Purdue Boilermakers football statistical leaders explained

The Purdue Boilermakers football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Purdue Boilermakers football program in various categories,^{[1] [2]} including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Boilermakers represent Purdue University in the NCAA's Big Ten Conference.

Although Purdue began competing in intercollegiate football in 1887,^[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in 1946. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.

These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:

• Since 1946, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
• The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
• Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.^[3]
• Due to COVID-19 disruptions, the NCAA ruled that the 2020 season would not be counted against any football player's athletic eligibility, giving players active in that season five years of eligibility instead of the standard four.

These lists are updated through Purdue's game against Syracuse on September 16, 2023.

Passing

Passing yards

Career

1	Drew Brees	11,792	1997 1998 1999 2000
2	Curtis Painter	11,163	2005 2006 2007 2008
3	Mark Herrmann	9,946	1977 1978 1979 1980
4		9,734	2015 2016 2017 2018
5	Kyle Orton	9,337	2001 2002 2003 2004
6	Aidan O'Connell	9,219	2019 2020 2021 2022
7	Scott Campbell	7,636	1980 1981 1982 1983
8	Jim Everett	7,411	1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
9	Eric Hunter	5,598	1989 1990 1991 1992
10	Mike Phipps	5,423	1967 1968 1969

Single season

1	Curtis Painter	3,985	2006
2	Drew Brees	3,983	1998
3	Drew Brees	3,909	1999
4	Curtis Painter	3,846	2007
5	Aidan O'Connell	3,712	2021
6	David Blough	3,705	2018
7	Drew Brees	3,668	2000
8	Jim Everett	3,651	1985
9	Aidan O'Connell	3,490	2022
10		3,352	2016

Single game

1		572^[4]		Missouri
2		546^[5]		Central Michigan (Motor City Bowl)
3	Aidan O'Connell	536^[6]		Michigan State
4	Aidan O'Connell	534^[7]		Tennessee
5	Drew Brees	522		Minnesota
5	Kyle Orton	522^[8]		Indiana
7	Scott Campbell	516		Ohio State
8	Drew Brees	509		Michigan State
	Elijah Sindelar	509^[9]		Vanderbilt
10	Jim Everett	497		Ohio State

Passing touchdowns

Career

1	Drew Brees	90	1997 1998 1999 2000
2	Mark Herrmann	71	1977 1978 1979 1980
3		69	2015 2016 2017 2018
4	Curtis Painter	67	2005 2006 2007 2008
5	Aidan O'Connell	65	2019 2020 2021 2022
6	Kyle Orton	63	2001 2002 2003 2004
7	Scott Campbell	45	1980 1981 1982 1983
8	Jim Everett	43	1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
9	Mike Phipps	37	1967 1968 1969
10	Eric Hunter	33	1989 1990 1991 1992

Single season

1	Drew Brees	39	1998
2	Kyle Orton	31	2004
3	Curtis Painter	29	2007
4	Aidan O'Connell	28^[10]	2021
5	Drew Brees	26	2000
6	Drew Brees	25	1999
		25	2016
		25	2018
9		23	1969
	Mark Herrmann	23	1980
	Jim Everett	23	1985

Single game

1	Drew Brees	6		Minnesota
	Drew Brees	6		Northwestern
	Kyle Orton	6		Indiana
	Curtis Painter	6^[11]		Eastern Illinois
5	Mike Phipps	5		Stanford
	Mark Herrmann	5		Iowa
	Billy Dicken	5		Minnesota
	Drew Brees	5		Michigan State
	Drew Brees	5		Northwestern
	Kyle Orton	5^[12]		Ball State
	Curtis Painter	5^[13]		Indiana
		5		Iowa
	Elijah Sindelar	5		Vanderbilt
	Aidan O'Connell	5		Tennessee

