1989 Purdue Boilermakers football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	3–8 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Fred Akers (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Bob Stanley (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Phil Bennett (3rd season)
MVP	Calvin Williams
Captain	Dennis Dotson, Bill Hitchcock, Calvin Williams
Home stadium	Ross–Ade Stadium
Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

1989 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 7 Michigan $	8	–	0	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
No. 10 Illinois	7	–	1	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
No. 16 Michigan State	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
No. 24 Ohio State	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
Minnesota	4	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Indiana	3	–	5	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Iowa	3	–	5	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Purdue	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Wisconsin	1	–	7	–	0	2	–	9	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	8	–	0	0	–	11	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by third-year head coach Fred Akers, the Boilermakers compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, placing eighth in the Big Ten. It was Purdue's fifth straight losing season. The team played home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 9		Miami (OH)*	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		W 27–10	38,840
September 16		at No. 15 Washington*	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA		L 9–38	66,392
September 30	12:00 p.m.	No. 1 Notre Dame*	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	ABC	L 7–40	67,861
October 7		at Minnesota	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		L 15–35	36,621
October 14		No. 16 Illinois	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)		L 2–14	41,101
October 21		at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		L 3–21	89,091
October 28		Michigan State	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		L 21–28	41,402
November 4	1:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		L 27–42	105,128
November 11		Northwestern	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		W 46–15	31,470
November 18		Iowa	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		L 0–24	31,863
November 25		at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (Old Oaken Bucket)		W 15–14	51,502
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[1]^[2]

Personnel

1989 Purdue Boilermakers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
OL		Bruce Brinerman
OL		Jason Cegielski
FB	`34`	Earl Coleman	Fr
OL		Scott Conover
RB		Don Delvy
WR		Rodney Dennis	Fr
OL		Bob Dressel
RB		Adoaf Harris
OL		Bill Hitchcock
WR		Abe Hoskins	Fr
QB	`9`	Eric Hunter	Fr
WR		Kipp Koonce
QB		Jeff Lesniewicz	RFr
QB	`14`	Steve Letnich
WR		Danny Lounsbury
TE		Dwayne O'Connor
WR		Robert Oglesby
TE		Andy Ozlowski
OL		Derick Schmidt
RB		Jerome Sparkman
OL		Larry Taylor
TE		Kelly Turner
RB		Tony Vinson	Fr
WR		Jim Wallace
WR		Calvin Williams	Sr
OL		Jeff Wormsley

Defense

Pos.	Name	Class
LB	Eric Beatty
DL	Kris Burns
OL	Dennis Dotson
CB	Steve Jackson	Jr
DB	Terry Johnson
CB	Derrick Kelson	Sr
DL	Frank Kmet
DL	Ken Kushner
DL	Donzel Leggett
DB	Nat Martin
DL	Peyton Minter
S	Jarrett Scales
OLB	Jim Schwantz	So
ILB	Darren Trieb	Jr
DB	Sean Washington	Fr
DL	Jeff Zgonina

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P, QB		Shawn McCarthy	Sr
K		Larry Sullivan

Head coach

Fred Akers

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Preseason

Brian Fox transferred after spring practice to Florida, citing a desire to be closer to home and head coach Fred Akers' adjustment of the offensive scheme.^[3]

Game summaries

Miami (OH)

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At Washington

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Notre Dame

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3–0) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	14	20	0	6	40
Purdue	0	0	0	7	7

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Date: September 30
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
Game attendance: 67,861
TV: ABC
Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter

ND – Anthony Johnson 6-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:38. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 55 yards.
ND – Tony Rice 4-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 2:04. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 57 yards.

Second quarter

ND – Jeff Alm 16-yard interception return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:44. Notre Dame 21–0.
ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:35. Notre Dame 28–0.
ND – Ricky Watters 1-yard run (kick failed), 0:14. Notre Dame 34–0.

Third quarter

No scoring

Fourth quarter

ND – Craig Hentrich 19-yard field goal, 9:47. Notre Dame 37–0.
ND – Craig Hentrich 22-yard field goal, 6:18. Notre Dame 40–0.
PUR – Rodney Dennis 3-yard pass from Steve Letnich (Larry Sullivan kick), 0:33. Notre Dame 40–7.

