Purdue University confers Drew Brees and Tim Cahill with honorary doctorates at spring ceremonies

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University awarded honorary doctorates to two distinguished Boilermaker alumni in business and aerospace engineering during the Spring 2026 Commencement ceremonies May 14-16 at Elliott Hall of Music.

Drew Brees — legendary quarterback, entrepreneur and philanthropist — received an honorary Doctor of Business from the Mitch Daniels School of Business during Saturday evening’s Division IX ceremony. Tim Cahill, president of Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) for Lockheed Martin Corp., received an honorary Doctor of Engineering from the College of Engineering during Thursday morning’s Division I ceremony.

Brees is a Super Bowl MVP quarterback who led the New Orleans Saints to victory in Super Bowl XLIV, and a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who will be enshrined in the Class of 2026 on Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio. During his career, he spent 20 seasons in the NFL — five with the San Diego Chargers and 15 with the New Orleans Saints — earning 13 Pro Bowl selections, two Offensive Player of the Year awards and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. He retired after the 2020 season as the league’s all-time leader in regular season passing yards, completions and completion percentage, and remains second all-time in touchdowns.

Brees earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from Purdue University in 2001, where he lettered in football from 1997-2000 and led the program to a Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl berth.

Off the field, Brees is a dedicated philanthropist and entrepreneur. He and his wife, Brittany, founded the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003, contributing more than $55 million to support cancer patients and advance education and community development initiatives. He manages a diverse portfolio spanning franchise brands and real estate, and he serves as a partner and board member for two of the largest youth sports organizations in the country, Pioneer Sports and Unrivaled Sports. He has also participated in multiple USO tours supporting U.S. service members worldwide.

Cahill is a globally esteemed aerospace and defense leader committed to driving innovation, agility and mission success in an increasingly complex global security environment. As president of MFC for Lockheed Martin Corp., he leads a $14.4 billion enterprise with nearly 19,000 employees worldwide, developing cutting-edge systems that shape the future of defense by delivering rapid, scalable and cost-effective solutions that support the safety and security of the U.S. and its allies.

Throughout his more than 30-year career at Lockheed Martin, Cahill has held several prominent senior leadership roles and is a recipient of Lockheed Martin’s Exceptional Service Award and NOVA Award, the company’s highest honor.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, he served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, managing the integration and launch of more than 20 military, NASA and classified spacecraft aboard the Space Shuttle, Titan and Atlas launch vehicles. He holds a U.S. patent for a modular spacecraft bus design.

Cahill earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue in 1987 and 1988, respectively, and an MBA from Stanford University in 2008. He has also been inducted into the Purdue University Air Force ROTC Hall of Fame.

For more on Purdue’s spring commencement ceremonies

Purdue’s Spring 2026 Commencement ceremonies were livestreamed and can be viewed on the Purdue News YouTube channel. Additional information and the livestream links can be found on Purdue’s commencement website.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.