Where's Pete? Is Purdue's Mascot Among 10 Best in College Basketball?

College basketball analyst Andy Katz should not be expecting any holiday cards from Purdue Pete anytime soon. The beloved Boilermaker mascot apparently isn't good enough to be mentioned on Katz's list for the top-10 mascots in the sport.

With the 2025-26 college basketball season rapidly approaching, Katz released his list of the top-10 mascots in the country. Four mascots from the Big Ten made the cut, but Purdue Pete did not receive a mention.

Wisconsin's Bucky Badger was ranked as the best mascot, with the Oregon Duck coming in at No. 2. Michigan State's Sparty was listed at No. 4, and Maryland's Testudo came in at No. 8 on the list.

The post from X lists Katz's entire top 10 on this particular topic. After you check it out, you'll notice that none of the 10 carry around a sledgehammer, which seems very uncool.

Mascot supremacy 🔥@TheAndyKatz ranks the top 🔟 mascots in college basketball 📋 pic.twitter.com/esAgbIcIt8
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) September 29, 2025

To be fair to Katz, it's tough to narrow down a list of mascots with more than 350 schools participating at the Division I level. So, we'll give him a slight pass this time. But Purdue Pete is probably taking some notes about his omission.

Is Purdue Pete too creepy to be among best mascots?

Purdue Pete gets the crowd going before a game against Indiana F | Zach Piatt / USA TODAY NETWORK

Let's be honest, one of the reasons Purdue Pete is so beloved in West Lafayette is because there's a bit of a "creepy" vibe he gives off. It's not a bad creepy, it's a "why is this dude with a giant fake plastic head staring at me?" type of thing.

But that has become an endearing quality to Pete, so much so that fans were furious when the university attempted to swap out mascots.

In 2011, Purdue developed a new Purdue Pete design, a mascot with a full-body costume. He made his debut at the team's spring game that year, but was quickly dismissed from his duties.

Shortly after his debut, fans complained about Pete's new look in large numbers. That outcry led to the university putting "new" Purdue Pete into retirement and handing the sledgehammer back to the old guy.

One of the reasons Purdue wanted to make a change in 2011? The school believed he was scaring some of its younger fans.

But having a meet-and-greet with a terrifying Purdue Pete is a rite of passage in West Lafayette. It's the first step in a youngster's path to becoming a Boilermaker.

So, maybe Purdue Pete is a little creepy, but it's just one of the reasons why he's so beloved.

Is Purdue Pete too creepy to be among best mascots?

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