Fansided

College football’s 15 most tortured fan bases of all time

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 17, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys take the field for the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys take the field for the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 28, 2015; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers fans wear paper bags over their heads during a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ross Ade Stadium. Indiana defeats Purdue 54-36. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers fans wear paper bags over their heads during a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ross Ade Stadium. Indiana defeats Purdue 54-36. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Purdue is a founding member of the Big Ten but only has eight conference titles. But when you look at the modern era, the success has been extremely limited in West Lafayette.

Trivia question: how many Big Ten titles have the Boilermakers won since 1952? Answer: two. Purdue won the Big Ten in 1967 and 2000 when Drew Brees led the team to the Rose Bowl.

Yikes.

The Boilermakers have had plenty of talented players over the course of time. Guys like Mark Herrmann, Jim Everett, and Brees put the program on the map, but the Boilermakers could never seem to get over the hump and become perennial conference title contenders.

You can look at the number of bowl games the Boilermakers have made since 2000 (nine) and think that fans don’t have it that bad. Purdue seems to play in the postseason on a regular basis, so what’s the big deal? Well, that the last bowl win was in 2011 and the Boilermakers haven’t won more than eight games since 2003, there’s your problem.

Darrell Hazell hasn’t been the answer, either. He was a successful head coach at Kent State and one of the hottest commodities on the market before the 2013 season, but he has done nothing for the program so far.

In fact, Hazell has recorded twice as many 10-loss seasons in the past three years than Purdue has 10-win seasons in its history.

How’s that for the tortured fan stat of the day?

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