Rushing

Rushing yards

Career

1	Mike Alstott	3,635	1992 1993 1994 1995
2	Kory Sheets	3,341	2005 2006 2007 2008
3	Otis Armstrong	3,315	1970 1971 1972
4	Scott Dierking	2,863	1973 1974 1975 1976
5	Montrell Lowe	2,648	1999 2000 2001 2002
6		2,594	2015 2016 2017 2018
7	Edwin Watson	2,520	1994 1995 1996 1997
8	Harry Szulborski	2,478	1946 1947 1948 1949
9	Corey Rogers	2,436	1991 1993 1994 1995
10	Jerod Void	2,429	2002 2003 2004 2005

Single season

1	Mike Alstott	1,436	1995
2	Otis Armstrong	1,361	1972
3	Mike Alstott	1,188	1994
4	Kory Sheets	1,131	2008
5	Joey Harris	1,115	2002
6	Otis Armstrong	1,009	1970
7	Leroy Keyes	1,003	1968
8	Scott Dierking	1,000	1976
9	Montrell Lowe	998	2000
10	Harry Szulborski	989	1948

Single game

1	Otis Armstrong	276		Indiana
2	Mike Alstott	264		Indiana
3	Ralph Bolden	234^[14]		Toledo
4	Otis Armstrong	233		Northwestern
5	Edwin Watson	227		NC State
6	Leroy Keyes	225		Illinois
7	Markell Jones	217		Indiana
8	Leroy Keyes	214		Wake Forest
9	Gary Danielson	213		Washington
10	Scott Dierking	211		Miami (OH)

Rushing touchdowns

Career

1	Kory Sheets	48	2005 2006 2007 2008
2	Mike Alstott	39	1992 1993 1994 1995
3	Jerod Void	36	2002 2003 2004 2005
4	Perry Williams	30	1966 1967 1968
5	Leroy Keyes	29	1966 1967 1968
6	Corey Rogers	27	1991 1993 1994 1995
7	Scott Dierking	25	1973 1974 1975 1976
	Edwin Watson	25	1994 1995 1996 1997
9		20	2015 2016 2017 2018
10	Stan Brown	19	1968 1969 1970

Single season

1	Tony Butkovich	16	1943
	Kory Sheets	16	2008
3	Leroy Keyes	14	1968
	Mike Alstott	14	1994
5	Leroy Keyes	13	1967
	Jerod Void	13	2003
7	Mike Alstott	12	1993
8	7 times by 6 players	11	Most recent: Kory Sheets, 2007

Single game

1	Mike Northington	5		Iowa
2	Perry Williams	4		SMU
	Leroy Keyes	4		Indiana
	Mike Alstott	4		Minnesota
	Mike Alstott	4		Ball State
	Mike Alstott	4		Minnesota
	Montrell Lowe	4		Indiana
	Jerod Void	4^[15]		Illinois
	Kory Sheets	4^[16]		Miami (Ohio)

Receiving

Receptions

Career

1	Taylor Stubblefield	325	2001 2002 2003 2004
2	Dorien Bryant	292	2004 2005 2006 2007
3	John Standeford	266	2000 2001 2002 2003
4		232	2019 2020 2021
5	Tim Stratton	204	1998 1999 2000 2001
6	Greg Orton	203	2005 2006 2007 2008
7	Rodney Carter	181	1982 1983 1984 1985
8	Dave Young	180	1977 1978 1979 1980
9	Vinny Sutherland	176	1997 1998 1999 2000
10	Chris Daniels	170	1996 1997 1998 1999

Single season

1	Chris Daniels	121	1999
2		114	2018
3		110	2022
4	Rodney Carter	98	1985
5		93	2021
6	Keith Smith	91	2009
7	Taylor Stubblefield	89	2004
8	Dorien Bryant	87	2006
	Dorien Bryant	87	2007
10	Taylor Stubblefield	86	2003
	David Bell	86	2019

Single game

1	Chris Daniels	21		Michigan State
2	Randall Lane	18		Wisconsin
3	Taylor Stubblefield	16^[17]		Bowling Green
	Taylor Stubblefield	16^[18]		Wisconsin
	Dorien Bryant	16^[19]		Northwestern

