by Travis Normand
I stumbled upon a website that is the project of a dedicated Nebraska Cornhusker. There are a lot of things related to the Cornhuskers on this website, but the most interesting part (to me) is the online trophy case.
I highly recommend checking it out: https://www.huskerj.com/TrophyCase.htm
Travis Normand
January 15, 2018
Apparently the following information was released back in October but I had completely missed it and did not receive a press release about it (until today, January 15, 2018). As I previously posted, the Rotary Club of Houston announced that they would not be giving out the 48th annual Lombardi Award despite having presented the previous 47 awards. You can read the Rotary Club of Houston’s press release here on OnePointSafety.com, or on their site at LombardiAward.org.
Today I received a press release in my email announcing that the award would be given out on January 27, 2018. However, it will now be awarded by the Lombardi Foundation (click here to read the October 2017 press release).
A few notable differences between the October 2017 release, and the release I received via email today, are: (1) the location of the event will be held at Lone Star College (in Houston) as opposed to the Hobby Center, and (2) the second release contains a list of award nominees.
The list of nominees are:
The release also states that: (Emphasis added)
Up to seven finalists from this list will be selected by the award voters this week and announced next Monday, Jan. 22. Four of the finalists will be invited to the Lombardi Honors presentation that will include several other awards being recognized, including the Lombardi Coach of the Year.
For a copy of the October 2017 release, visit: https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/10/26/1154553/0/en/LOMBARDI-AWARD-UNDER-NEW-DIRECTION-2018-EVENT-DATE-SET.html
If I find a copy of the January 2018 release online, I will post it here later.
Travis Normand
Repost to OnePointSafety.com on January 2, 2018
This is another re-posting from my old blog. I have always covered stories about college football trophies, and this is an oldie but a goodie.
By Andy Staples
Alligator Staff Writer
(The Independent Florida Alligator Online – Alligator.org)
March 23, 1999Nancy Sain walked into her office in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Friday and saw a pile of empty bubble wrap where an 80-pound trophy had stood the night before.
The UF Lemerand Football Office manager knew the silver and wooden 1999 Orange Bowl trophy had been on the floor in front of her desk the night before. It had just arrived after some repair work Thursday, and Sain said no one was available to lug the 2 1/2-foot tall piece of hardware downstairs to the safe.
On Friday, the punch-bowl sized silver bowl and the thick wood base were gone.
“It’s pretty bizarre,” Sain said Monday. “You wonder what they would do with that size object.”
At practice Monday, UF coach Steve Spurrier was none too concerned about the fate of the trophy.
“They can make new trophies,” Spurrier said. “I don’t get upset about things like that. Somebody stole it and we can’t find it? They can always make another.”
Still, Sain was shocked anyone would try to steal from the office. She also was surprised the thief did not grab anything else.
“There are other items around here that are not tied down that we’ve never had a problem with,” Sain said. “It has never been a problem before.”
UF police spokeswoman Stacy Badics said the case is under investigation, and UPD will release more information as it becomes available.
Logo courtesy of the Rotary Club of Houston
Travis Normand
October 31, 2017
I have been a college football award voter since at least 2009 (and possibly as far back as 2006 from what I can remember, although at this time, I can’t find proof that I voted in anything earlier than 2009). I love the individual college football awards; I have always taken pride in my status as a voter and always give my votes serious consideration.
In 2011, I was honored to be selected as a voter in the Lombardi Award which was given out by the Rotary Club of Houston. As you probably already know, the Lombardi Award was historically given to the best college football lineman or linebacker, however, before the 2016 season, the award was changed and any college football player was eligible for consideration.
However, a couple of weeks ago I was notified that the Rotary Lombardi Award will not be given out this 2017 season for reasons that are not entirely clear. The purpose of this post is not to speculate as to the reasons, but to simply inform readers of this decision. As far as I know, in July of 2017 the award was still scheduled to be awarded after the 2017 season, as a pre-season watch list was announced on July 31, 2017.
The following is the press release from the Houston Rotary Club that was released in late September 2017, explaining the current situation:
Media Contact:
Laura M. Pennino, Senior PR Consultant for the Rotary Club of Houston
281 286 9398 office
713 419 1776 mobile
lp@penninoandpartners.comThe Rotary Club of Houston Will Not Present the 48th Annual Rotary Lombardi Award in 2018 as Previously Announced
HOUSTON, Texas (Sept. 29, 2017) – Representatives of the Lombardi family have elected to end the historic and long-standing relationship with the Rotary Club of Houston. Consequently, the Rotary Club of Houston will not present the 48th Annual Rotary Lombardi Award for the 2017-2018 College Football Season as previously announced. The Club is very proud of its history in promoting, managing and presenting the Rotary Lombardi Award for 47 years.
The Rotary Club of Houston is a non-profit volunteer organization that established the Rotary Lombardi Award to honor legendary coach Vince Lombardi and to raise funds to fight the deadly disease that claimed his life—Cancer. Since 1970, the Rotary Club of Houston has presented this prestigious award to a talented college football player who not only demonstrates outstanding athletic performance and skill, but exemplifies the type of discipline, courage and wisdom that define Coach Lombardi’s exceptional brand of leadership. Proceeds from the Rotary Lombardi Award have benefitted three designated charities—the American Cancer Society, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas Children’s Hospital Cancer Center.
“The Rotary Club of Houston applauds the numerous volunteers who have provided countless hours of service to support the mission of the Rotary Lombardi Award. Our members remain committed to the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self’ and will continue to raise funds and awareness to battle Cancer,” commented Rick Olsen, President of the Rotary Club of Houston for the 2017-2018 calendar year.
