Ross-Ade Stadium

 


        Going all the way back to 1924, Ross-Ade Stadium has been the home of the Purdue Boilermakers football team. The stadium is named Ross-Ade Stadium after David Ross and George Ade, who donated a significant amount of money to the project. The stadium originally held 13,500 spectators. In 1930, the school added five thousand seats by completing the north end zone to connect the east and west sides of the stadium. In 1949, a giant renovation increased the seating capacity to over 51,000 seats and by 1955, over 55,000. In 1969, stands were built on the north side of the stadium increasing the capacity to just under 63,000.  In 2002, a large press box was installed for seventy million dollars. In 2014, the team removed the grandstand on the south side and changed it to an outdoor patio. In 2017, lights were finally added after almost one hundred years of playing football at the stadium! In 2022, the school approved a project of just over forty-five million dollars to finish the south end zone seating and add a player tunnel onto the field.  This project was completed in the summer of 2023 and will hopefully enhance the game day experience for years to come.


Ross-Ade stadium boasts one of the loudest traditions in college football, the “World’s Largest Drum.” This ginormous instrument has seen Purdue football since 1921 and is ten feet tall. It is escorted by six members of the university’s band who wear silver helmets. The other tradition is the Old Oaken Bucket game when Purdue competes against Indiana, their rival. The bucket has been around since the 1920’s and the yearly winner keeps the bucket until the next matchup. 

Ross-Ade stadium has been a historical stadium in the Big Ten and there will be plenty more big wins within the home of the black and gold for years to come.

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