Receiving yards

Career

1	John Standeford	3,788	2000 2001 2002 2003
2	Taylor Stubblefield	3,629	2001 2002 2003 2004
3	Dorien Bryant	3,548	2004 2005 2006 2007
4	Brian Alford	3,029	1994 1995 1996 1997
5	David Bell	2,946	2019 2020 2021
6	Vinny Sutherland	2,370	1997 1998 1999 2000
7	Greg Orton	2,356	2005 2006 2007 2008
8	DeAngelo Yancey	2,344	2013 2014 2015 2016
9	Dave Young	2,316	1977 1978 1979 1980
10	Steve Griffin	2,234	1982 1983 1984 1985

Single season

1		1,361	2022
2		1,307	2002
3	David Bell	1,286^[20]	2021
4		1,258	2018
5	Chris Daniels	1,236	1999
6	Brian Alford	1,228	1997
7	John Standeford	1,150	2003
8	Keith Smith	1,100	2009
9	Rodney Carter	1,099	1985
10	Taylor Stubblefield	1,095	2004

Single game

1	Chris Daniels	301		Michigan State
2	David Bell	240^[21]		Iowa
3	Selwyn Lymon	238^[22]		Notre Dame
4		220		Vanderbilt
5	David Bell	217		Michigan State
	Broc Thompson	217		Tennessee (Music City Bowl)
7	Brian Alford	215		Minnesota
8	Milton Wright	213^[23]		Northwestern
9	Brian Alford	209		Toledo
	Kyle Ingraham	209		Indiana

Receiving touchdowns

Career

1	Brian Alford	31	1994 1995 1996 1997
2	Dave Young	27	1977 1978 1979 1980
	John Standeford	27	2000 2001 2002 2003
4	Vinny Sutherland	25	1997 1998 1999 2000
5	Taylor Stubblefield	21	2001 2002 2003 2004
	Dorien Bryant	21	2004 2005 2006 2007
		21	2019 2020 2021
	Payne Durham	21^[24]	2019 2020 2021 2022
9	DeAngelo Yancey	20	2013 2014 2015 2016
10	Jim Beirne	17	1965 1966 1967
	Calvin Williams	17	1986 1987 1988 1989

Single season

1	Taylor Stubblefield	16	2004
2	Vinny Sutherland	13	2000
	John Standeford	13	2002
4	Brian Alford	12	1996
	Rondale Moore	12	2018
	Charlie Jones	12	2022
7	Ashley Bell	11	1969
	Steve Bryant	11	1981
9	Dave Young	10	1979
	Brian Alford	10	1997
	DeAngelo Yancey	10	2016

Single game

1	Reggie Arnold	4		Iowa
2	16 times by 14 players	3	Most recent: Charlie Jones, 2022 vs. Indiana State^[25]

Total offense

Total offense is the sum of passing and rushing statistics. It does not include receiving or returns.^[26]

Total offense yards

Career

1		12,692	1997 1998 1999 2000
2		11,511	2005 2006 2007 2008
3		9,996	2015 2016 2017 2018
4	Kyle Orton	9,653	2001 2002 2003 2004
5	Mark Herrmann	9,134	1977 1978 1979 1980
6	Aidan O'Connell	8,945	2019 2020 2021 2022
7	Scott Campbell	7,526	1980 1981 1982 1983
8	Jim Everett	7,284	1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
9	Eric Hunter	5,984	1989 1990 1991 1992
10	Mike Phipps	5,883	1967 1968 1969

Single season

1	Drew Brees	4,189	2000
2	Drew Brees	4,176	1998
3	Curtis Painter	4,092	2006
4	Drew Brees	4,086	1999
5	Curtis Painter	3,826	2007
6		3,757	2018
7	Aidan O'Connell	3,592	2021
8		3,589	1985
9		3,487	1997
10	Aidan O'Connell	3,409	2022

Single game

1	David Blough	590		Missouri
2		540		Central Michigan (Motor City Bowl)
3	Kyle Orton	530		Indiana
4	Aidan O'Connell	525		Tennessee
5	Drew Brees	524		Minnesota
6	Aidan O'Connell	523		Michigan State
7	Elijah Sindelar	519		Vanderbilt
8		501		Michigan State
9		497		Minnesota

Touchdowns responsible for

In official NCAA records, "touchdowns responsible for" includes rushing and passing touchdowns, but not receptions or returns—the same statistical categories used to measure total offense.

