GBI Magazine

Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 6

Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.

Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/842937

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 70 of 117

GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 6 71 BY ALAN KARPICK AKarpick@GoldandBlack.com BEDFORD, Ind. — Consider this story an invitation to visit the world unto itself that is Chris Pate's Purdue sports memorabilia collection. It is the ultimate display of Purdue's legends and traditions. It's located between Bedford and Bloomington in South- ern Indiana, but don't let the Cream and Crimson Country address fool you. This place is all Purdue sports. Or, you might say, this basement is all Purdue sports. Pate is on a personal mission to get as much exposure for his collection as possible. "I work with a lot of Purdue grads and fans, and there is a lot of passion, but people still don't know what I have exists, so they are just blown away when they see it," Pate said. "Most fans just don't realize the history that Purdue has, so people are surprised by it." His vision for what he wants to be when he really grows up — as if he could leave his job as an electrical engineer — is to be the curator of a Purdue sports museum. Pate also dreams that the south end zone project, still in its infancy, might include space for some of his items, if not a full-fledged museum. And if you spend any time with Pate, you know he is serious. But until that museum comes to be, much of Purdue's sports past, dating all the way back to 1893, is in safe, or- ganized keeping. Pate's treasures make an immediate impression, hit- ting you immediately as you walk down the stairs into the finished basement. A rare game jersey of Rick Mount, a Drew Brees (signed no less) Rose Bowl uniform and Glenn Robinson jerseys are the first items you see. He secured the Rose Bowl jersey as thanks for his efforts as a manager for the first Purdue soccer team. He found the Mount jersey and Robinson's actual Silver Basketball tro- phy on the Internet. There are more than 4,000 items tucked into a pristine 1,500-square-foot basement. That's pristine with a capi- tal P. His collection is valued at more than $1 million, but Boilermaker Treasure Pate's mission is to share his Purdue sports collection PRESENTS: PURDUE'S LEGENDS AND TRADITIONS Alan Karpick Chris Pate is proud to show off his nearly 4,000 item Purdue sports memorabilia collection to fans everywhere.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of GBI Magazine - Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 27, Digital 6