10 Questions about College Football Rivalry Trophies | Sports

Answer: Golden Hat

Created in 1941 the trophy was originally known as "the Bronze Hat," but was recast later into a golden form.

Answer: Keg of Nails

Sadly, the wooden keg contains no nails (or anything, for that matter). The nearby schools have battled over rights to the keg regularly (but not annually) since 1929.

Answer: Stanford Axe

The origins of the Stanford Axe are a bit gruesome, as it first appeared at a 1899 rally and was used to decapitate a straw man dressed in California colors. It became a trophy awarded to "The Game's" winner in 1933, and as it consists of an axe head mounted on a plaque it should be of little danger to the mascot.

Answer: Jeweled Shillelagh

A ruby-embedded Trojan head or an emerald-studded shamrock is added to the shillelagh to signify a school's victory in a rivalry that began in 1926. The original shillelagh was retired in 1989 for lack of space for new jewels, and is on display at the University of Notre Dame.

Answer: A Football

Footballs of the 1920's (the trophy was first awarded in 1927) were blunter and more bloated than the modern ball. The trophy was cast in the shape of the football of it's day, but to modern eyes appears more egg-shaped.

Answer: Oil Can

A 1930's-era oil can, attributed to a Fresno motorist, was found at a San Diego construction site, and for some reason the schools' alumni association thought it'd make a neat trophy.

Answer: Telephone

Before the 1959 game a Missouri coach realized he could hear the other team's coaches through his headset due to a crossed telephone wire. The issue was resolved before the game began, but on such minor controversies rivalries are built.

Answer: Pig

In 1935 Governor Floyd Olson of Minnesota bet his Iowa counterpart that the Golden Gophers of Minnesota would win that year's game. The prize would be a prize hog from the losing team's state. Minnesota was victorious, and Governor Clyde Herring of Iowa made good by collecting a prize pig from Rosedale Farms and delivering it to Governor Olson's office.

The wager caused some controversy as it violated federal law, and so Governor Olson commissioned the bronze sculpture of the hog that now goes to the winner of the annual game.

Answer: Little Brown Jug

Fearful the locals might taint his team's water, in 1903 Michigan coach Fielding Yost purchased an earthenware jug to carry their water supply. Left behind after Minnesota's 6-6 "victory," the jug (since painted in school colors) became a trophy in 1909 when the schools faced off again.

Answer: Paul Bunyan's Axe

This series, begun in 1890, once rewarded the champion with the "Slab of Bacon" (actually a black walnut plaque.) Lost after the 1943 game, the slab was replaced by the axe in 1948. The original axe was gifted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003, with a new axe taking its place the following year.