Battle of I-75
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| First meeting | October 3, 1919 Toledo, 6–0 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | October 15, 2016 Toledo, 42–35 |
| Next meeting | 2017 |
| Trophy | Battle of I-75 Trophy |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 81 |
| All-time series | Bowling Green, 39–38–4 |
| Largest victory | Toledo, 63–0 (1935) |
| Longest win streak | Bowling Green, 12 (1955–1966) |
| Current win streak | Toledo, 7 (2010–present) |
The Bowling Green–Toledo football rivalry is annual college football rivalry game between Mid-American Conference members Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and the University of Toledo (UT). The universities are separated by about 25 miles (40 km) along Interstate 75 (I-75). The Bowling Green Falcons and Toledo Rockets have exchanged two traveling trophies; the Peace Pipe Trophy (1980–2010), and the Battle of I-75 Trophy (2011–present).Although Bowling Green leads the series, Toledo currently is the dominant team.
The game is sometimes referred to as The Black Swamp Showdown and the Battle of I-75, as the cities of Toledo and Bowling Green are both located on I-75, just 20 miles (32 km) apart, and in the Black Swamp area of Northwest Ohio.
The rivalry between UT and BGSU goes back to 1919. The games were (and to an extent still are) marked by a passionate fan following and a hatred for the respective opponent. In 1935, fans rioted following a 63–0 blowout win by UT and as a result BGSU and UT did not resume the rivalry until 1948 (although Toledo did not field a football team during World War II from 1943–1945).
In 1948, the smoking of a six-foot "peace pipe" was instated as a gesture of goodwill between the two football teams at half-time of the annual game. The pipe would be kept by the winning university until the teams played again the following season. The tradition came to an abrupt end in 1969 when the pipe was stolen from the UT offices. It was never recovered and the thief never caught.
In 1980, a scale-down replica was fashioned and placed on top of a trophy created by former UT football player Frank Kralik. The Peace Pipe Trophy is a miniature replica of an American Indian sacred ceremonial pipe, sitting atop a trophy with both football teams' logos. Kralik donated the trophy to the university to be given to the winner of each year's football game, which like many other college football rivalries is usually the last game of the regular season for both teams. Though the two schools play in different divisions in the Mid-American Conference, they have yet to meet in the MAC Championship Game.
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