Purdue Football Helmets to Honor Alum Neil Armstrong
If you’re watching the Purdue/Notre Dame game this weekend, you might notice something just a little different with the Boilermakers’ helmets.
This week, Purdue officials announced that they would recognize Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon and the university’s most famous graduate, with a special helmet sticker that will be worn the rest of this season.
Armstrong passed away August 25th at the age of 82. He graduated from Purdue in 1955 before beginning his career as a test pilot and, ultimately, an astronaut. Armstrong flew on the Gemini 8 space mission, but is most commonly known for his commanding role on Apollo 11 when he uttered the now famous phrase, “That’s one small step for man…one giant leap for mankind” after becoming the first person to set foot on the moon.
Boilermakers head coach Danny Hope reportedly shared stories about the famous Purdue alumnus with his team this week, and players asked what could be done to honor him. Purdue officials then chose to use a sticker with Armstrong’s name and dates of birth and death on the helmets. Purdue players will wear these stickers celebrating Armstrong for the rest of the season.
[WISH-TV]