During his senior day address to Purdue fans, following the Boilermakers' thrashing of Ohio State, coach Matt Painter asked those packed into Mackey Arena to stop the "IU Sucks!" chant.

"What happened to Matt Haarms in Bloomington wasn't right," Painter said referring to the expletive-laden chants directed at the Purdue sophomore Feb. 19, "but we've got to clean up our own backyard and give up the 'IU sucks' chant. Because today, IU didn't suck and they beat Michigan State."

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Fred Glass on IU profane chants:'They were embarrassing and unacceptable.'

He's right. The Hoosiers' upset win of the Spartans, coupled with Purdue's win over Ohio State, gave the Boilermakers sole possession of first place in the Big Ten title race.

"We have a really classy place at Purdue," Painter said during his postgame news conference. "We have great people. (Students) think that's cute. There's nothing cute about it."

If Purdue wins Tuesday at Minnesota, it clinches at least a share of the championship. If it then also wins Saturday at Northwestern (or both Michigan and MSU lose again), it wins its second outright championship in three years.

At basketball games, the "IU Sucks" chant happens with the band. At football games, it’s more a cappella. Sometimes, it’s the entire fan choir in sync. Sometimes, it’s a few outliers chanting.

One thing is steadfast: Purdue fans shout “IU sucks” at every home game, no matter the opponent.

The athletics department tried to shut it down once. But rowdy fans won out.

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Andrew Ledman, former vice-president of The Paint Crew, said today's iteration of the "IU sucks" chant at the end of the song "Hail Fire," originated in 2008. Before that, for years, fans had been chanting "IU sucks" during another song the band played -- multiple times. That prompted complaints from Purdue officials, thus the switch, he said.

In November 2012, the athletics department at Purdue made an official request to fans to do away with the chant during "Hail Fire."

Board members said at the time they had been receiving complaints from alumni. New restrictions were set. "Hail Fire" could be played inside Mackey. The band no longer plays it at Ross-Ade.

IndyStar reporter Dana Hunsinger Benbow and Journal & Courier Purdue Insider Nathan Baird contributed to this story.

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