Career

1	Drew Brees	104	1997 1998 1999 2000
2		82	2015 2016 2017 2018
3	Curtis Painter	80	2005 2006 2007 2008
4	Mark Herrmann	73	1977 1978 1979 1980
5	Kyle Orton	69	2001 2002 2003 2004
6	Aidan O'Connell	67	2019 2020 2021 2022
7	Scott Campbell	51	1980 1981 1982 1983
8	Kory Sheets	48	2005 2006 2007 2008
9	Mike Phipps	46	1967 1968 1969
10	Jim Everett	46	1981 1982 1983 1984 1985

Single season

1	Drew Brees	42	1998
2	Kyle Orton	34	2004
3	Curtis Painter	32	2007
4	Mike Phipps	31	1969
	Drew Brees	31	2000
6		29	1999
		29	2016
	Aidan O'Connell	29	2021
9		28	2006
		28	2018

Single game

1	Drew Brees	6		Minnesota
	Drew Brees	6		Northwestern
	Kyle Orton	6		Ball State
	Kyle Orton	6		Indiana
	Curtis Painter	6		Eastern Illinois
	Elijah Sindelar	6		Vanderbilt

Defense

Interceptions

Career

1	Stuart Schweigert	17	2000 2001 2002 2003
2	Ricardo Allen	13	2010 2011 2012 2013
	Cam Allen	13	2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
4	Bob Corby	11	1965 1966 1967
	Don Anderson	11	1981 1982 1983 1984
	Rod Woodson	11	1983 1984 1985 1986
	Marc Foster	11	1985 1986 1987 1988
	Jimmy Young	11	1990 1991 1992 1993
	Adrian Beasley	11	1996 1997 1998 1999
10	Bill Kay	10	1977 1978 1979 1980
	Landon Feichter	10	2011 2012 2013 2014
	Frankie Williams	10

Single season

1	Phil Mateja	7	1952
	Bill Kay	7	1979
3	Bob Corby	6	1967
	Marc Foster	6	1988
	Jimmy Young	6	1991
	Stuart Schweigert	6	2001
	Ricardo Allen	6	2013
	Dillon Thieneman	6	2023
9	14 times by 14 players	5	Most recent: Landon Feichter, 2014

Single game

1	Paul Beery	4		Wisconsin
2	Jack Brown	3		Iowa
	Phil Mateja	3		Notre Dame
	Ross Fichtner	3		Minnesota
	Chuck Kyle	3		Iowa
	Randy Cooper	3		Stanford
	Tim Racke	3		Indiana
	Bill Kay	3		Michigan
	Jamel Coleman	3		Penn State
	Mike Rose	3		Northwestern
	Anthony Brown	3		Nebraska

Tackles

Career

1	Kevin Motts	520	1976 1977 1978 1979
2	Fred Strickland	479	1984 1985 1986 1987
3	Eric Beatty	448	1989 1990 1991 1992
4	Rod Woodson	445	1983 1984 1985 1986
5	Brock Spack	384	1980 1981 1982 1983
6	Jeff Zgonina	382	1989 1990 1991 1992
7	Kevin Sumlin	375	1983 1984 1985 1986
8	Jim Schwantz	363	1988 1989 1990 1991
9	Stuart Schweigert	360	2000 2001 2002 2003
10	Tony Visco	351	1984 1985 1986 1987

