| Year: | 1942 |
| Team: | Purdue Boilermakers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Ten |
| Record: | 1–8 |
| Conf Record: | 1–4 |
| Head Coach: | Elmer Burnham |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Mvp: | Bill Buffington |
| Captain: | Bill Buffington |
| Stadium: | Ross–Ade Stadium |
The 1942 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1942 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first season under head coach Elmer Burnham, the Boilermakers compiled a 1–8 record, finished in eighth place in the Big Ten Conference with a 1–4 record against conference opponents, and were outscored by their opponents by a total of 179 to 27.[1] [2]
Purdue was ranked at No. 74 (out of 590 college and military teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1942.[3]