The 1948 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1948 Big Nine Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Stu Holcomb, the Boilermakers compiled a 3–6 record, finished in a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten Conference with a 2–4 record against conference opponents, and were outscored by their opponents by a total of 175 to 126.^[1][2]

Several players from the 1948 team went on to have successful careers in football, both at the professional level and in coaching. Notable players from the 1948 Purdue team included halfback Harry Szulborski and tackle Phil O'Reilly.

Purdue was ranked at No. 34 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System ratings for 1948.^[3] Despite the challenges, the season helped lay the groundwork for future improvements in the program under Coach Holcomb's leadership.

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 25	at Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	L 27–28	59,343
October 2	at Northwestern		Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	L 0–21	37,000
October 9	No. 7 Michigan	No. 15	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	L 0–40	47,152
October 16	at Iowa		Iowa Stadium Iowa City, IA	W 20–13	47,000
October 23	at Illinois		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	L 6–10	56,451
October 30	Marquette*		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	W 14–9	32,000
November 6	at No. 19 Minnesota		Memorial Stadium Minneapolis, MN	L 7–34	66,953
November 13	Pittsburgh*		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	L 13–20	35,000
November 20	Indiana		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (Old Oaken Bucket)	W 39–0	47,000
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[4]

• Harry Szulborski 29 rushes, 171 yards

• Harry Szulborski 15 rushes, 160 yards

• Harry Szulborski 34 rushes, 197 yards
• Norbert Adams 24 rushes, 148 yards