Indiana vs PurdueOld Oaken Bucket
An oak well bucket from a southern Indiana farm, with a chain of I and P links that grows by one every year.
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Start a pick'em contestHow the Old Oaken Bucket came to be
In 1925 the Chicago alumni chapters of Indiana and Purdue met to look for joint projects that would help both schools, and they settled on a trophy for the football game.
Indiana alumnus Dr. Clarence Jones and Purdue alumnus Russel Gray were asked to propose one. They suggested an old oaken bucket pulled from a well somewhere in Indiana, which they saw as the most typically Hoosier kind of prize, hung on a chain of bronze I and P links.
Two more alumni, Fritz Ernst of Purdue and Wiley J. Huddle of Indiana, found a suitable bucket on the Bruner farm near Kent and Hanover. Family lore claims it may have been used by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan's raiders during their Civil War incursion into southern Indiana.
The name comes from Samuel Woodworth's nostalgic poem 'The Old Oaken Bucket', and the trophy made its debut at the Nov. 21, 1925 game in Bloomington.
The trophy itself. A real oak well bucket taken from the old Bruner family farm between Kent and Hanover in southern Indiana. A chain of bronze links shaped like block "I" and "P" letters hangs from it, and a new link is added after each game for the winner (a joined "I-P" link marks a tie).
Old Oaken Bucket history
- 1891
Purdue and Indiana play for the first time; Purdue wins 60-0 in West Lafayette.
- 1925
The first Old Oaken Bucket game, Nov. 21 in Bloomington, ends 0-0, so the first link on the chain is a combined 'I-P' link.
- 1948
Purdue starts its longest winning streak in the series: 10 straight wins from 1948 through 1957.
- 2019
Indiana wins 44-41 in West Lafayette.
- 2020
The game is canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so Indiana keeps the bucket for an extra year.
- 2024
Indiana routs Purdue 66-0 in Bloomington to take back the bucket.
- 2025
No. 2 Indiana wins 56-3 at Ross-Ade Stadium on Nov. 28 in the 100th game played for the bucket, finishing its first perfect regular season in school history.
Recent results
| Season | Result | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Indiana Hoosiers 56, Purdue Boilermakers 3 | Ross-Ade Stadium |
| 2024 | Indiana Hoosiers 66, Purdue Boilermakers 0 | Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, IN) |
| 2023 | Purdue Boilermakers 35, Indiana Hoosiers 31 | Ross-Ade Stadium |
| 2022 | Purdue Boilermakers 30, Indiana Hoosiers 16 | Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, IN) |
| 2021 | Purdue Boilermakers 44, Indiana Hoosiers 7 | Ross-Ade Stadium |
Old Oaken Bucket facts worth knowing
The very first bucket game was a 0-0 tie, which is why the top link on the chain is a joined 'I-P' link instead of a single letter.
The bucket may have a Civil War past: Bruner family lore says Confederate raiders under John Hunt Morgan may have drunk from it during their 1863 raid into Indiana.
The trophy is named for Samuel Woodworth's poem 'The Old Oaken Bucket', a nostalgic look back at a childhood farm well.
Because the 2020 game was canceled, Indiana held the bucket for two years after one win (2019).
Curt Cignetti is the first Indiana coach since Bo McMillin (1934-35) to win his first two games against Purdue.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Old Oaken Bucket?+
The Old Oaken Bucket is the trophy Indiana and Purdue play for in college football, first awarded in 1925. A real oak well bucket taken from the old Bruner family farm between Kent and Hanover in southern Indiana. A chain of bronze links shaped like block "I" and "P" letters hangs from it, and a new link is added after each game for the winner (a joined "I-P" link marks a tie).
How did the Old Oaken Bucket come to be?+
In 1925 the Chicago alumni chapters of Indiana and Purdue met to look for joint projects that would help both schools, and they settled on a trophy for the football game.
Who has the Old Oaken Bucket right now?+
Indiana holds the Old Oaken Bucket after winning the 2025 game, Indiana 56, Purdue 3. The live block on this page updates as soon as the next meeting is played.
Who leads the Indiana-Purdue series?+
Purdue leads the all-time series 77-44-6 as of the end of the 2025 season. In games played for the Old Oaken Bucket since 1925, Purdue leads 63-34-3.
When is the next Old Oaken Bucket game?+
Purdue Boilermakers play at Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Nov 28, 2026 at Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, IN). Odds and the community lean post on the matchup page as the game approaches.
Where can I bet on the Old Oaken Bucket game?+
You can bet Indiana vs Purdue on BettorEdge, a peer-to-peer marketplace where you trade with other bettors rather than a sportsbook, so the price carries no built-in house vig. You can also run a free pick'em contest for the game with your group.
More college football
Records and the current holder are as of the end of the 2025 season; the next-game block and recent results update from ESPN.Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, stories.purdue.edu, blogs.libraries.indiana.edu.
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