1980 Purdue Boilermakers football team

1980 Purdue Boilermakers football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 28–25 vs. Missouri
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 16
APNo. 17
Record9–3 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDoug Redmann (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorLeon Burtnett (4th season)
MVPMark Herrmann
CaptainTom Kingsbury, Pete Quinn
Home stadiumRoss–Ade Stadium
Seasons
← 1979
1981 →
1980 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Michigan $ 8 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 15 Ohio State 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 17 Purdue 7 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Iowa 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Minnesota 4 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Indiana 3 – 5 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Illinois 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 1
Michigan State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Northwestern 0 – 9 – 0 0 – 11 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1980 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Jim Young, the Boilermakers finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference, compiled a 9–3 record (7–1 against Big Ten opponents), defeated Missouri in the Liberty Bowl, were ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 328 to 233.[1] The team played its home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Quarterback Mark Herrmann gained national attention for breaking the NCAA's career record for passing yardage. He finished his collegiate career having completed 772 of 1,309 passes for 9,946 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions.[2] Herrmann and teammate Dave Young, a tight end, were the only two Big Ten players to be recognized as consensus first-team players on the 1980 College Football All-America Team.[3] Herrmann also won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference.

Several Purdue players ranked among the Big Ten leaders in various statistical categories, including the following:

  • Mark Herrmann led the Big Ten Conference with 3,212 passing yards, a 65.8 pass completion percentage, 23 passing touchdowns, 8.7 yards per passing attempt, a 150.5 pass efficiency rating, and 3,026 passing yards.[4]
  • Dave Young led the Big Ten with 70 receptions and ranked second in the Big Ten with nine receiving touchdowns and third with 959 receiving yards.
  • Rick Anderson led the Big Ten with 16 field goals made and a 69.6 field goal percentage and ranked second with 86 points scored.[4]
  • Jimmy Smith ranked sixth in the Big Ten with 269 kickoff return yards, seventh with seven rushing touchdowns, eighth with 54 points scored, ninth with 19.2 yards per kickoff return, and 10th with 657 rushing yards, 139 rushing attempts, and 160 plays from scrimmage.[4]
  • Bart Burrell ranked second in the Big Ten with 66 receptions and 1,001 receiving yards[4]
  • Steve Bryant ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 50 receptions, fourth in the Big Ten with 892 receiving yards, and third in the Big Ten with 17.8 yards per reception.[4]
  • Robert Williams tied for the Big Ten lead with five interceptions.[4]
  • Bill Kay led the Big Ten with 104 interception return yards.[4]
  • Scott Craig ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 122 punt return yards and seventh with 4.5 yards per punt return.[4]
  • Jim Bosché was ranked ninth in the Big Ten with 36.7 yards per punt, but ranked second in the Big Ten with 34.7 yards net punt average after the return.[4]
  1. ^ "1980 Purdue Boilermakers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  2. ^ "Mark Herrmann". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. pp. 3, 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "1980 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2016.