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1979 Purdue Boilermakers football team

The 1979 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 1979 Big Ten Conference football season. Led by third-year head coach Jim Young, the Boilermakers compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing second in the Big Ten. Purdue was invited to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, where the Boilermakers defeated Tennessee. The team played home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

This is Purdue’s only 10 win season in program history as of 2026.

Schedule

Game summaries

Oregon

  • Wally Jones 30 rushes, 156 yards

Illinois

  • Mark Herrmann breaks Mike Phipps' school record for career passing yardage
  • Dave Young 114 Rec Yds, 2 TD
  • Jimmy Smith 23 rushes, 125 yards

At Michigan State

Mark Herrmann broke the Big Ten career completion record set by Michigan State's Ed Smith in the previous year.

At Iowa

Michigan

At Indiana

  • Ben McCall 20 rushes, 148 yards

Vs. Tennessee (Bluebonnet Bowl)

  • PUR: Mark Herrmann 21/39, 303 Yds, 3 TD
  • PUR: Bart Burell 8 Rec, 144 Yds, TD

Personnel

Roster

Starters

Offense: se Burrell/Ray Smith, lt Feil, lg Schwan, c Quinn, rg Hall, rt McKenzie, te Young, qb Herrmann, fb Augustyniak, tb Jones/McCall, fl Harris, k Seibel

Defense: de Kingsbury, lt Clark, mg Loushin, rt Jackson, de Turner, lb Motts/Looney/Marks, cb W. smith/Kay, ss Seneff, fs Williams/McKinnie, p Hayes

Awards

All-Big Ten

Statistics

Passing

References