

Purdue superfan Tyler Trent provided Boilermaker fans with the definition of perseverance in how he waged an inspiring battle against cancer. Six years later, the university gave something back to the Trent family.
After practice on Thursday, Purdue football coach Barry Odom had Trent’s younger brother, Ethan, stand up while the team gathered around them.
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“As I look at it, I look at the roster and I look at the way that guys go compete, and guys that bring it every day,” Odom said before asking Ethan Trent to stand up. “Congratulations, you’re on scholarship.”
Odom then shook Ethan Trent’s hand as the team whooped it up around him.
Earned it every single day.@EthanTrent05 is now on scholarship! 🚂⬆ pic.twitter.com/laZA1YcG6c
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) April 10, 2025
Ethan Trent is a sophomore offensive lineman from Carmel, Ind. He appeared in three games last year.
Tyler Trent has remained a visible fixture on Purdue’s campus since his death on Jan. 1, 2019, at age 20. The student gate in Ross-Ade Stadium’s southeast end zone is named for him and signage of his likeness appears throughout the stadium. He was a Purdue student and served as an honorary team captain despite his diagnosis with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Tyler Trent still attended classes in the fall of 2018 while undergoing weekly chemotherapy in Indianapolis, which is about 90 minutes east of West Lafayette, Ind.
On Oct. 20, 2018, known as the “Tyler Trent Game,” the Boilermakers played host to unbeaten Ohio State for a prime-time game. Despite his weakened state after cancer spread to his spine, Tyler Trent attended the game with his family and predicted a Purdue win. The Boilermakers rolled past the Buckeyes 49-20 with the stadium chanting his name.
ESPN gave Tyler Trent the Disney Spirit Award as college football’s most inspirational figure. The state of Indiana honored him with the Sagamore of the Wabash, which is the state’s highest civilian honor.
Two years after his death, Purdue established the Tyler Trent Courage and Resilience Award, which honors students “who have overcome physical adversity in their pursuit of higher education.”
(Photo of the plaque of Tyler Trent at Ross-Ade Stadium: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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