Boilers By Numbers: No. 63

Leading into the Sept. 5 season opener against Syracuse, GoldAndBlack.com will count down the days 'til the 2004 lidlifter by highlighting the former Boilermakers who wore the jersey corresponding to the days remaining until kickoff.

Below is a list of all Boilermakers who donned the No. 63 jersey*:

John Ciccone 1957-59, G

Bruce Crites 1985-88, G-C

Craig Davisson (also 61) 1988, LB

Walt Gahm 1964, 1966, T

Ernest Allen Hager 1950-52, G

Kevin Holley (also 99) 1983, DL

Dave Lafary 1974-76, OT

Bob Lake 1962-63, G

Frederick Miller 1955, G

Jim Niedrach 1997-99, C

David Owen (also 97) 2002-03, OT

Pete Quinn 1977-80, C

Paul Rose 1960, G

Dave Tiley (also 62) 1982, OL

*Source: Purdue Football Information Guide

Gold & Black.com's Top No. 63s:

Note: This is an amended version due to the initial omission of E. Allen Hager and Bruce Crites from the list.

He is memorable for a lot of reasons. Pete Quinn, who started for four years at Purdue from 1977-80, was voted the school's all-time top center in a fan poll. Not only did he snap the ball to All-American quartback Mark Herrmann for four years, but the two-time team captain is remembered as the guy that sprinted to the other end of field at the end of the quarter. Quinn's enthusiasm and abilities no doubt had something to do with the dramatic turnaround of the Boilermaker program under Coach Jim Young in the late 1970s. The Indianapolis product made second team All-Big Ten in his junior and senior seasons.

And Quinn's enthusiasm for the game has not waned. He has been the voice of optimism in the Boilermaker radio booth for the last 11 years, lending his lineman's perspective to the games. Fans listening to the Boilermakers miracle at Minnesota in 2001 recall Quinn saying the game wasn't over yet when Purdue was at its own three yard line with 19 seconds to go and trailing by three points.

A line coach Pete Quinn would have loved to play for was Allen Hager. The fact that both wore jersey No. 63 is significant because both were Boilers through and through. Hager, who developed seven All-American lineman as an assistant coach in West Lafayette, was a three-year starting lineman for the Boilermakers from 1950-52 and played a key role on Purdue's title team in Hager's senior year. His 17 years as an assistant coach from 1956-72 is third longest in tenure of any Purdue assistant behind Bob DeMoss (20 years) and Ned Maloney (22 years). He was known as a great recruiter as well, opening Purdue's pipeline to Western Pennsylvania that produced greats like All-American Jim Beirne.

Bruce Crites made the move from starting guard to center when Coach Fred Akers took over in 1987. The Warren, Ohio product started his last 33 games at Purdue from 1986-88.

Another center who played a key role in reversing Purdue's football fortunes was Jim Niedrach. A three-year starter who manned the center position for the first 35 games of the Coach Joe Tiller regime, Niedrach provided the stability that Purdue needed in Tiller's reconstuction project. He remains the only center under Tiller to start for three seasons.

Standing 6-foot-8, Dave Lafary ranks with Kelly Butler and Donnie Green as some of the tallest lineman to play at Purdue. Despite playing sporadically until his senior season, he earned a starting job his in 1976 and used that opportunity as a springboard to a nine-year NFL career with the New Orleans Saints.

Bob Lake, who hailed from Chicago, served as a two-year starter for Coach Jack Mollenkopf in 1962-63. John Ciccone was a two-year starting guard in 1958-59 playing the position at a lithe 196 pounds.

Finally, David Owen hopes to work his way onto our ranking list if he holds his position as a starting guard in 2004.

Our ranking of the best No. 63s:

1. Pete Quinn

2. Allen Hager

3. Jim Niedrach

4. Dave Lafary

5. Bruce Crites

Share your favorite memories of any of the No. 63s on the Knucklehead Central.

To view the entire list of Boilers By Numbers, click here