WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue President Mung Chiang presented men's basketball head coach Matt Painter with "The Order of the Griffin" – the highest honor bestowed upon a university employee.
The Order of the Griffin recognizes outstanding service to Purdue by men and women whose commitment has gone beyond the call of duty and greatly benefited the university.
"I am delighted to recognize Matt Painter with the Order of the Griffin, Purdue's highest honors for faculty and staff employees. Not only did he do a masterful job this past year coaching our Boilermakers to their winningest season in program history with 34 victories and their first National Championship appearance in 55 years, but he has also built a program consistently reflecting the Boilermaker values and character in integrity, humility, sportsmanship, grit and excellence in both academics and athletics among the student-athletes," Chiang said.
Entering his 20th season as the head coach at Purdue University, Painter has taken the Boilermakers to new heights. Purdue reached the National Championship last season for the first time in 55 years, guiding the Boilermakers to a 34-5 overall record, the Big Ten regular-season title for the second straight year and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
Considered one of the top coaches in America, Painter has averaged almost 24 wins a season in his 19 years at Purdue. If you don't include the first transitional year, the average balloons to 24.3 wins per year over the last 18 seasons, and 25.6 wins over the last eight seasons. His 236 wins over the last nine seasons are the fourth most in America.
Painter's five Big Ten Coach of the Year honors are tied for the second most in league history behind only his successor, Gene Keady's seven honors.
Painter's 447 overall wins are the fourth most by an individual in Big Ten history. His 226 Big Ten wins are the fifth most, and he has averaged 11.9 wins per year in conference play, the third-best average in Big Ten Conference history (Bo Ryan – 12.3; Bob Knight – 12.2).
Painter's 15 NCAA Tournaments in the last 17 tournaments are the fifth most in the country behind Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State and Duke. Purdue's nine straight tournament appearances is the fourth-longest streak nationally. Coach Painter's 16 NCAA Tournaments are the most for a coach nationally under the age of 55 (as of April 1, 2025 -- Painter is just 54 years old).
Since his first season at Purdue, the Boilermakers have finished in the top four of the Big Ten standings in 14 of the last 18 seasons, and in the top three in eight of the last 10 seasons. Painter's five Big Ten regular-season titles are the seventh most in Big Ten history and the fifth most since 1950 (Knight, Izzo, Taylor, Keady, Matta).
In addition, Painter's players succeed in the classroom. The past academic year, the team boasted a 3.12 grade-point-average, including a 3.26 during the spring semester to earn distinction on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court – the only Final Four team to be mentioned. Seven returnees on the 2024-25 roster own a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better. During his 19 years at Purdue, 44 players have been named Academic All-Big Ten a total of 86 teams, including a program-record 10 players during the 2023-24 season.
The Order of the Griffin recognizes outstanding service to Purdue by men and women whose commitment has gone beyond the call of duty and greatly benefited the university.
"I am delighted to recognize Matt Painter with the Order of the Griffin, Purdue's highest honors for faculty and staff employees. Not only did he do a masterful job this past year coaching our Boilermakers to their winningest season in program history with 34 victories and their first National Championship appearance in 55 years, but he has also built a program consistently reflecting the Boilermaker values and character in integrity, humility, sportsmanship, grit and excellence in both academics and athletics among the student-athletes," Chiang said.
Entering his 20th season as the head coach at Purdue University, Painter has taken the Boilermakers to new heights. Purdue reached the National Championship last season for the first time in 55 years, guiding the Boilermakers to a 34-5 overall record, the Big Ten regular-season title for the second straight year and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
Considered one of the top coaches in America, Painter has averaged almost 24 wins a season in his 19 years at Purdue. If you don't include the first transitional year, the average balloons to 24.3 wins per year over the last 18 seasons, and 25.6 wins over the last eight seasons. His 236 wins over the last nine seasons are the fourth most in America.
Painter's five Big Ten Coach of the Year honors are tied for the second most in league history behind only his successor, Gene Keady's seven honors.
Painter's 447 overall wins are the fourth most by an individual in Big Ten history. His 226 Big Ten wins are the fifth most, and he has averaged 11.9 wins per year in conference play, the third-best average in Big Ten Conference history (Bo Ryan – 12.3; Bob Knight – 12.2).
Painter's 15 NCAA Tournaments in the last 17 tournaments are the fifth most in the country behind Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State and Duke. Purdue's nine straight tournament appearances is the fourth-longest streak nationally. Coach Painter's 16 NCAA Tournaments are the most for a coach nationally under the age of 55 (as of April 1, 2025 -- Painter is just 54 years old).
Since his first season at Purdue, the Boilermakers have finished in the top four of the Big Ten standings in 14 of the last 18 seasons, and in the top three in eight of the last 10 seasons. Painter's five Big Ten regular-season titles are the seventh most in Big Ten history and the fifth most since 1950 (Knight, Izzo, Taylor, Keady, Matta).
In addition, Painter's players succeed in the classroom. The past academic year, the team boasted a 3.12 grade-point-average, including a 3.26 during the spring semester to earn distinction on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court – the only Final Four team to be mentioned. Seven returnees on the 2024-25 roster own a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better. During his 19 years at Purdue, 44 players have been named Academic All-Big Ten a total of 86 teams, including a program-record 10 players during the 2023-24 season.