Arni's Birthday Zoom: Purdue 'Knucklehead' Howell Wheaton celebrates 100
GoldandBlack.com subscriber Howell Wheaton celebrates his 100th birthday on Thursday (August 17, 2023) and we caught up with him for a Arni’s Birthday Zoom from his Missouri home.
Wheaton, who was raised in southern Indiana and attended Purdue in the 1950s and worked at (and around) the University until 1968, has spent a lifetime in agriculture. A former Marine, Wheaton still is involved in the Angus Cattle business and will be part of a production sale on Saturday night near his home. He, and his daughter Susan, have run Wheaton Angus since 1973.
Despite not having lived in West Lafayette for 55 years, Wheaton has remained a die-hard Purdue fan, and has been a Gold and Black subscriber since its inception in 1991.
“Yes, I am a Knucklehead and very proud of it,” Wheaton said. “I go back to the days of Purdue quarterback Dale Samuels at quarterback (1950-52) who provided some of my best sports memories of my life,” Wheaton said. Wheaton recalls, in great detail, Purdue’s big upset wins over Notre Dame in 1950, Michigan State in 1953 and Notre Dame in ’54.
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“No one gave us (Purdue) a chance in those games, but somehow we did it,” said Wheaton. “That is the story of the Purdue sports experience in my days, and I am so grateful to have experienced it all these years.”
Wheaton is even talking about returning to Ross-Ade Stadium for the season opener against Fresno State on Sept. 2. He shows few signs of slowing down. He isn’t too prophetic about what makes an excellent long life and admits to having “good genes”, but it is clear staying active is vital. That and a healthy daily dose of GoldandBlack.com.
“I love reading (Brian) Neubert’s and Tom’s (Dienhart) work and seeing what those Knuckleheads (GoldandBlack.com message board posters) are saying. I know this; they have earned their name “Knuckleheads,” but I love ’em. Purdue fans are a special breed.”
Recent Arni’s Birthday Zoom interviews of former Purdue athletes:
Terone Johnson (July 13, 2023)
Warren “Ike” Moore (May 30, 2023)
Other Arni’s Birthday Zoom links
Jane (Calhoun) Schott (5/5/2021)
Life of Eugene Parker (2/24/2022)
Lauren Mioton-Connor (4/20/2022)
