The River City Rivalry: Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati

The Red City Rivalry is an annual meeting between the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Cincinnati, two Big East rivals. The winner of this football game is awarded the Paddlewheel Trophy. This trophy is very new, being first handed out in 2005. These two teams have played each other eight times (as of 2008). Four of these matchups were pre-Paddlewheel Trophy Era. These years were 1921, 1922, 1979, and 1981. These two teams have only met during the regular season. Of the eight meetings, Pittsburgh has won seven of them. They are scheduled to play in 2009, though.

The Paddlewheel Trophy is handed out to the winner of this rivalry game. This was created in 2005 when the Bearcats joined the Big East. The name of the trophy is to honor the boats that were used to travel between these two universities in the 19^th and 20^th century. The trophy is very large, standing 46 inches tall. On the base, each team's name and the Big East logo are present. Mounted on the base is a brass telegraph. The dial can be turned to the left, which signifies Cincinnati being the current victors, or to the right, which represents Pittsburgh's latest victory. In front of the telegraph is a carved path of the Ohio River. There are various holes that are filled with discs, representing each team's win. Pitt has three victories and Cincinnati has one, meaning three discs for Pitt and one for Cincinnati.

In their first meeting, Pittsburgh won 21-14. This game was held on October 15, 1921. Then, the following year, Pittsburgh won again. This was the biggest margin of victory in this rivalry with a 38-0 final score. The third meeting, held in Pittsburgh, was held on October 13, 1979. This was again won by Pittsburgh, 35-0. In the fourth meeting, Pittsburgh continued its dominance, winning 38-7 at home in 1981. The fifth game, which was the first one with the Paddlewheel Trophy being handed out, was won by Pittsburgh, with a final score of 38-20. The sixth meeting, held on September 8, 2006 was also won by Pittsburgh. This game was held in Cincinnati but the final score was in favor of Pittsburgh, 33-15. The seventh meeting, won by Pittsburgh, was at home and the final score was 24-17. In the eighth and most recent meeting, Cincinnati was finally able to win one. They won 38-21 at home on November 22, 2008.

Wikipedia, Paddlewheel Trophy