The Little Brown Jug- Minnesota Vs. Michigan

The Little Brown Jug is an award that is given to the winner of the college football game that is between Minnesota and Michigan. This is one of the oldest rivalry trophies and one of the oldest rivalries.

The rivalry was created on October 31, 1903. This was the first meeting between these two teams. A jug that used to be used by the coach of Michigan, Fielding Yost, was used. He painted it with the victory of each team. The name of the award is most likely originated from the 1869 song by Joseph Winner. After Yost took over the team, they went on a lengthy winning streak. This game between Minnesota and Michigan had extra hype because Minnesota believed they could stop the twenty-eight game winning streak. Yost told the student manager Thomas B. Roberts to buy something to carry water as Yost believed that the Minnesota fans would contaminate the water supply. Roberts then purchased a five-gallon jug.

After the game was tied 6 to 6 after a Minnesota late score, a storm started brewing and the fans ran onto the field in celebration. The game was then called with two minutes remaining. They left the jug in the locker room. The next day, the custodian Oscar Munson brought the jug to the Minnesota athletics department. The Minnesota coaches were excited to have this memorabilia and decided to paint it brown. They also labeled it the day that they captured it, writing 'Michigan Jug - Captured by Oscar, October 31, 1903'. The score was also written below that. The score of Minnesota was written much larger than the Michigan score.

As the story went, Yost realized he forgot the jug and sent a letter to Minnesota, asking that the jug be returned. Minnesota returned this with a letter of their own, saying if you want it, you'll have to win it. Michigan did that the next time they played in 1909 and again in the next year. Michigan then rejoined the Big Ten Conference in 1919, where Minnesota was able to win the trophy for the first time.

Minnesota has dominated this series, especially over the last couple decades. Michigan has gone on a twelve game winning streak. Minnesota broke this in 1999. Michigan has also won the 2008 trophy. Michigan is currently leading the series with sixty-six wins. The Gophers of Minnesota have won the trophy twenty-two times. There have been three ties - 1903, 1933, and 1950. Minnesota has only won the trophy once in the 21^st century.

Wikipedia, Little Brown Jug