 This is Jeff Brown and you're listening to This is Purdue. Hi, I'm Kate Young and you're listening to This is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University. As a Purdue alum and Indiana native, I know firsthand about the family of students and professors who are in it together, persistently pursuing and relentlessly rethinking. Who are the next game changers, difference makers, ceiling breakers, innovators? Who are these boiler makers? Join me as we feature students, faculty and alumni taking small steps toward their giant leaps and inspiring others to do the same. It means the world because I'm an Indianapolis kid and I went to a small D2 school so I didn't have the big college experience, the big college community. The fact that a university as great as Purdue would adopt me, take me in, allow me to be a fan, I mean it just means the world. It makes me and my wife so happy, so very thankful. It's a theme we hear on This is Purdue again and again and again. You're wearing a Purdue sweatshirt at the grocery store in Indianapolis. You're wearing a Purdue hat on the beach in California. You're wearing a Purdue tank top while running the New York City Marathon and you hear a boiler up or what year did you graduate from Purdue? I went to Purdue too. The boiler maker spirit and community thrives, you're on campus in West Lafayette or halfway across the country. In this episode of This is Purdue we're featuring boiler makers from all different backgrounds with all different stories, but the one common tie that these super fans have, they bleed black and gold. For two young Purdue fans, the glitz and glamour of the band's All-American twirling team made an impact on them since their very first football game. I want to be the golden girl. I want to be a golden girl Meet sisters Emily and Mary Inneger. When Emily was around two years old, her mom Trisha brought her to a Purdue football game that would change the family's trajectory. Trisha and her husband Brian explained their love for Purdue. Really for us, you know, Purdue is family. One of the things I did when I was young is see the marching band go by on the street and I remember my mom loving the drumline and dancing along. So when we had kids, we wanted them to have the same experience. The band started to get to know our girls and they started to get to know their names and as they would pass, as they would march by on game day, they'd be like, hi Emily, hi Mary. And that really got the baton to be in their hands too. Trisha says she bought Emily a kid-sized baton after her first football game. And when Mary was born a few years later, she started to share her sister's love for twirling as well. It wasn't long before the Purdue twirlers noticed the girls and their batons at every home game. And then they began encouraging them, some tricks and cheering. Now the girls take twirling lessons from current Golden Girl Amanda Coy. The ultimate position that you can get as a twirler would be the Golden Girl at Purdue University. I've seen Purdue say in the past, we've been the cradle for quarterbacks, but we're also the cradle for twirlers because I mean Purdue's known for their twirlers and when the band marches in, the twirlers are first. The Golden Girls first and the Girl in Black and then it's the twirlers. One of Emily's favorite twirler tricks is when the Golden Girl is performing on top of the world's largest drum. She admits it would also be nerve wracking to be up there. It'd be really scary actually twirling on there. Like with your baton, you dropped the baton. Trisha says her grandparents tailgated on Slater Hill when her dad went to Purdue in the late 60s. And this tradition continues on to today. One of the family's favorite activities on game day is when the twirlers get to take a quick break before the football game and come see Emily and Mary. They chose to stop what they're doing, stop interacting with their families and interact with my girls. That's the reason my girls love Purdue and that's the reason that they're twirlers today. And that's really special that they would take time away from their extremely busy day and interact with two girls they don't even know. That goes a long way. And that says a lot about the university as well. The leadership that trickles down through the twirlers. Purdue is family and just the whole environment and the atmosphere there is just something you don't find at other schools. It's really cool. I love the band because they always interact with me and the twirlers always teach me new tricks. I really want to be a super-torn of Emily because it seems so fun like matching outfits, matching tricks, so fun. Trisha and Brian definitely classify themselves as Boilermaker Superfans. And they're raising two Superfans as well. Here's Emily. I'm a Boilermaker Superfan because I grew up visiting the campus. I love seeing all the twirlers making me want to keep coming back and seeing more. I can't wait to go to a Purdue football game in a decade or so and see Emily and Mary on Purdue's all-American twirling team. Boiler up, hammer down! So far we've focused on human Purdue Superfans. It makes sense. But what if a canine embodied the Boilermaker spirit? Delta is a one-year-old golden retriever pup living in the Alpha Gamma Row fraternity house. And she's become a bit of a celebrity around campus. Her owner, Jayden, says you can usually find Delta on the front lawn playing with the guys or getting a