Many years ago, the two bands were in the south endzone waiting for the half. A full-blown brawl erupted. Our Tuba section smashed the Boiler Head.
Anyone see the Bands Fight?
- Thread starter Rockport Zebra
- Start date
I do not recall this at all. Now I personally know an IU football player who was in a brawl on the field with Boilermaker Pete, took Pete's hammer from him, and used it on Pete smashing the hammer through the mascot's head. The player was arrested for the incident. To this day he re-tells the story and we laugh about the incident.
I recall an IU player in a foot cast swinging his crutch at a Purdue player. There was also a year their “largest” drum was pelleted with a frozen rain of snowballs. Bucket games are usually extra fun, supercharged with energy the way a game with your arch rival should always be. POTFB!
I think one of those players.... probably the one swinging the crutch... was my late friend Scott Tegarden... He'd torn up his knee and it ended his career...... The Sunday Indy Star printed a picture of him taking the swing at the player.... He had it hanging in his house for years..... Great guy.
I knew Scott ”Dax” Tegarden, too, and it wasn’t him swinging the crutch unless it happened more than once, which I doubt. I was at the game in question and left a minute early, thus missing the game ending brawl. I told myself afterwards I would never leave a game early again. I’m thinking the swinging crutch player was an injured lineman. Maybe some other old timer will chirp up. I’ve tried a google search with no luck.
I was there. We beat a pretty talented Purdue team that day in Johnny Pont’s last home Bucket game. They had Gary Danielson, Otis Armstrong, Darryl Stingley and Dave Butz, if memory serves. The bands did fight, Purdue Pete’s head, which was much bigger then, got bashed pretty good, and there were fights on the field during much of the second half. And we won. Great day.
A little before my IU football memories, but this would have been ‘71 then. I believe this was a pretty big upset at the time.
I know Pont’s last game was the next year, ‘72, a 40-0 blowout at PU. I vaguely recall my mom, dad and brothers going to that one.
From all the times I heard Scott retell the story I remember him saying there were a couple of other injured player, all in street clothes, on the sideline and they all got a punch or push thrown in.... The Indy Star photo, IIRC, shows Scott (with a full beard, very much unlike him) with his arm cocked back ready ready to punch the Purdue player who still has his helmet on...
BTW,... I don't think ever heard Scott called "Dax"... what's the connection?
Last edited:
My freshman dorm floor (Briscoe 2A) came very close to stealing Purdue Pete’s hammer. We had a relay system set up after the initial taker wrestled it from Pete’s hands, but after about a 30 second tussle, our guy gave up on it.
We were going to put the hammer up on the wall in the lounge in Briscoe had we been successful.
Looks like Kern Co/Ordfan has flipped alligances again... Sad Case...
Last edited:
I was on the field near our locker room at the end. Someone said "make way for the Purdue Band" that's all it took, someone grabbed the mallet from the guy with the big drum and started beating him with it and the rest of the mele is history. That's how I remember it. lol
Great memories guys. So much fun wrapped up in this rivalry game. There were a couple of time the big drum was kidnapped off of the Purdue campus. They were written up in the local papers. I was very serious thing, or at least the Purdue band department thought so.
Beat Purdue
I am not sure if this is the same Ord lineage we are all familiar with. Time will tell.
'71 I was young, I thought there was another incident later on that got the Purdue band uninvited to campus for some time? IIRC Purdue retaliated and banned our band out of spite. These may be the same incident, and I have confused them.
I think I was at that game. Mid 70s? Maybe early 70s? Anyone know for sure
I looked on you tube and could not find it. If somebody else can, please post.
There's no film of the two marching bands actually fighting but it looked something like this.....
Last edited:
‘86 was at PU and an awful loss for IU, who came in 6-4 and 20+ point favorite. Woodson played both ways for PU, who came in 2-8. IU played a horrible first half, falling behind 10 zip. Only threatened late first half when Kramme, just needing some points, threw a bad pick in the end zone. IU woke up in the 2nd half. Cut it to 17-15. Stoyanovich lined up for what was going to be a game winning 35-yard FG with under a minute left. Blocked!! Lose 17-15. Get All-American Bowl invite at 6-5.
I only know of the ‘71 game fight and IU upset win from others who’ve mentioned it here over the years.
