Cult Hero Tommy Luce Helps Purdue Hit 100 in Style
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The rout was on at Mackey Arena, so the chants started earlier than usual from the student section and beyond.
"We want Tommy...
"We want Tommy ...''
Tommy to Purdue fans is Tommy Luce, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound walk-on for the Boilermakers who has developed a cult following in West Lafayette. The joke is that Luce is Purdue's version of the ''victory cigar,'' because he doesn't come into the game until the outcome is no longer in doubt.
That was certainly the case Wednesday night when Purdue walloped No. 17-ranked Iowa, 104-68. Luce actually played a huge role in getting the Boilers over the century mark. He hit a 3-pointer to get them to 101, and then hit another long ball and took a charge just after that on the following possession.
If you're going to make your first 3-pointer of the season, you might as well make it 100. The second one was a cherry on top. It was a heck of a 4-minute run, and the two baskets and the charging call sparked the three loudest cheers all night.
The sold-out crowd at Mackey Arena erupted each time for their boy wonder.
- RELATED GAME STORY: Purdue crushes Iowa with 3-point barrage CLICK HERE
"The crowd goes crazy for Tommy. He's a very positive guy. A lot of people don't see it, but in practice he's that guy who picks everybody up,'' Purdue center Trevion Williams said. "He's that guy who's always positive, always has energy.
"So it was great for him to have that moment today and have the crowd behind him like that.''
#Purdue won 104-68. Everyone had fun. Tommy Luce blew the roof off of Mackey Arena. It was a good night to be a Boilermaker fan: pic.twitter.com/IrwvpBOJBx
— Dakota Simon (@DakotaSimonTV) February 6, 2020
The walk-on legend is a bit of a thing at Purdue, and the fans get into it. It was Bobby Riddell in that role before Luce, and Luce's four years have been a blast.
The cult status really took off when his “Gettin’ Loose with Luce,” an ’80s-themed workout video starring the walk-on guard, went viral among the Boiler faithful. Every new episode is greeted with glee, like some sort of Hollywood premier.
“For me, it shows that I like to have a little fun,” Luce said earlier this season. “I’m not just gonna be just out there hooping. I can also do some other stuff, too.”
It's go time. 👉 pic.twitter.com/zMY9NEeqte
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) February 6, 2020
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Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.