Single season

1	Mark Brown	209	1982
2	Fred Arrington	182	1977
3	James Looney	180	1980
4	Eric Beatty	175	1992
5	Fred Strickland	168	1987
6	Kevin Motts	153	1977
7	Rick Schavietello	148	1971
	Kevin Motts	148	1978
9	Darrin Trieb	144	1989
10	Darrin Trieb	143	1988
	Jim Schwantz	143	1991

Single game

1	Chuck Kyle	27		Indiana
2	Darrin Trieb	26		Michigan
3	Rick Schavietello	23		Washington
	Fred Arrington	23		Indiana
	James Looney	23		Michigan

Sacks

Career

1	Rosevelt Colvin	35.0	1995 1996 1997 1998
2	Shaun Phillips	33.5	2000 2001 2002 2003
	Ryan Kerrigan	33.5	2007 2008 2009 2010
4	Jeff Zgonina	29.0	1989 1990 1991 1992
	Akin Ayodele	29.0	1999 2000 2001
6	Anthony Spencer	21.0	2003 2004 2005 2006
7	Craig Terrill	20.5	2000 2001 2002 2003
8	Kawann Short	19.5	2009 2010 2011 2012
9	Jim Schwantz	18.0	1988 1989 1990 1991
10	Kydran Jenkins	16.5	2020 2021 2022 2023

Single season

1	Rosevelt Colvin	15.0	1998
2	Shaun Phillips	14.5	2003
3	Rosevelt Colvin	14.0	1997
4	Jeff Zgonina	13.0	1992
	Ryan Kerrigan	13.0	2009
6	Ryan Kerrigan	12.5	2010
7	Jim Schwantz	11.0	1989
	Akin Ayodele	11.0	1999
9	Anthony Spencer	10.5	2006
10	Nic Scourton	10.0	2023

Single game

1	Tom Kingsbury	4.0		Northwestern
	Rob Ninkovich	4.0		Indiana
	Rob Ninkovich	4.0^[27]		Indiana
	Ryan Kerrigan	4.0^[28]		Michigan
5	Don Delvy	3.5		Iowa
	Chike Okeafor	3.5		Kansas State (Alamo Bowl)
	Shaun Phillips	3.5		Wisconsin

Kicking

Field goals made

Career

1	Travis Dorsch	68	1998 1999 2000 2001
2	Carson Wiggs	56	2008 2009 2010 2011
3	Ben Jones	43	2003 2004 2005
4	Mitchell Fineran	42	2021 2022
5	J. D. Dellinger	40	2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
6	Jonathan Briggs	36	1985 1986 1987
7	Chris Summers	31	2006 2007 2008 2009
	Paul Griggs	31	2012 2013 2014 2015
8	Scott Sovereen	27	1976 1977 1978
10	Spencer Evans	26	2017 2018

Single season

1	Ben Jones	25	2003
2	Mitchell Fineran	24^[29]	2021
3	Travis Dorsch	22	2001
4	Carson Wiggs	19	2011
5	Travis Dorsch	18	1999
	Chris Summers	18	2007
	Spencer Evans	18	2018
	Mitchell Fineran	18	2022
9	Rick Anderson	16	1980
	Travis Dorsch	16	1998
	Paul Griggs	16	2014

Single game

1	Rick Anderson	5		Michigan State
	Mitchell Fineran	5		Michigan Big Ten Championship
3	13 times by 8 players	4	Most recent: Mitchell Fineran, 2021 vs. Tennessee (Music City Bowl)

Field goal percentage

Career

1	Mitchell Fineran	79.2%	2021 2022
2	Spencer Evans	74.3%	2017 2018
3	J. D. Dellinger	74.1%^[30]	2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
4	Carson Wiggs	73.7%	2008 2009 2010 2011
5	Travis Dorsch	70.1%	1998 1999 2000 2001
6	Ben Jones	69.4%	2003 2004 2005
7	Tim Clark	68.8%	1980 1981 1982 1983
8	Bob Griese	66.7%	1964 1965 1966
9	Jonathan Briggs	65.5%	1985 1986 1987
10	Shane Ryan	65.0%	1996 1997 1998<	-- Keeping in case Fineran drops out of the top 10
11	Joe O'Leary	64.7%	1991 1992-->