bath. Just to see her bring a smile to someone's face and just add value to them or just cheer their day up. I mean, you don't know the school what kind of day someone's having. Just to see that just makes me happy. I mean, just, I think that really embodies the Boilermaker spirit. And on a hot day, you may see her participating in this Purdue tradition. We did our first fountain run. We did our first fountain run. First fountain run. That was fun. She wants to do more of those. Yeah. And Delta especially loves the fraternity's cook, Jackie, who gives her pieces of chicken. Delta even has her own Instagram account created by Jayden's girlfriend, Ella, where she shows off special Purdue bandanas handmade by Ella. I had the chance to meet Delta at the homecoming tailgate and she is the most friendly, well-behaved dog. She may not know exactly what or who she is cheering for, but her persistent wagging tail and the puppy smile that she has, it just really makes people's days. And while we're on the topic of homecoming, I have to share one of my favorite This Is Purdue podcast memories to date. It all started with a forwarded email chain. A Purdue alumna's mom emailed the university saying that her daughter's boyfriend was proposing at homecoming. The couple met at Purdue and both graduated in 2018. Could we somehow help with this surprise proposal? Um, yes. Yes, we sure can. I immediately reached out and started the planning process. I eventually called Ryan DeSalvio, the future groom, to form a plan. What if our podcast team posed at the bell tower and pretended like we were interviewing people for a special homecoming episode? Ryan agreed and loved the idea. The plan was for Ryan, his future fiance, Claire Wilson, and her family to walk by the bell tower around 9 a.m. the morning of homecoming. And then I would randomly pick Claire and Ryan to participate in a Boilermaker trivia game. Okay, both of you need to turn. Okay. With your backs to each other. Okay. Is this a good shot? We got it. Let the game begin. Oh, and by the way, Ryan was of course really nervous. That's understandable. But I was also extremely nervous. I wanted this moment for them to be perfect. All right. Purdue's football team is known for the cradle of blank. Yes. All right. Point for Ryan. Yes. Okay, blank is where you get a den pop. Let's just get dead. Yes. All right. One to one. Okay. Purdue's official mascot is blank. Prudupe. No, the Boilermaker special. Yes. Oh, Claire. Oh my gosh. Okay. Everyone knows that you shouldn't walk under the bell tower before graduation, but what's the other tradition at the bell tower? Kiss underneath it. You'll get engaged. Right? Yes. Claire knew the answer to that question, but still suspected nothing until she turned around to see Ryan down on one knee. Claire, would you marry me? Claire was so genuinely shocked and to have their family and friends there to witness it all was just the cherry on top of all of this. Congrats to Claire and Ryan. We were absolutely honored to be part of your special day. Oh, and we will be expecting a wedding invite. After the proposal of these two Boilermaker super fans dreams, the podcast crew, Bailey, Ted and I, headed to meet Joey Molinaro. Joey is an Indianapolis native who is a self-proclaimed Purdue super fan. You may recognize his name as he's a comedian and barstool sports personality known for his incredible impressions of Nick Saban, Colin Coward, and Chris Collinsworth. Although Joey didn't attend Purdue, his wife Riley was a cheerleader here at Purdue. They discussed the unique way they met. We met at an internship with Pat McAfee and Indianapolis summer of 2017, right? Yeah. I actually did my application video for that internship in the middle of Mackie. You had to do something to kind of stand out. So I was like, Oh, I've access to Mackie. Like I'll go in there and do it. But we met the first day of interviews and then it was a pretty long interview process. And then after that, we just kind of like found ways to work on things together and like would meet up before we had to go to work and like edit videos together. I had the opportunity to pick videographers and I always picked Riley, obviously. So. The Molinares have a special place in their hearts for Purdue. In fact, Joey proposed to Riley here. First thing I love about Purdue the most is that I met my wife basically through here. We got engaged here right outside of Ross State Stadium. Oh, awesome. Yeah. So I did not graduate from Purdue, but because of her, I am an honorary boiler and very fond of this place. I kind of had a unique experience with Purdue and just from cheering and being a part of every home game, every, not every, but a lot of home basketball games. Like I just had a perspective on this place that it just meant more to me. I think in Purdue means a lot to a lot of people, but I think for me it was just like, I got to see a lot of the behind the scenes stuff that made this place so special. And so it just like holds the deepest place in my heart. This fall, Purdue's football team invited Joey to a practice. He tells us about the experience with coach Jeff Brahm and the players. Tell us about when you were recently with the football team, that looked like a fun time. Oh, wow. What a great group of dudes. The coaches were awesome. They were very accommodating, had me out, you know, they had me, they tested me. They were like, we're going to have you catch a, catch a pun. I was