WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue football team will wrap up spring practice with its annual Black & Gold Game on Saturday, April 18. The event is free and will be held in Ross-Ade Stadium.

The game starts at 1 p.m. Public parking is available in the lots north of the stadium at no charge. The stadium gates open at noon.

Complimentary roster cards will be available to fans, as will 2009 posters and schedule cards.

Concession stands will be open.

Head coach Danny Hope's 2009 Boilermakers wrap up spring practice with the annual Black & Gold Game on April 18.

Saturday’s events begin with the Purdue Cancer Center Challenge at 8:30 a.m. The 5K run/walk begins and ends at Ross-Ade. Head coach Danny Hope is the event’s spokesman and is asking Boilermaker fans to “Take the Challenge, Get Up, Get Fit and Give Back” by raising funds for cancer research at Purdue.

The John Purdue Club Chili Bowl will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the A parking lot south of Ross-Ade. For just $5 (children 6 and under are free), fans can sample and judge the best chili in the Lafayette-West Lafayette area.

Family Fun Fest runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Ross-Ade. Gate A, located at the southeast corner of the stadium, will open at 10:30 a.m. for registration. Family Fun Fest is open to all youth with adult supervision. Youngsters will be able to participate in the following six interactive stations run by the football team:

• Catching a football from the quarterbacks
• Kicking a field goal with the kickers
• Accuracy throw with the wide receivers
• Dummy tackling with the defensive backs and linebackers
• Obstacle course with the offensive and defensive linemen
• Bouncy house with the special teams

Once again, many former players will be on hand for the day’s festivities, and they will be recognized.

The Purdue Pride Team Store will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, a clearance sale tent will be set up outside the Team Store at the northeast corner of Ross-Ade, with select merchandise discounted 25 to 75 percent. A trailer will be open beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the south end zone, as well.

The Local Mountain Coffee Shop will open to the public following the cancer challenge race and remain open throughout the day.

Following the game, all current players will sign autographs on the field, as will some of the former Boilermakers currently playing in the NFL who are back. Details will be announced via the public-address system.

The Athletic Ticket Office will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. During these hours only, fans can purchase south end zone tickets for the 2009 home opener against Toledo on Sept. 5 for just $5 apiece.

April 18 will be an exciting day on campus, as the Purdue baseball, men’s golf, softball, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field and volleyball teams all have home events, and Spring Fest gets under way.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Led by two touchdowns apiece from quarterbacks Joey Elliott and Justin Siller, with the latter’s coming in the fourth quarter, the Gold team held on to defeat the Black team 28-14 in Saturday’s Black & Gold Game at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Dan Dierking’s 12-yard touchdown reception capped the Gold team’s 28-14 victory in Saturday’s Black & Gold game.

The game featured the first-string offense and the second-string defense (Black team) vs. the second-string offense and the first-string defense (Gold team).

“I thought we had a competitive game, which was our goal,” head coach Joe Tiller said. “Your No. 2 offense always is going to have the upper hand on your No. 2 defense because of the multiplicity of formations that you run.

“I didn’t like the way the No. 1 offense started, but I liked the way they came on after their slow start.”

After falling behind 14-0 on a 4-yard touchdown reception by Jeff Panfil in the second quarter, the Black team recovered late in the quarter with two quick touchdowns. The first came on a Jaycen Taylor 35-yard touchdown run with 4:49 left to go in the half. On the Gold team’s next possession, Siller was intercepted by Mike Conway, who then returned it 29 yards to the end zone to tie the score before the half.

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University police are gearing up for the big weekend on campus by providing extra officers at different events throughout the week.

The Purdue Grand Prix and the Purdue Black & Gold spring football game are scheduled for Saturday (April 19), and events such as a concert on Wednesday (April 16) and a concert/carnival on Friday (April 18) also are taking place.

Additional Purdue police officers will be on duty at several different Grand Prix-related events. West Lafayette and Indiana State excise police will work in cooperation with Purdue’s department over the weekend, said Purdue police Capt. John Cox.

“It will be an exciting weekend at Purdue, and we want those who are on campus to have fun. But we want them to do so responsibly, safely and without creating problems for those around them,” Cox said. “The weather forecast is for a nice weekend, so we expect a large number of people on campus. We want to help provide for a safe and enjoyable atmosphere.”

Cox said excise police will focus on all areas where underage drinking might be taking place.

Purdue’s police will have security at many campus events, said Purdue police Lt. Kevin Booker.

“Our main concern is safety,” he said. “We’ll have some activities going on at the same time on Saturday, and we will have a presence at those events.”

This year’s 51st annual Purdue Grand Prix, a 160-lap kart race featuring 33 Purdue student drivers, is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday (April 19) on the track north of Ross-Ade Stadium. Pits open to the public from 9-10 a.m., and track seating opens at 10 a.m. Practice is from 10:10-11 a.m., and heat races start at 11:20 a.m. leading up to the main race.

Purdue’s Black & Gold spring football game starts at noon Saturday and is preceded by the Family Fun Fest from 9:30-11 a.m. at the Ross-Ade Stadium.

Last year, police agencies working in cooperation, made a total of 142 arrests during Grand Prix weekend.