Website design By BotEap.comThere are many strange traditions in college football and the kinds of things that make casual fans scratch their heads in bewilderment are, in many cases, the exact same things that make overzealous fanatics love their favorite pastime even more. One of the strangest traditions in college football is that the annual state rivalry football game between Indiana University (located in Bloomington, IN) and Purdue University (located in West Lafayette, IN) has been played for decades for a rather unique trophy titled the Old Oak Cube.

Website design By BotEap.comTo understand the reason behind the unique title of this head-to-head matchup, one must first understand the historical origin of the term. The traveling trophy known as the Old Oaken Bucket actually dates back to the 1920s and is one of the oldest football trophies in existence. The concept of the trophy that two Big Ten Conference rivals are now fighting over was first thought of at a 1925 alumni reunion in Chicago. Both Hoosiers and Boilermakers alumni met to discuss options on how best to commemorate the spirited rivalry between the two schools, which are located less than 115 miles apart.

Website design By BotEap.comThe strange specific phrase oak bucket is jointly attributed to both Dr. Clarence Jones (an Indiana alumnus) and Russel Gray (a Purdue alumnus). The text of the resolution was passed at a subsequent joint alumni meeting in 1925 in Chicago and essentially stated that an “old oak bucket” (oak simply means made of oak wood) would be best because it was believed to be “the way more typical of trophy Hoosier.” In this specific case, the word Hoosier was not specifically referring to Indiana University Hoosiers, but to all Indiana citizens who are collectively known as Hoosiers. This, of course, would include Purdue students and alumni who also fell under the Hoosiers umbrella. In fact, Indiana’s state nickname is the Hoosier State.

Website design By BotEap.comThe origin and inspiration of the phrase old oaken bucket actually predates the 1925 joint alumni reunions between Purdue and Indiana by about a hundred years. Dr. Jones and Mr. Gray chose the term old oak bucket in part because it is the title of a now famous poem that the poet Samuel Woodworth wrote in 1817. Although Woodworth was an American from the East Coast (Massachusetts) and not from Indiana, the eloquent words he wrote about the fond memories he had of the place where he grew up were sentiments many Indiana natives could relate to.

Website design By BotEap.comInterestingly, the first game of this epic series ended in a 0-0 tie in 1925. Since then, Purdue has led the Old Oaken Bucket series with a 56-23-3 record against the Indiana University (IU) Hoosiers.