like, no, you're not practice ends. You're like, where's Joey, where's Joey? And I was like, Oh my gosh, they're doing it. And so they sent me out of there in front of the whole team. Luckily I was able to secure it. I saw you caught it. Thank God. What would you have done if you didn't catch it? I would just been very disappointed and embarrassed for my wife. Delete the tapes. Delete the tapes. Delete the tapes. She would have had to disown me. But I brought it in and we had a big celebration with the team. And then coach Brahm actually made me do a Saban in front of the whole team. It was a pressure packed. I kind of blacked out. I don't really remember. We had the chance to interview Joey on the field at Ross save just minutes before the homecoming game kickoff. It was an experience. I'll never forget. Joey shares his passion for making people laugh. His persistent pursuit of following his dreams of becoming a comedian and his love for this boiler maker community. How do you feel being on the field? Incredible. It's like we're telling you guys for me, my wife got engaged just about 50 yards that way. I love Ross. I think it's an underrated stadium. And it's awesome being out here. I love it. Thank you for having me. Of course. We're lucky to have you. Thank you. You know, we've talked about it a little bit, but why are you a Purdue boiler maker fan? So growing up in Indiana, especially as a Catholic school kid, it was like you're there. No to name fan or you're not. So I kind of rolled with them for a little bit, but then I grew out of it. And then I met my wife today. And she was a Purdue cheerleader. And so I was up here for every game. I went on the road. I was at Purdue all the time. Ross said it was like my second home. From that point on, I just fell in love with the campus. I fell in love with the people. I fell in love with the team. And I'm rocking black and gold forever. You know, you visited the Purdue football team earlier this season, but like what is all this boiler maker spirit in this family that we've kind of exhausted you as a boiler maker. What does that mean to you? Man, it means the world because I'm an Indianapolis kid. And I went to a small D2 school. So I didn't have the big college experience, the big college community. So the fact that a university as great as Purdue would adopt me, take me in, allow me to be a fan. I mean, it just means the world. And it makes me and my wife so happy. So very thankful. And you're a media person yourself. How did you get on this track to like your career now? Yeah. So I worked in local media for a while after college and in college being an Indianapolis. And then on the side, I just kept was like, I want to be funny. I want to make people laugh. And some of my buddy Ben Polizzi, who you saw at Chipotle the other day, we just decided that we were going to do some comedy sketches together and kind of pursue that on the side. And we did that for about three years. It was a small following, but then I started doing impressions and stuff too. And that really popped off and kind of gave me my following and me and Ben still work together. Thank God. You know, every day the goal is still just to make people laugh. So that's what we're doing. And if that makes people happy, then I'll keep doing it. And what was it like when you got that call from bar school? It's surreal. I mean, I'm talking to Dave Portnoy and I've been following and watching them forever and him forever. And all of a sudden he's like, yeah, come out to New York. We got a spot for you. I'm like, I just can come out there. Like, is that easy? And yeah, it was pretty much that easy. And once he saw me and called me and wanted me, then I said yes. And we've been on that journey ever since. It's just a dream come true. What would you say your personal favorite impression that you do is? I try to add to the arsenal a lot. I've really enjoyed doing Owen Wilson lately. So I added him. Jimmy Fallon is a personal favorite of mine. Everybody loves like Nick Saban, Colin Cowherd, all that. Chris Collins worth people like that. So I have fun doing all of them. I really do. I mean, when I can get paid to just be a goofball on camera, I don't get much better than that. So, you know, I had fun. Yeah. My personal favorite is Colin Cowherd. Oh, thank you. What would you say after all your fans and stuff, what's their number one, you know, like thing that they gravitate towards? I would say either Saban or Collins worth. People really have gravitated towards Collins worth a lot. They really, really request that a lot. And like they take to it for some reason. I don't know if it's the slide in that I do, you know, on camera or what, but they really seem to like that one. So either Hammers Saban, yeah. And I always have a soft spot in my heart for coach. Oh, yeah. You just went out to visit them too. Yeah. You know, so we got to rip up the goggles together and that was great. So have a soft spot for him. Yeah. What do you think of all these coaches and people that you impersonate? You know, they all have fun with it too. What does that mean to you that they actually enjoy it? Well, that's the thing is that like, I always say the reason that I can impersonate them like I can is because I'm a fan. So I respect them because so much and I watch them so much and listen to them. And that makes it so I'm able to pick up on them more. So it's never out of like a bad place or disrespect. It's all out of good fun and out