Series Continues With 2 Greatest Players in Boiler History
The greatest player in Purdue football history headlines this week’s edition of the best Boilermakers by number.
Another player on this list could make an argument for that title had he been allowed to play offense more than once in his four-year career. And then there’s the single-game rushing yards record-holder who went on to be an NFL rushing champion.
Let’s start the countdown with the former NCAA record-holder for career receptions.
21
Taylor Stubblefield
The Yakima, Wash., native was Purdue’s first consensus All-American wide receiver since Bernie Flowers in 1952 as a senior.
Stubblefield set a school record as a senior in 2004 with 16 receiving touchdowns and set the NCAA standard for receptions with 316 for his career. Had the NCAA allowed bowl statistics before 2002, Stubblefield’s total would have been 325.
Only former teammate John Standeford accounted for more receiving yards (3,788) than Stubblefield’s 3,629 in Boilermaker history.
22
Larry Burton
Just how fast was Burton, an Olympian in 1972? He once shared the world record in the 60-meter dash and held a world record in the 200. Burton ended up fourth in the 200 meters at Munich in 1972.
Had Burton played in another era, the numbers he could have put up would be astounding. As it was, Burton was a first-team All-American wide receiver in 1974. He would go on to play six years in the NFL after being the seventh overall selection in the 1975 NFL Draft by New Orleans.
Another famous name in college football wore No. 22 for Purdue in 1946, future College Football Hall of Fame coach John McKay. He enrolled at Purdue after serving as a U.S. Army Air Force tailgunner aboard B-29s during World War II. McKay transferred to Oregon in 1947.
23
Leroy Keyes
Where to begin with the man voted Purdue’s All-Time Greatest Player for the first 100 years of Boilermaker football?
Keyes is the only two-time consensus All-American in school history. He set school records during his career from 1966-68 for career touchdowns (37), points (222) and all-purpose yards (3,757). Keyes finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy in 1967 and second to O.J. Simpson in 1968.
He was Purdue’s first 1,000-yard rusher as a junior in 1968, the year after leading the nation with 114 points on a school record 19 touchdowns. Not surprisingly, Keyes was voted the Big Ten Conference Most Valuable Player in 1967.
Keyes’ final totals included 2,094 rushing yards, 80 receptions, eight touchdown passes, four interceptions as a defensive back and a 25.8-yard kickoff return average. Oh, he handled kickoff duties too.
Keyes was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990 and was an inaugural member in 1994 of the Purdue Hall of Fame, which now bears his name.
“When I was on the football field, my job was to be the best player on the field,” Keyes told me in 1998. “It became a will game to me. Who had the greater will to get the job done? I willed myself not to get beat.”
24
Otis Armstrong
The leader of arguably the greatest recruiting class in Purdue football history, Armstrong broke Keyes’ single-season rushing record with 1,009 yards as a sophomore in 1970.
Armstrong was a consensus first-team All-American in 1972 after setting school records for rushing attempts (243) and rushing yards (1,361). During the final game of his college career, Armstrong rushed for 276 yards against Indiana. That record still stands.
Armstrong ranks third behind Mike Alstott and Korey Sheets with 3,315 rushing yards.
Taken ninth overall by the Denver Broncos in the 1973 NFL Draft, Armstrong won the NFL rushing title in 1974 with 1,407 yards.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
25
Scott Dierking
Following in Armstrong’s footsteps, Dierking became Purdue’s third 1,000-yard rusher as a senior in 1976. He also scored 11 touchdowns that season to finish with career totals to 2,863 yards and 25 touchdowns.
His most memorable game came against No. 1 Michigan in 1976, when he carried the ball 38 times for 162 yards in the 16-14 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium.
A high honorable mention nod goes to Tony Butkovich, one of the stars of Purdue’s undefeated Big Ten championship team in 1943. Butkovich played just nine games for the Boilermakers but that was enough to garner first-team All-America and Big Ten honors.
The fullback broke a 21-year-old Big Ten scoring record with 13 touchdowns while rushing for 833 yards on 142 carries. Butkovich, elected to the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, was killed in action in 1945.
26
Rod Woodson
From being named a Parade All-American at Fort Wayne Snider High School to consensus All-American defensive back at Purdue to membership on the 75- and 100-year all-time NFL teams, Woodson is the greatest Boilermaker not named Leroy Keyes.
One wonders if the reverse would be true if coach Leon Burtnett had allowed Woodson to play offense. Burtnett finally unleashed Woodson in the final game for both men on Nov. 22, 1986. Starting at tailback in addition to his cornerback duties, Woodson rushed for a team season-high 93 yards on 15 carries. He also caught three passes for 67 yards, returned three punts for 30 yards and two kickoffs for 46 yards.
Oh yeah, he also recorded 10 tackles too. In all, Woodson appeared in 137 plays against the Hoosiers.
Woodson is one of four Purdue players to be selected first-team All-Big Ten three times. He set the school record with 11 interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. His 1,535 kickoff return yards were also a career record.
His list of honors includes the Purdue Hall of Fame in 2003, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
27
Harry Szulborski
For 23 years, Szulborski held the Purdue career rushing record with 2,478 yards. Not bad for someone who played at 5-9, 168 pounds without a facemask.
Nicknamed “Hurricane Harry,” Szulborski led the nation in rushing as a sophomore in 1947 (851 yards) and as a junior (989 yards). A knee injury limited Szulborski to 417 yards and 100 carries in 1949.
28
Dustin Keller
One of the youngest players ever inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame (2019), Keller was the last recruit signed by Joe Tiller in the freshman class of 2003.
After taking a redshirt year to put on weight to play tight end, Keller became a three-year starter. He was the first tight end since All-American Dave Young in 1979 to be named Purdue’s Most Valuable Player as a senior in 2007.
After being named Most Valuable Offensive Player in the 2007 Motor City Bowl, Keller was a first-round draft pick by the New York Jets.
29
Pat Johnson
The safety starred for some suspect Purdue defenses in the early 1990s. As a senior in 1993, Johnson recorded 16 solo tackles against Wisconsin. No Boilermaker has had more solo tackles in a game since then.
Johnson made the most of his two seasons as a starter, recording 94 tackles as a junior and 95 as a senior. His 194 total tackles is still among the top 20 in Purdue history.
30
Travis Dorsch
The USA Today All-America high school kicker out of Montana, Dorsch was a four-year starter.
But his biggest honors came when he took over the punting duties. As a senior in 2001, Dorsch received the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s outstanding punter after leading the nation with a 48.4 average.
He was the first player in Big Ten history to earn first-team all-conference honors as both a punter and a kicker. He also was an All-American at both positions.
Dorsch was just as successful off the field, earning his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue. He is now an associate professor at Utah State.
Purdue center wins gold
The United States’ U19 men’s basketball team won the FIBA World Cup by defeating Germany 109-76.
Purdue redshirt freshman center Daniel Jacobsen averaged 6.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game for Team USA. His 13 blocked shots ranked second among all players in the World Cup.
The gold medal is Jacobsen’s second with USA Basketball, after winning at the 2018 FIBA AmeriCup last summer. He and the late Caleb Swanigan are the only Boilermakers to win at least two gold medals with USA Basketball.
Fellow Boilermaker Omer Mayer helped Israel reach the quarterfinals in its first appearance in the U19 World Cup. Israel finished seventh after losing to Slovenia in the quarterfinal and Australia in the consolation bracket, before defeating Switzerland in the seventh-place game.
A finger injury limited Mayer to four games but his 20 points per game average ranked second among all players. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals.
His best game came in a comeback victory against Cameroon in the round of 16. The 6-4 guard put up 33 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.