Nickel Trophy
| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| First meeting | November 3, 1894 North Dakota State 20, North Dakota 4 |
| Latest meeting | September 19, 2015 North Dakota State 34, North Dakota 9 |
| Next meeting | 2019 |
| Trophy | Yes (Nickel Trophy) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 111 |
| All-time series | North Dakota leads 62–46–3 |
| Current win streak | North Dakota State, 1 (2015–present) |
| Nickel Trophy | |
|---|---|
The Nickel Trophy – NDSU side
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| Awarded for | Winning the regular season NDSU/UND football game |
| Sponsored by | NDSU Blue Key & UND Student Government |
| Date | 1938-2003 |
| Location | Fargo, ND or Grand Forks, ND |
| Country | United States |
| Currently held by | UND |
The Nickel Trophy was presented to the winner of the formerly annual football game between the rival University of North Dakota (UND) Fighting Hawks and the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison. The two universities are approximately 76 miles apart on the eastern border of North Dakota. The two schools suspended play in 2003 and resumed play in 2015.
Robert Kunkel, a UND alumnus and Chicago advertising executive, was the originator of the trophy, and Blue Key, an honorary service fraternity at NDSU, and the UND Blue Key (Student Government after their Blue Key Chapter dissolved) administered the annual awarding. It is an oversized 75-pound replica of the James Earle Fraser-designed U.S. buffalo nickel with a buffalo on one side representing NDSU Bison and a Native American head on the other side representing UND, who were known as the Fighting Sioux until 2012. Fraser, best known for his sculpture, "The End of The Trail", was born in Winona, MN and lived for a time in Dakota Territory. The coin-shaped trophy's "mint" date is 1937, the year the trophy was created. Jack Sather, a native of New England, ND, was commissioned to design and act a sculpture of the award. It took six weeks to complete the job and he was paid $65 for his work. Those funds were raised by both NDSU and UND Blue Key chapters from members and friends. The Nickel, at 250 times larger than a regular five-cent piece, weighs 75 pounds and is 2 inches thick and 22 inches in diameter. Both sides were 3/4" relief and, from the original models, plaster casts were poured. The casts were hauled to a St. Paul, MN foundry where plaster copies were recast in an aluminum alloy. The halves were welded together to make the finished piece. It was first awarded in 1938 when NDSU won 17–13. It has been the object of many theft and "kidnapping" attempts by students from both universities. Governor William Langer was asked to participate in the unveiling of the new award in Grand Forks. Moments after the unveiling an unidentified student stepped up to Governor Langer, told him "I'll take care of this for you", and disappeared with the nickel trophy. It turned up 36 hours later on the front lawn of then UND President John C. West (The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, October 21, 1967) and a new tradition of "kidnapping" or "borrowing" the trophy had begun.
Prior to 2004, the game was one of the longest-running college football contests, with 110 meetings spanning several decades with the first official game in 1894. The Fighting Hawks lead the all-time series 62–46, with 3 ties. In games where the Nickel Trophy has been contested (since 1938), the Hawks lead the series 35–30 and won the last three games in the series. The last NDSU win in a game in which the trophy was at stake was in 2000, 16–13. The two playoff games between the teams (1994 and 1995) are not considered part of the Nickel series, and it has been agreed on by both schools that only the regular season scheduled game would determine the Nickel's rightful owner according to former Blue Key member and chapter adviser Tim Flakoll. The Nickel Trophy was not at stake in 2015 (a game won 34–9 by the Bison) due to the now-abandoned Sioux logo remaining on one side.
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