of respect. And I've been really lucky that pretty much everybody has enjoyed it that I've impersonated. So I've been lucky. Who's your favorite Purdue athlete of all time? I mean, the easy answer is Drew Brees. So I won't say that. I got two for you. One of them is probably lesser known, but it's near and dear to my heart because he grew up in the same town that I grew up in. Jason Werner. He was a captain on the 2009 team. Limebacker, number 29, number 24. Jason Werner is my guy. And then also I'd say Carson Edwards. See Boogie. I mean, the amount of fun I had watching that guy play is second to none. Should have been a final forward team. I won't get into that. But you know, a lot of the guys on this team right now, George Carloftus, David Bell is an indie guy. So I'm a big fan of them too. Any predictions for Purdue basketball? What do you think? Oh, national title. You heard it here first. This is the year. They're taking the big 10 tourney. They're taking the national championship. They have the team to do it. They have the coach to do it. They have the experience to do it. We've been waiting. We've been waiting for a long time. I think this is the team that's going to make it to the final four to New Orleans and make it to the national championship. I really do. I really believe that. Yeah. I love it. When we think about all these awesome students at Purdue, what advice would you have for them if they want to get into, you know, media, kind of your career track or any type of comedy, any advice you'd have? Yeah. I'd say a couple of things. I'd say one, you got to find something that you would do for free, except people pay you to do it. So if you enjoy doing it that much that you would do it with nothing. Eventually it'll pay off and somebody will pay you to do it. And then second, I'd say, if you don't have a job right out of school, create a job. Do a blog, do a podcast, make videos. There's so many avenues to create and be creative that if it doesn't work out for you right away because it didn't work out for me right away, to create on your own and then eventually you'll make something happen. Yeah. And when you talk about that persistence that you had to keep pursuing that, you know, not everyone gets to work at Barstool. How did that change, you know, the way that you look at life and how you keep going? I reflect back on, you know, where I came from and I have to remind myself a lot of those times where nobody was watching, nobody was listening, nobody cared. I was doing it for free, just out of the enjoyment of doing it. And then I go back to that place and I say, it doesn't matter if I'm at Barstool or working for Purdue or ESPN or SNL or whatever it is. As long as you're doing it for the good of your heart coming out of that enjoyment, then you're going to be all right. So I got to remind myself of that, but that's key. That's key. I love that. What's your favorite sports experience that you've ever had? I mean, being from Indy, the Indy 500 every year is pretty hard to beat. I mean, when they're doing Taps and they're doing the National Anthem and they're God bless America and then the green flag, that's really, really hard to beat. I mean, the Indy 500 is tops. But as a fan, I'd probably say when the Cubs on the World Series, I wasn't there. I didn't make it to Cleveland. I have them tattooed on my arm for God's sake right there. That's a Cubs tattoo. So when they won the World Series, that's tops. Yeah. What was it like growing up in Indiana? You know, like we always think of big media as in LA and New York. What's it like being based in Indiana? Pretty wild because everybody I went to school and it's like, you know, that's fine. But everybody's like a teacher or an accountant or a lawyer. All admirable jobs that are very needed. But when I say, you know, hey, I want to be in comedy or I want to be an actor, that's not really something that goes over too well. So very kind of weird. But in my heart of hearts, I had to just keep going for it and follow my dreams. And that's what I'm, you know, continuing to do. What's your favorite stadium arena or its venue? Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Wrigley Field and obviously Mackie and Ross A, obviously. I got engaged outside in between them for Lord's sake. So yeah, big time. That's a true Purdue fan getting engaged at Purdue. Yep. Right outside the stadium. It's kind of unfortunate. It's great that we're doing the renovations that are going to happen. But I was joking with Rye. I'm like, yeah, eventually we're just going to be like a beer stand. You know, our spot where we got engaged is going to be like a beer stand. But that's all right. We're going to show your kids someday. This is where we got engaged. You were posed at a concession stand. I'm like, it was different then. Thanks to Joey and Riley for spending home coming in with our This Is Purdue team. We had an absolute blast. Be sure to follow Joey on Twitter and Instagram at JoeyMullinaro to check out his legendary impressions. And check out our videos from Purdue's homecoming, including our interview with Joey at Ross Aid and that special Bell Tower proposal on YouTube. Just head over to youtube.com. slash purdue university. Thanks for listening to This Is Purdue. For more information on this episode, visit our website at purdue.edu. slash podcast. There you can head over to your favorite podcast app to subscribe and leave us a review. And as always, Boiler up!