Little Brown Jug (football)
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| Michigan (64) | Minnesota (22) |
|---|---|
| 1909 1910 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1926 1929 1930 1931 1932 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1951 1952 1954 1955 1957 1958 1959 1964 1966 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 |
1919 1927 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1953 1956 1960 1961 1962 1963 1965 1967 1977 1986 2005 |
| Ties (3) | |
| 1903 1933 1950 | |
The Little Brown Jug is a traveling trophy passed between the football teams of the University of Minnesota's Golden Gophers and the University of Michigan's Wolverines. It was created after the two teams met up on October 31, 1903. The earthenware jug, originally used by Michigan coach Fielding Yost, is painted with the victories of each team. The name most likely originates in the 1869 song of the same name by Joseph Winner.
After Yost took over coaching the Wolverines in 1901, the team went on to win 28 straight games. In the meantime, Minnesota assembled one of the best teams in school history, so Gopher fans were excited about possibly ending the Wolverines' streak.
As Yost and the team came into Minneapolis, student manager Thomas B. Roberts was told to purchase something to carry water. Yost was somewhat concerned that Gopher fans might contaminate his water supply. Roberts purchased a five-gallon jug for 30¢ from a local variety store.
20,000 fans watched the matchup between the two teams in an overflowing Northrop Field. Minnesota held the fabled "point-a-minute" squad to just one touchdown, but hadn't yet managed to score a touchdown of their own. Finally, late in the second half, the Gophers reached the endzone to tie the game at 6–6. As clouds from an impending snowstorm hung overhead, pandemonium struck when Minnesota fans stormed the field in celebration. Eventually the game had to be called with two minutes remaining. The Wolverines walked off the field, leaving the jug behind.
The next day, custodian Oscar Munson brought the jug to L.J. Cooke, head of the Minnesota athletics department, and declared in a thick Scandinavian accent: "Jost left his yug." Exactly how Munson came to possess the jug is a bit of a mystery. Some accounts say that Munson purposely stole the jug in the chaos that ended the game, although most believe it was accidentally left behind. Thomas Roberts, writing in 1956, stated that the jug had served its purpose, so he intentionally left it sitting on the field.
Still, Cooke and Munson were excited to have this little bit of memorabilia, proceeding to paint it brown (it had originally been putty-colored) and commemorate the day by writing "Michigan Jug – Captured by Oscar, October 31, 1903" on the side along with the score "Michigan 6, Minnesota 6". Of course, in the spirit of the moment, Minnesota's score was written many times larger than that of Michigan.
Later, Yost wanted the jug back, and sent a letter asking it to be returned. Cooke wrote in response: "We have your little brown jug; if you want it, you’ll have to win it." Michigan did exactly that when the teams met up again in 1909, and repeated the performance in 1910. Minnesota and Michigan met up again in 1919 after Michigan rejoined the Big Ten Conference, marking the first year that Minnesota won the Jug outright.
Michigan has mostly dominated the series, particularly in the last four decades where Minnesota has only briefly held the Jug. On October 8, 2005, Minnesota claimed the Jug for the first time since 1986, defeating Michigan 23-20 in a matchup in Ann Arbor, Michigan. However, the Wolverines grabbed the trophy right back the next year on September 30, with a 28-14 victory in Minneapolis.
There is a restaurant and sports bar called The Brown Jug on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor, near the southeast corner of the Diag, popular with Michigan students and football fans.
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[edit] Little Brown Jug of Mississippi
The "Little Brown Jug" Game is the longest continuously played high school football rivalry in Mississippi. The game, played each year since 1921, is between Laurel, Mississippi and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Laurel leads the series 43-37-4. The most recent game, played on September 10, 2005, shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the area hard on August 29, attracted a crowd of nearly 4,000. Each year the winner of the game takes home the treasured little brown jug, which is enscribed with each year's game date and score.
When football was established in Mississippi, teams in the "Big Ten" conference (larger schools in Mississippi) modeled their uniforms after college teams. Laurel chose as its team the University of Minnesota: hence the "Little Brown Jug" connection.
[edit] Little Brown Jug of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The "Little Brown Jug" game of Michigan's Upper Peninsula is played between Sault Saint Marie and Newberry. The game has been played since 1911 and Sault Saint Marie leads Newberry in the series 51-26-5. The most recent game was October 20th, 2006 where Sault Saint Marie beat Newberry 27-7 to win back the Little Brown Jug. Each year the winner enscribes the year and score from the game.
[edit] See also
- Other Michigan traveling trophies:
- Paul Bunyan Trophy (with Michigan State)
- Other Minnesota traveling trophies:
- Floyd of Rosedale (with Iowa)
- Paul Bunyan's Axe (with Wisconsin)
- Governor's Victory Bell (with Penn State)
[edit] References
- John Woodford. The Little Brown Jug. Michigan Today. Accessed October 9, 2004.
- The Little Brown Jug. Gophersports.com. Accessed October 9, 2004.
- Little Brown Jug endures century. Daily Orange. Accessed October 8, 2004.
[edit] External links
| The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
