The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball is rich in tradition and history, holding the record for wins in Big Ten Championships (1), along with being the only program in the conference to boast winning records versus every other school in the Big Ten[1]. The Boilermakers won their only National Championship in 1932, awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation prior to the establishment of the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers share a classic rivalry with the Indiana Hoosiers, of which Purdue holds a 107–84 series lead.
The history of Purdue basketball dates back to 1896 with their first game against the Lafayette YMCA[1]. Ten years later the Boilermakers began play in the Big Ten Conference, with its first championship coming just five years later. In 1917 Ward "Piggy" Lambert was named head coach of the Boilermakers. What followed was one of the most dominant eras of Purdue Basketball on the conference and national level. In 28-plus seasons in direction of Purdue basketball, Lambert mentored 16 All-Americans and 31 first team All-Big Ten selections. Lambert compiled a career record of 371–152, a .709 winning percentage. His 228 wins in Big Ten play have been bested by only Indiana’s Bob Knight and former Purdue head coach Gene Keady[1]. Lambert won an unprecedented 11 Big Ten Championships (tied with Knight) and one Helms Title in 1932. The 1932 Helms Title team was led by three-time All-American and future hall of famer UCLA coach John Wooden.
Over the next few decades the Boilermakers would enjoy moderate success, culminating with an appearance in the 1969 NCAA National Championship Game under coach George King, where they would fall to former Purdue great John Wooden's UCLA Bruins. In 1980, head coach Lee Rose led them to a NCAA Final Four in his second and last season at Purdue, also against UCLA.
In 1980 Gene Keady was named the head coach of the Boilermakers. Over the next 25 years, Keady led the Boilermakers to six Big Ten Championships, 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, and five Sweet Sixteen appearances. In December 1997, Keady became Purdue's all-time winningest head coach, surpassing Lambert with his 372nd win. It was at this time Keady's namesake was bestowed on the floor of Mackey Arena. Keady's parking permit for the Mackey Arena lot was uniquely renamed "Permit 372" and relocated directly in front of the east doors to the arena. Many of Keady's former assistant coaches throughout the years have gone on to enjoy success as head coaches, included in the "Gene Keady coaching tree", is current Purdue head coach Matt Painter, former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin, Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings, Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, and Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin. It was widely assumed that upon Keady's retirement Weber would assume the role as the head coach of Purdue basketball, however he accepted the head coaching position at Illinois prior to Keady's retirement.
As the Keady era came to a close in 2005, the Painter era began. Painter played for Keady from 1990–1993, with Keady naming him captain in his senior year. In 2004, Painter was hired as a planned replacement for Coach Keady. After a disappointing first season marred with injuries, Painter re-energized Purdue basketball in the summer of 2006 by signing the top high school class in the Big Ten and one of the top five nationally. The program's good fortunes continued well into the 2006–07 season with the Boilermakers finishing 4th with a 9–7 Big 10 conference record, 22–12 overall, with Purdue's first invite to the NCAA tournament since 2003. Matt Painter and his "Baby Boilers" finished the 2007–08 regular season with a 15–3 Big Ten record and 25–9 overall, including a second straight NCAA appearance. Dating back to the 1993-1994 season, the Boilers have made 11 NCAA appearances, 10 of them, they advanced to the second round.
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Purdue Boilermakers
