Nov. 21, 2012

Thanks to a historic find in a church basement several years ago, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona can now claim the oldest intercollegiate rivalry trophy in the nation. The Territorial Championship Cup, which has been registered with the NCAA, was first presented to Tempe Normal School (now ASU) on Nov. 30, 1899 following an 11-2 victory over the University of Arizona at Tucson's Carillo Gardens Field. The priceless Territorial Cup was lost for a time and was discovered several years ago in the basement of a church that was being demolished. According to the NCAA, the previous oldest trophy was the Michigan/Minnesota Little Brown Jug which dates back to 1909.

The Territorial Cup has been catalogued and is available for public viewing in the reading room of ASU's Hayden Library. A replica of the cup will be displayed on the field at each year's Arizona-Arizona State football game, and the winning team in one of the nation's oldest and fiercest rivalries will be awarded the actual trophy to display in its Hall of Fame each year.

In addition to the Territorial Cup, there is an abundance of hardware handed out at each year's game:

• The Big Game Trophy, a sculpture by artist Ben Goo which was the prize in the rivalry game from 1979 to 1997, is awarded to the game MVP to be displayed in the school's Hall of Fame.  The award is now called the Bob Moran MVP Award, named after longtime East Valley Tribune sports reporter Bob Moran, who covered both schools as a beat writer and columnist in his long and distinguished career.
• The Saguaro Trophy, a bronze sculpture by artist Dora Perry which served as the reward starting in 1998, is given to the coach of the winning team to display in his office for the year.

Last game in Tucson in 2010

Last time the team played in Tucson in 2010, Arizona State blocked extra point attempts at the end of regulation and the second overtime to come away with an improbable 30-29 win over rival Arizona on a clear Thursday night in Tucson.

The Sun Devils rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and broke through for a blocked extra point with 27 seconds left in regulation to keep the score tied at 20-all.

Cameron Marshall scored on a 2-yard run in the second overtime and David Douglas of Arizona (7-5, 4-5) answered with a 9-yard touchdown run, but James Brooks blocked Alex Zendejas' extra point to send Arizona to its fourth straight defeat.

Thomas Weber kicked five field goals to help ASU capitalize on one of the wildest finishes in this heated rivalry.

ASU vs. Arizona

Top Rushing Performances

Top Passing Performances

Top Receiving Performances

Top Defensive Performances

And if all of that doesn't get you excited for Friday's 86th meeting between the two teams, relive the Keith Poole touchdown in the 1996 Territorial Cup below.