This Saturday, Sept. 20, Notre Dame will face Purdue on the turf for the 89th time since their Battle for the Shillelagh Trophy began. This trophy has been exchanged between the two since 1957 and is a symbol of the tradition shared between the two Indiana programs.
The fierce rivalry between Notre Dame and Purdue began in 1896, with a hard-fought Boilermaker victory of 28-22. Soon after, the Irish would go on to dominate the rivalry, not only stringing together wins before Knute Rockne’s arrival, but also winning every single Purdue matchup during his coaching tenure. By the 1930s and ’40s, Notre Dame had firmly established itself as the dominant power in the series, setting the stage for Purdue’s later resurgence.
That reputation earned Purdue a new nickname — the “Spoilermakers.” It was born in 1950 when quarterback Dale Samuels led the Boilermakers, who would finish the year 2-7, past the No. 1 Fighting Irish, snapping Notre Dame’s 39-game unbeaten streak. The label stuck not only because of that upset, but because Purdue made a habit of knocking off giants: stunning No. 1 Notre Dame again in 1954, handing new coach Terry Brennan his only loss that year, beating No. 1 Notre Dame behind Bob Griese in 1965, toppling the defending national champions and No. 1 Irish again in 1967 and jumping out to a 24–0 lead in 1974 that once again spoiled No. 2 Notre Dame’s bid to repeat as national champs. The Spoilermakers even extended their reputation nationally, upsetting No. 1 Michigan State in 1957 and No. 1 Minnesota in 1960. For Irish fans, the name still stings — because time and again, Purdue has been the team to derail championship dreams.
This consistent back-and-forth of momentum carried itself into the 70s. In 1977, Joe Montana entered the game in the fourth quarter with the Irish trailing 24-14 and engineered a legendary comeback that secured an Irish victory and sent Notre Dame toward a national championship. However, only two years later, Mark Herrmann flipped the script and led the Boilermakers to a close win against the Irish, 28-22.
During the Lou Holtz era, Notre Dame seized firm control. From 1986 to 1996, the Irish won every matchup, outscoring Purdue 433–123 across those 11 games. Still, the Boilermakers found ways to make noise — none louder than in 1997, when new head coach Joe Tiller snapped Notre Dame’s 11-game winning streak in the series.
The rivalry games at the turn of the millennium were nothing short of electric, with three editions all coming down to the final possession. In 1998, Irish safety Tony Driver had two late interceptions, the first of which set the Irish up for a game-winning field goal, before the second slammed the door. The next year, Purdue sacked Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson on the final play, securing the victory. In 2000, kicker Nick Setta drilled a game-winning field goal as time expired to push the score in favor of the Irish, 23-21.
The rivalry paused from 2014-2021, but is now back and scheduled to continue at least through 2028. Most recently in 2024, Notre Dame delivered a historic 66-7 win — the largest margin of victory the Irish have ever had over Purdue, and the largest home loss in Boilermaker history.
Although history favors Notre Dame, Purdue has historically delivered heartbreak when the Irish least expected it. That’s what makes this matchup extra special — no lead is ever permanent. Around campus, Notre Dame fans are riding a wave mixed with despair and hope, the latter because the Purdue roster is currently being rebuilt after losing a significant amount of players from last season. However, many overlook that Notre Dame is in a similar situation. The Irish have a young quarterback and a new configuration on the offensive line that is still trying to find their rhythm. With these factors in mind, this Saturday’s matchup at 3:30 p.m. has potential to be a lot closer than fans expect, especially with a history full of Spoilermaker surprises.