Top passers

ND – Tony Rice – 12/15, 270 yards
PUR – Steve Letnich – 11/28, 89 yards, INT

Top rushers

ND – Tony Rice – 12 rushes, 67 yards, TD
PUR – Steve Letnich – 13 rushes, 50 yards

Top receivers

ND – Derek Brown – 4 receptions, 101 yards
PUR – Earl Coleman – 2 receptions, 32 yards

At Minnesota

Purdue Boilermakers (1–2) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (2–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	3	0	12	15
Minnesota	7	7	14	7	35

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: October 7, 1989
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Game attendance: 36,621
^[4]

Larry Sullivan tied a school record with 51-yard field goal
Darren Trieb was suspended for the game for violation of team rules^[5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Jeff Lesniewicz	13/19, 191 Yds, TD, INT
	Rushing
	Receiving
Minnesota	Passing	Scott Schaffner	9/19, 144 Yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Marcus Evans	102 Yds, TD
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	PUR	MINN
1					Minnesota	Darrell Thompson 7-yard touchdown run, kick good	0	7
2					Purdue	51-yard field goal by Larry Sullivan	3	7
2	4:16		84		Minnesota	Marcus Evans 2-yard touchdown run, kick good	3	14
3		2			Minnesota	James King 34-yard touchdown reception from Scott Schaffner, kick good	3	21
3					Minnesota	Shane Strain 32-yard touchdown reception from Scott Schaffner, kick good	3	28
4					Minnesota	Marquel Fleetwood 3-yard touchdown run, kick good	3	35
4	5:17				Purdue	Jerome Sparkman 20-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion failed	9	35
4	0:00				Purdue	Rod Dennis 37-yard touchdown reception from Jeff Lesniewicz, 2-point conversion failed	15	35
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							15	35

Illinois

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Illinois	7	0	0	7	14
Purdue	0	0	0	2	2

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Jeff George	24/42, 254 Yds, TD
Rushing	Howard Griffith	24 Rush, 94 Yds, TD
Receiving
Purdue	Passing	Jeff Lesniewicz	9/22, 82 Yds
Rushing
Receiving

At Ohio State

Purdue Boilermakers (1–4) at Ohio State Buckeyes (3–2)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	0	3	0	3
Ohio St	14	0	7	0	21

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

Date: October 21
Game time: 1:30 p.m.
Game weather: Overcast, 44 °F (7 °C)
Game attendance: 89,091
Referee: Jim Kemerling
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

OSU – Greg Frey 4-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 11:40. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards, 0:53.
OSU – Carlos Snow 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 3:59. Ohio St 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 4:43.

Second quarter

No scoring

Third quarter

OSU – Carlos Snow 3-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 9:50. Ohio St 21–0. Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 0:59.
PUR – Larry Sullivan 25-yard field goal, 5:35. Ohio St 21–3. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 4:15.

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Top passers

PUR – Eric Hunter – 6/16, 147 yards
OSU – Greg Frey – 3/9, 47 yards

Top rushers

PUR – Jerome Sparkman – 18 rushes, 85 yards
OSU – Carlos Snow – 18 rushes, 149 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

PUR – Jerome Sparkman – 6 receptions, 86 yards
OSU – Jeff Graham – 2 receptions, 37 yards

Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans (2–4) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–5)

Period	1	2	Total
Michigan St	0	28	28
Purdue	0	21	21

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Date: October 28, 1989
Game attendance: 41,402
^[9]

Homecoming
Jeff Lesniewicz knocked out of game with concussion^[10]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan St	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving	Courtney Hawkins	7 Rec, 193 Yds, TD
Purdue	Passing	Eric Hunter	18/26, 253 Yds, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MSU	PUR
3					Michigan St	Courtney Hawkins 80-yard touchdown reception from Dan Enos, kick good	14	0
4					Purdue	Calvin Williams -yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	28	7
4		5	69		Purdue	Rod Dennis 20-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	28	14
4		2	41		Purdue	Abe Hoskins 34-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	28	21
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							28	21

At Michigan

Purdue Boilermakers (1–6) at #4 Michigan Wolverines (6–1)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	7	0	20	27
Michigan	7	21	7	7	42

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Date: November 4, 1989
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: Overcast, 44 °F (7 °C)
Game attendance: 105, 126
Box Score

^[11]

External videos
Game highlights

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Eric Hunter	27/42, 344 Yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jerome Sparkman	11 Rush, 50 Yds
	Receiving	Calvin Williams	13 Rec, 156 Yds, 3 TD
Michigan	Passing	Michael Taylor	8/13, 124 Yds, TD
	Rushing	Tony Boles	13 Rush, 80 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Chris Calloway	3 Rec, 68 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	PU	UM
1	9:16	4	77	1:23	Michigan	Tony Boles 39-yard touchdown run, J.D. Carlson kick good	0	7
2	12:50	3	9	1:17	Michigan	Desmond Howard 8-yard touchdown reception from Michael Taylor, J.D. Carlson kick good	0	14
2	5:46	8	77	3:25	Purdue	Calvin Williams 44-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	7	14
2	2:31	8	80	3:15	Michigan	Tony Boles 1-yard touchdown run, J.D. Carlson kick good	7	21
2	0:09	5	79	0:55	Michigan	Chris Calloway 29-yard touchdown reception from Elvis Grbac, J.D. Carlson kick good	7	28
3	1:10	3	16	0:57	Michigan	Leroy Hoard 2-yard touchdown run, J.D. Carlson kick good	7	35
4	13:03	1	11	0:06	Purdue	Robert Oglesby 11-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	14	35
4	12:52				Michigan	Kickoff returned 85 yards for touchdown by Tony Boles, J.D. Carlson kick good	14	42
4	6:48	3	34	1:19	Purdue	Calvin Williams 3-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	21	42
4	2:33	4	61	1:14	Purdue	Calvin Williams 15-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick no good (wide right)	27	42
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							27	42

Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats (0–8) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–7)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	7	8	0	15
Purdue	32	0	0	14	46

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Date: November 11, 1989
Game attendance: 31,470
^[12]

Purdue snapped a streak of 10 straight games without a first quarter point.^[13]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Tim O'Brien	15/40, 213 Yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Bob Christian	21 Rush, 59 Yds
	Receiving
Purdue	Passing	Eric Hunter	11/24, 263 Yds, 3 TD
	Rushing	Eric Hunter	9 Rush, 55 Yds
	Receiving	Rod Dennis	4 Rec, 146 Yds, 3 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	NW	PUR
1	13:25				Purdue	Blocked punt returned 35 yards for touchdown by Rick Smith, Larry Sullivan kick good	0	7
1			2:02		Purdue	37-yard field goal by Larry Sullivan	0	10
1					Purdue	Rod Dennis 39-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	0	17
1		2			Purdue	Larry Coleman 6-yard touchdown run, 2-point run good	0	25
1			1:02		Purdue	Rod Dennis 46-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	0	32
2	7:38				Northwestern	Richard Buchanan 13-yard touchdown reception from Tim O'Brien, kick good	7	32
3	6:32				Northwestern	Greg Fischer 6-yard touchdown reception from Tim O'Brien, 2-point pass good	15	32
4	11:23				Purdue	Calvin Williams 44-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good	15	39
4	1:51				Purdue	Rod Dennis 57-yard touchdown reception from Jeff Lesniewicz, Larry Sullivan kick good	15	46
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							15	46

Iowa

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (October 2022)

At Indiana

Period	1	2	Total
Purdue	3	12	15
Indiana	11	3	14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Eric Hunter	15/24, 184 Yds, TD
Rushing	Tony Vinson	9 Rush, 28 Yds
Receiving	Rod Dennis	4 Rec, 81 Yds
Indiana	Passing	Dave Schnell	11/21, 99 Yds
Rushing	Anthony Thompson	28 Rush, 97 Yds
Receiving	Anthony Thompson	4 Rec, 28 Yds

Awards

Eric Hunter

Big Ten Freshman of the Year^[17]

References

^ 1989 Purdue Football Schedule
^ "2022 Purdue Football Record Book" (PDF). Purdue University Athletics. p. 91. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
^ "QB Fox Leaving Purdue for Florida". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. June 14, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
^ "Minnesota 35, Purdue 15". UPI Archives. October 7, 1989. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^ Matt Youmans (October 11, 1989). "Loss to Minnesota sidelines key PU starters". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^ Slater, Jim (October 14, 1989). "Illinois 14, Purdue 2". UPI Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^ Tatlock, David (October 16, 1989). "Purdue Defense Shines in Loss". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^ Youmans, Matt (October 16, 1989). "Boiler Defense Goes to Waste as Illinois Wins". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^ Bedics, Mark (October 30, 1989). "Rally Leaves Spartans Grateful". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^ Bedics, Mark (October 30, 1989). "Rally Leaves Spartans Grateful". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^ Gainesville Sun. 1989 Nov 5.
^ Tatlock, David (November 13, 1989). "Purdue Collects First Big Ten Win, 46-15". Purdue University Archives & Special Editions. The Purdue Exponent. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
^ Cook, Bob (November 11, 1989). "Purdue 46, Northwestern 15". UPI Archives. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
^ Slater, Jim (November 25, 1989). "Purdue 15, Indiana 14". UPI Archives. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
^ "Upset of IU in 1989 Bucket game shows anything is possible". Rivals.com. December 8, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
^ Youmans, Matt (November 27, 1989). "PU Plays 'Spoilermaker' in 15-14 Win Over IU". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
^ Daily Press. 1990 Oct 24. Archived 2014-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.

v t e Purdue Boilermakers football
Venues	Stuart Field (1892–1924) Ross–Ade Stadium (1924–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Chicago (defunct) Illinois Indiana: Old Oaken Bucket Notre Dame
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