/72 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 23 |
| 18 | Birch Bayh BS Agriculture 1951 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 23 |
| 19 | Brian Fonseca MS 2004 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
| 20 | Caleb Swanigan Attended 2015-17 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 22 |
| 21 | Leslie Knope (fictional) Fictional Purdue grad | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 |
First human to walk on the Moon. Apollo 11 commander. The most famous Boilermaker of all time.
Second American in space. Commanded Gemini 3. Gave his life for Apollo 1.
Last human to walk on the Moon. Apollo 17 commander. Bookend to Armstrong's first step.
Super Bowl XLIV MVP. 80,358 career passing yards. Rebuilt New Orleans after Katrina. Purdue's greatest athlete.
Created C-SPAN from scratch. Gave Americans unfiltered access to their government for 40+ years.
Spent 40 years developing the perfect popping corn at Purdue. Built an American food empire. The bow tie is iconic.
18 Indy 500 wins as owner. Penske Corporation generates $32B+ in revenue. Owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Landed US Airways 1549 on the Hudson River. All 155 souls survived. Cool under pressure is a Purdue trait.
Won 10 NCAA championships at UCLA. But Wooden was a Boilermaker first: All-American guard, national player of the year.
Purdue funded her Lockheed Electra. She served as a career counselor for women students. Her last flight launched from Purdue's investment.
Engineering Legacy
Why Purdue engineering matters — and why it always will
Top 5 Engineering School
Purdue's College of Engineering consistently ranks in the top 5 nationally. Over 100 years of producing engineers who build the future.
Neil Armstrong School of Engineering
Renamed in 2014 to honor the most famous engineer in human history. If your engineering school is named after the first man on the Moon, that's the flex.
First University Computer Science Department
Purdue established one of the first computer science departments in the nation in 1962. Pioneers in computing before Silicon Valley was a concept.
25 Astronauts
More astronauts than any non-military institution. Purdue doesn't just teach aerospace engineering — it sends people to space.
The Cradle of Astronauts
25 Purdue graduates have traveled to space. No non-military institution comes close.
Neil Armstrong
Apollo 11 (1969)First human to walk on the Moon
Gus Grissom
Mercury-Redstone 4, Gemini 3Second American in space, gave his life on Apollo 1
Gene Cernan
Apollo 17 (1972)Last human to walk on the Moon
Jerry Ross
7 Shuttle MissionsOne of only two humans to fly 7 space missions
Roy Bridges Jr.
STS-51-F (1985)Shuttle commander, later director of Kennedy Space Center
Loren Shriver
STS-51-C, STS-31, STS-463 Shuttle missions including the Hubble deployment flight
Plus 19 more Purdue astronauts across Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and ISS missions. The pipeline from West Lafayette to orbit is real.
Athletics — Boiler Up, Hammer Down
Football, basketball, and a tradition of spoiling everyone else's season
2000 Rose Bowl — Drew Brees Era
Drew Brees led the Boilermakers to the 2001 Rose Bowl. His 83 touchdown passes at Purdue launched a Hall of Fame NFL career. The Big Ten knew: when Brees dropped back, you were in trouble.
1932 National Championship — John Wooden's Court
Before Wooden won 10 NCAA titles as a coach, he was an All-American guard at Purdue, winning the Helms Athletic Foundation national championship in 1932.
Mackey Arena — The Loudest House in College Basketball
14,876 seats of fury. Mackey Arena has been called the toughest road venue in the Big Ten. The Paint Crew student section doesn't sit down. Ever.
2024 Men's Basketball — National Championship Game
Zach Edey led the Boilermakers to the 2024 NCAA Championship game. 7'4" of dominance. Two-time consensus National Player of the Year. Purdue's best run in decades.
Bob Griese & The 1967 Rose Bowl
Bob Griese quarterbacked Purdue to a 14-13 Rose Bowl victory over USC in 1967. He went on to lead the 1972 Dolphins to the only perfect season in NFL history.
