Purdue Boilermakers · All-time career leaders
Purdue Football Career Tackles Leaders
Kevin Motts holds Purdue's career tackles record with 520 tackles (1976–1979). Fred Strickland (479) and Eric Beatty (448) round out the top three. 4 of the top 20 played since 2000; the most recent is Markus Bailey (2015–2019), No. 14 on the list.
Purdue BoilermakersUpdated Oct 6, 2026
| Rank | Player | Years | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Motts | 1976–1979 | 520 |
| 2 | Fred Strickland | 1984–1987 | 479 |
| 3 | Eric Beatty | 1989–1992 | 448 |
| 4 | Rod Woodson | 1983–1986 | 445 |
| 5 | Brock Spack | 1980–1983 | 384 |
| 6 | Jeff Zgonina | 1989–1992 | 382 |
| 7 | Kevin Sumlin | 1983–1986 | 375 |
| 8 | Jim Schwantz | 1988–1991 | 363 |
| 9 | Stuart Schweigert | 2000–2003 | 360 |
| 10 | Tony Visco | 1984–1987 | 351 |
| 11 | Darrin Trieb | 1988–1990 | 347 |
| 12 | Landon Johnson | 2000–2003 | 345 |
| 13 | Willie Fells | 1995–1999 | 341 |
| 14 | Markus Bailey | 2015–2019 | 327 |
| 15 | Marc Foster | 1985–1988 | 325 |
| 16 | Joe Holland | 2008–2011 | 324 |
| 17 | Chike Okeafor | 1994–1998 | 318 |
| 18 | Calvin Clark | 1977–1980 | 315 |
| 19 | Mark Brown | 1981–1982 | 311 |
| 20 | Ken Loushin | 1976–1979 | 301 |
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Sources & notes
- CFB Clipboard — Career leaderboards researched and compiled by CFB Clipboard.
- Career totals cover a player’s games at Purdue only.
Last updated Oct 6, 2026.