The rivalry between the Indiana University Hoosiers and the Purdue University Boilermakers is a common talking point in Bloomington. Multiple teachers at BHSN have gone to both colleges and seen similar stories. Two flagship schools with large student bodies in the same state competing in greatly-attended sporting events. What makes this competitiveness between two schools different than many is that even within some families there are opposing favorite teams. Among all of college sports rivalries, Newsweek listed it among the top 12 and Huffington Post listed it at number five overall. Both schools have been members of the same conference, the Big Ten, for over 100 years.
Current staff members at Bloomington High School North that attended Purdue University include Principal Stark and Ms. Adams. If you happen to be in Principal Stark’s office you will notice multiple Purdue posters on the wall. While in West Lafayette, he received his bachelor’s degree in history and a bachelor’s degree in social studies education. He said, “When I was in college Gene Keady and Bob Knight were coaching and the intensity was very big. Campus was electric after Purdue victories. There have been some down years for both schools in the last ten years, but it feels like it is heading back to the years when I was in college.”
The Boilermakers are known for their basketball program of men’s and women’s, which have won more Big Ten Championships than any other conference school. According to The Princeton Review, “Purdue is a Big Ten school that provides a world class education with a name that is known all over the world and not just the state of Indiana.”
There is an even bigger population of current BHSN staff members who went to Indiana University at one time. Some of these people include Mr. Allanson, Ms. Ansaldo, Mr. Henry, and Mr. Simic. IU-Bloomington is known for having one of the prettiest campuses in the entire nation. Likewise with Purdue, IU’s sports program is defined by basketball. Indiana has won five NCAA championships in men’s basketball, tying for fourth in history. The 1976 Hoosiers team remains the last undefeated NCAA men’s basketball team. Mr. Allanson said, “My fondest memories are from the Gene Keady and Bob Knight era when I was a lad. Used to love watching Glenn ‘Big Dog’ Robinson and Calbert Cheaney play. IU made it to the Final 4 in ’92! One of my best friends went to Purdue while I was a student at IU and we constantly talked about which school was better. A lot of pride at both schools.”
One notable basketball game between the two schools is the incident of Indiana coach Bob Knight throwing his chair. In February 1985 when the two schools were competing in Bloomington, Knight became irate over a call and launched a red plastic chair from the bench. In a surprised tone, the broadcaster said, “Bobby Knight just threw his chair clear across the free throw lane.” Purdue went on to win 72-63 on their way to a 20-9 season.
Aside from basketball, football is the next biggest sport in this rivalry. Every year, the two schools compete against each other in the “Old Oaken Bucket Game.” This nickname was coined in 1925 because the winner gets to keep a famous bucket for the upcoming season. The winner of the bucket gets a “P” or “I” link added to the chain of the bucket with the score, date and the city where the game was played engraved on the link. In case of a tie, an “I–P” link is added. Purdue leads the all-time Bucket series 59-31-3. In addition to the Old Oaken Bucket, the Monon Spike is given out to the winner of the annual Purdue vs. Indiana volleyball game. In women’s basketball there is the Barn Burner Trophy. Lastly, women’s soccer features the Golden Boot.
You will find passionate fans of both teams at Bloomington High School North. While these fans may not be able to agree on the best squad, everyone realizes that the sheer competition between the Purdue Boilermakers of West Lafayette and the Indiana Hoosiers of Bloomington has continued to grow, causing buzz in the Hoosier state.