The Spoilermakers Tradition
Purdue has a legendary reputation for upsetting top-ranked teams. The 'Spoilermakers' moniker is earned: #2 Ohio State, #1 Iowa, #2 Michigan — nobody is safe in West Lafayette.
Personal
Glen's Purdue Experience
I grew up in Mishawaka, Indiana — about two hours north of West Lafayette. Going to Purdue wasn't just a college choice. It was the natural next step for a kid from northern Indiana who wanted to build things.
Purdue taught me how to think in systems. How to break problems into components. How to test hypotheses. How to build things that work under pressure. Every financial model I've built, every thesis I've developed, every line of code I've written traces back to the engineering mindset I developed in West Lafayette.
There's a reason Purdue graduates build rockets, build companies, and build things that last. The university doesn't coddle you. It challenges you. And when you come out the other side, you're a Boilermaker — not because of a diploma, but because of how you think.
Boiler Up, Hammer Down. Forever grateful.
The Purdue Ethos
“One brick higher.”
That's the Purdue way. You don't leap. You build. Brick by brick, problem by problem, semester by semester. The same grit that sent 25 Boilermakers to space sends thousands more into the world every year — ready to work, ready to build, ready to solve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Purdue called the 'Cradle of Astronauts'?
Purdue University has produced 25 astronauts — more than any non-military institution in the world. This includes Neil Armstrong (first man on the Moon), Gene Cernan (last man on the Moon), and Gus Grissom (second American in space). The university's aerospace engineering program is among the best on Earth, and the results speak for themselves: from Mercury to Apollo to the Space Shuttle, Purdue graduates have been there.
What is Purdue ranked for engineering?
Purdue's College of Engineering consistently ranks in the top 4-6 nationally by US News & World Report. The school is particularly renowned for aerospace engineering (#4-6), mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. The college was renamed the Neil Armstrong School of Engineering in 2014.
What does 'Boiler Up' mean?
'Boiler Up' is Purdue University's signature rallying cry. It derives from the school's mascot, the Boilermakers, and the Boilermaker Special train that circles campus. The full chant is 'Boiler Up, Hammer Down!' It represents grit, blue-collar work ethic, and Midwestern toughness — the qualities that define Purdue graduates.
Did Glen Bradford go to Purdue?
Yes. Glen Bradford is a Purdue University graduate. He grew up in the Mishawaka/South Bend area of Indiana and attended Purdue in West Lafayette. His Purdue engineering education shaped his analytical approach to investing and building systems — the same mindset he brings to financial analysis and software development.
Who are the most famous Purdue alumni?
The most famous Purdue alumni include Neil Armstrong (first man on the Moon), Drew Brees (NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, Super Bowl MVP), Gene Cernan (last man on the Moon), Orville Redenbacher (popcorn mogul), Brian Lamb (C-SPAN founder), John Wooden (10 NCAA championships as UCLA coach), Chesley Sullenberger ('Miracle on the Hudson' pilot), and Roger Penske (motorsports and business mogul).
What is Purdue's engineering school named?
Purdue's engineering school is officially named the Neil Armstrong School of Engineering, renamed in 2014 to honor its most famous graduate. Armstrong earned his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue in 1955 before becoming the first human to walk on the Moon in 1969.
How good is Purdue basketball?
Purdue men's basketball has a storied history. The Boilermakers have won 25 Big Ten championships, produced legends like John Wooden and Glenn Robinson, and reached the 2024 NCAA Championship game with Zach Edey. Mackey Arena is considered one of the toughest road venues in college basketball.
What is the Boilermaker Special?
The Boilermaker Special is Purdue's official mascot vehicle — a scaled-down locomotive that circles the campus and leads the football team onto the field at Ross-Ade Stadium. Built by engineering students, it's the world's fastest mascot and one of the most unique traditions in college sports. It embodies Purdue's engineering identity.
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Read moreDisclaimer: This page reflects the author's personal views and experiences. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Purdue University. Some content was generated or edited with AI assistance.