1996 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 1996 Purdue Boilermakers football team played in the Big Ten and were led by head coach Jim Colletto in his sixth and final season. They finished 3–8 overall and 2–6 in the conference, placing eighth. Home games were at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The season got off to a rough start, beginning 0–3 and averaging under seven points per game. In the final eight games Purdue went 3–5 and did not qualify for a bowl game for the 12th straight year. The team also did not win any road games.
Brian Alford was the standout player, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors from both coaches and the media and breaking Purdue’s single-season receiving touchdown record. Senior captain Emmett Zitelli was selected to the Second Team All-Big Ten. After the season, Zitelli signed as an undrafted free agent; no Purdue players were drafted in 1997.
Entering 1996, there was doubt about replacing all-time great rusher Mike Alstott. Colletto moved Edwin Watson from tailback to fullback to fill the gap and named Rick Trefzger as the starting quarterback, hoping multiple quarterbacks would contribute on offense.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:44 (CET).