One of the great traditions of the Big Ten are the rivalry trophies. There is Floyd of Rosedale, the bronze pig awarded to the winner of the Iowa/Minnesota game, and the Old Oaken Bucket for the winner of Purdue and Indiana. There are two trophies named after Paul Bunyan: the Axe for the Minnesota/Wisconsin winner and a trophy for the Michigan/Michigan State winner. There are over a dozen trophies in the Big Ten.
Nebraska fans aren't exactly used to rivalry trophies; Husker fans historically prefer to think of Sears trophies over the kitsch of the Big Ten's rivalry trophies.
Many Husker fans probably aren't aware that Nebraska actually had a rivalry trophy for the game against Missouri. Fans may recall seeing the goofy guys in red and black robes at halftime of those games, but never gave any thought of the winner claiming the Victory Bell after the game. Like most of the Big Ten's trophies, the impetus for the bell originated outside of the football teams; it came from students and elected officials. Floyd, for example, was originally a bet between the governors of the two states. When the pig finally passed away, it was memorialized with a bronze trophy for eternity.
Broken Chair, An Origin Story
Broken Chair, An Origin Story
When the Big Ten started expanding, the conference felt the need to manufacture new "rivalry trophies" for the new teams in the conference. With Penn State's entry, the "Land Grant Trophy" and the "Governor's Victory Bell" were created - and immediately ridiculed. When Nebraska joined the Big Ten, a regional grocery store chain created a "Heroes" trophy to award to the winner of the Iowa/Nebraska game, and then Wisconsin and Nebraska collaborated to create a Freedom Trophy. Nothing wrong with the concepts of "heroes" and "freedom"; they should be honored and respected. But as a football trophy? It almost trivializes the concepts. What's the common theme of these trophies? They were forced into the games for fear that Penn State and Nebraska were going to be left out of the Big Ten's fun. But that also makes these trophies artificial; they are Faux trophies created by the athletic departments. They didn't evolve organically, in contrast to the long line of traditional Big Ten trophies.
Until last season, when Minnesota's Goldy Gopher mascot started trash talking with @Faux Pelini, the internet doppelganger of former Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini.
Hey @FauxPelini, how about a friendly wager for this weekend's game? Team that gets the most points gets a conference win? Seem fair?
— Goldy Gopher (@GoldytheGopher) November 20, 2014
@GoldytheGopher OK how about if we win you give me $5, if you win I get to smash a wooden chair over your back
— Fake Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) November 20, 2014
.@FauxPelini just as long as we can turn that $5 or bits of broken chair into a trophy for next year's game
— Goldy Gopher (@GoldytheGopher) November 20, 2014
And suddenly it was on. Someone in Minneapolis got busy, and suddenly...
Detailed looks at the #BitsOfWoodenChairTrophy with @FauxPelini. Complete with 2 $5 bills #IsThisAnApprovedCarryOn pic.twitter.com/YdqpcWIWNR
— Goldy Gopher (@GoldytheGopher) November 21, 2014
And when Minnesota pulled off the upset in Lincoln, the Gophers proudly carried it off the field...
Gophers spotted raising up the #BitsOfWoodenChairTrophy as they headed to the locker room: https://t.co/MMzwgxsyQr pic.twitter.com/1et6J3FcGs
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 23, 2014
So it's officially accepted? Well, we're not sure at this point. The fans seem to accept it overwhelmingly. It certainly seems to mesh well with the spirit of all of the other Big Ten Rivalry trophies. Even Mike Riley seemed to be ready to accept it at Big Ten media days.
But there is some concern that the athletic departments aren't ready to accept the concept for a trophy that wasn't hatched in one of their conference rooms - especially Nebraska, where some people would rather not acknowledge anything related to the Pelini name. Nevermind that Big Ten athletic departments historically have had no involvement in the creation of the trophies they now embrace, mind you.
That's why it's important for fans to embrace and keep up the call for this trophy. The Broken Chair Trophy. It comes from the same spirit that created the Illibuck, Paul Bunyan's Axe and Floyd of Rosedale. It represents what college football is supposed to be for fans everywhere: something fun, enjoyable and irreverent. And because of that, we're joining with SB Nation's The Daily Gopher to embrace and promote the Broken Chair Trophy as an officially recognized Big Ten rivalry trophy. Please help us spread the word, and use the hashtag #BattleForBrokenChair if you use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
To put it simply: Even at only one year old, the Broken Chair Trophy is really Nebraska's only true Big Ten rivalry trophy.