Single season

1	Ben Jones	83.3%	2003
2	Mitchell Fineran	82.8%	2021
3	Chris Summers	81.8%	2007
4	Travis Dorsch	81.5%	2001
5	J. D. Dellinger	81.3%	2019
6	Paul Griggs	80.0%	2014
7	Joe O'Leary	78.9%	1992
	Carson Wiggs	78.9%	2010
9	Spencer Evans	78.3%	2018
10	J. D. Dellinger	77.8%	2020

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2019 Purdue Football Records Book . Purdue Boilermakers . September 7, 2019.
2. Web site: 2015 Purdue Boilermakers Media Guide. 2015-11-07 . PurdueSports.com.
3. Web site: NCAA changes policy on football stats. 2002-08-28. 2014-09-11. ESPN.com. AP.
4. Web site: McCann kicks FG as time expires; Missouri beats Purdue 40-37 . 2018-09-16 . ESPN.com .
5. Web site: Purdue 45, Cent. Michigan 22 . 2007-09-15 . ESPN.com .
6. Web site: Michigan State vs. Purdue Box Score. ESPN.com. November 6, 2021. November 6, 2021.
7. Web site: Tennessee vs. Purdue Box Score. ESPN.com. December 30, 2021. December 30, 2021.
8. Web site: Orton's 530 total yards a school record . 2004-11-20 . ESPN.com .
9. Web site: Box Score: Vanderbilt vs. Purdue . ESPN.com . September 7, 2019 . September 7, 2019.
10. Web site: Aidan O'Connell. ESPN.com.
11. Web site: Purdue 31, E. Illinois 3 . 2007-09-08 . ESPN.com .
12. Web site: Orton tosses 5 TDs for dominating Boilermakers . 2004-09-11 . ESPN.com .
13. Web site: Purdue caps Tiller era with colossal rout of Indiana . https://web.archive.org/web/20210815211634/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/283272509 . dead . August 15, 2021 . 2008-11-22 . ESPN.com .
14. Web site: Hope's debut a success as Purdue tops Toledo . 2009-09-05 . ESPN.com .
15. Web site: Void rushes for 119 yards, 4 TDs . 2003-10-04 . ESPN.com .
16. Web site: Purdue 38, Miami OH 31 (OT) . 2006-09-09 . ESPN.com .
17. Web site: Harris' 32-yard TD toss with 2:08 left the difference . 2003-09-06 . ESPN.com .
18. Web site: Field goal with 3 seconds left wins game . 2003-10-18 . ESPN.com .
19. Web site: Northwestern hands Purdue fourth straight loss . 2005-10-15 . ESPN.com .
20. Web site: David Bell . ESPN.com . November 6, 2021.
21. Web site: Purdue, WR David Bell continue dominance over No. 2 Iowa with stunning upset win . October 16, 2021 . ESPN.com .
22. Web site: Quinn, Irish offense come to life in victory over Purdue . 2006-09-30 . ESPN.com .
23. Web site: Purdue vs. Northwestern Box Score. ESPN.com. November 20, 2021. November 23, 2021.
24. Web site: Payne Durham. ESPN.com.
25. Web site: Indiana State vs. Purdue Box Score. September 10, 2022. September 14, 2022. ESPN.com.
26. Web site: Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Record Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2008-01-03. August 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071201142013/http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/football/football_records_book/2007/2007_d1_football_records_book.pdf . 2007-12-01.
27. Web site: Purdue 41, Indiana 14 . 2005-11-19 . ESPN.com .
28. Web site: Michigan handles Purdue despite 4 Denard Robinson turnovers . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407081958/https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/303172509 . dead . April 7, 2023 . 2010-11-13 . ESPN.com .
29. Web site: Mitchell Fineran. ESPN.com.
30. Web site: J.D. Dellinger . ESPN.com . September 7, 2019.