Oldest College Football Rivalry Trophy Game

The Territorial Championship Cup was first presented on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1899 to the Tempe Normal School (would later become Arizona State University) after their 11-2 victory over Arizona.  This cup, that was manufactured by Reed and Barton of Taunton, MA, has been registered with the NCAA, thus making this game in Arizona as the oldest trophy game. 

Two fun facts to know about this trophy…

1.       Its whereabouts was unknown for the next eight decades until it was discovered with other items in the basement of a church near ASU in the early 1980s. 

2.       After being displayed on the Arizona State campus for almost 20 years, the Territorial Cup was again presented to the game winner for a few years until it was replaced by a replica, since the original piece now requires curator treatment.

As it turns out, the oldest College Football Trophy was only presented a handful of times to the winner of the Arizona-Arizona State football game…