In the fall of 1997, whe he arrived on campus in West Lafayette, very few people knew who Drew Brees was. He played mop-up minutes in that season’s opening loss at Toledo, and at the time Purdue football was nowhere. It had not had a winning season in 12 years.
Now, in February 2026, almost 29 years later, he is officially a football immortal.
Advertisement
Tonight Brees became the fifth former Boilermaker to be selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Rod Woodson, Bob Griese, Hank Stram (as a coach), and Len Dawson. This one feels especially close to me because Brees’ reise to stardom coincided with my time on campus as a student. I was a freshman when he made his first start in 1998, and I was at every home game he ever started in West Lafayette. Some of my happiest memories in college come from what he and the team was able to accomplish, and now, more than a quarter century later, it still remains the high point of Purdue football in the last 60 years.
This is a tremendous and well deserved accomplishment for Brees. The younger generation doesn’t know what it is like for Purdue to be high in the college football world, but Brees took us there. He was a Heisman finalist. He got Purdue to a Rose Bowl. Later, he won a Super Bowl with the Saints. Thise are three miracles right there. The fact he is gnerally agood guy and has always given back to Purdue is just a bonus.
Congratulations, Drew, and thank you for the memories.