In the immediate aftermath of “Hurricane Harvey” thousands of people remain displaced and face a challenging recovery. The Rotary Club of Houston will continue to provide assistance to those in need during this crisis. Rotarians, like the city they serve, are “Houston Strong!”
About The Rotary Club of Houston
The Rotary Club of Houston, founded in 1912, is the oldest and largest Rotary club in the greater Houston area. As a charter representative of Rotary International, a worldwide service organization with over 1.2 million members in more than 200 countries, the Rotary Club of Houston continues to provide assistance to various local and global community service campaigns. Notwithstanding Rotary’s international pledge to eradicate Polio, the Rotary Club of Houston sponsors several programs that address literacy, child welfare, veteran assistance, and public health. The Rotary Club of Houston is also credited with helping to establish Goodwill Industries and Little League Baseball in Houston, and actively participated in scholarship programs sponsored by the Houston Endowment and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
For more information, please visit www.rotaryhouston.org.
I am not sure if, or when, the Lombardi Award will ever be back. However, my hope is that it returns soon, as it is one of the great college football awards.
by Travis Normand
January 17, 2017
This is my first re-posting of an old “College Football Independent” post. It was originally posted on that blog on December 29, 2008.
1934 Rose Bowl Trophy (on eBay)
December 29, 20081934 Stanford Rose Bowl Trophy
While looking on ebay.com I came across the 1934 Rose Bowl Trophy! The seller is asking $9,999 for it and it will be interesting to see if anyone actually buys it. This is a great item for any private collection, but $10K is a big price tag.
I have no idea if this trophy sold or not, but the auction’s description said that the trophy belonged to Stanford. Stanford lost the 1934 Rose Bowl game to Columbia and so I imagine this is some kind of participation trophy for having been invited to play in the Rose Bowl (which is an honor, in and of itself).
by Travis Normand
With as much as I enjoy college football trophies, I can’t believe I didn’t think of this business idea before now.
Article about RivalryTrophy.com at GopherHole.com
by Travis Normand
*Edit/Update: A better title for this post would be “Duke Coach’s 1942 Rose Bowl Trophy Found….In Trash,” as it was apparently a trophy that was given to one of Duke’s coaches, and not the team trophy that was given to Oregon State (winners of the 1942 Rose Bowl).
However, after seeing how most schools treat their football trophies and artifacts I am not shocked by this news at all. Even I have found college football trophies in the trash.
N.C. man discovers 1942 Rose Bowl trophy in garbage
By Yahoo Sports Staff
November 13, 2014 1:04 AM
Yahoo Sports MinuteDiscovering a Rose Bowl trophy is one thing. But coming across a 1942 Rose Bowl trophy — a relic from the only time “The Granddaddy of Them All” wasn’t played in Pasadena, Calif. — is something different altogether. But according to a report by ABC 11 news in Raleigh, N.C., that’s exactly what happened to one lucky man.
The junk collector — who wished to remain anonymous — stumbled upon the piece of college football history four months ago while sifting through trash. The 1942 Rose Bowl between Duke and Oregon State was moved to Durham, N.C. due to a government ban on all large public gatherings on the West Coast of the United States in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. The Beavers beat the Blue Devils 20-16 at Duke’s home stadium in front of 56,000 fans (some of which sat on borrowed bleachers from nearby University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill).
Even coaches on the losing side received hardware. The recovered item appears to have been originally awarded to then-Blue Devils backfield coach Eddie Cameron — the same Eddie Cameron who has an Indoor Stadium named after him.
The man plans to let Duke have the first chance to buy the trophy. After that, he says it will go to the highest bidder.
*****
College Football Playoff Trophy
by Travis Normand
Yes, I am analyzing the new national championship trophy. However, if you have been reading my site and if you know me at all, you know that I have a particular fascination with all things college football trophy related.
So the College Football Playoff unveiled its national championship trophy on July 14, 2014. While I like the new trophy (and I think it will continue to grow on me), it is no where near the trophy that was given out during the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era (see the AFCA National Championship Trophy). There is something so simplistic and fantastic about the crystal football that was awarded to the BCS champion, which was not captured in this new trophy.
Half Beaver, Half Duck
by Travis Normand
This story came out last November (2012) but didn’t get much attention. Now that it is mid-summer, it is a great time to revisit the story. Hopefully this will help you pass the time until kick-off.
Also, this is one of the best rivalry trophies I have ever seen. What other rivalry can say that characteristics of the mascots for each team involved in the rivalry actually come together somewhere in nature? Is there an animal that is part Buckeye and part Wolverine? No. What about part ‘Gator and part Seminole? No. Aggie and Longhorn? No. In my opinion, it would be a real shame for Oregon and Oregon State to NOT use the Platypus as their rivalry trophy.
In Oregon, Civil Rivalry but Quirky One
by Greg Bishop
Published: November 22, 2012
NYTimes.comCORVALLIS, Ore. — In the broadest, most stereotypical sense, one of the oldest rivalries in college football pits Ducks against Beavers, hippies against farmers, liberals against conservatives. It is defined by proximity and mediocrity, by civility and acrimony, by close games and foul weather and the last 0-0 tie in Division I.
The Civil War, they call it.
The series started in 1894, when Oregon State University, then known as the Oregon Agricultural College, defeated the University of Oregon, 16-0. It will continue Saturday when two top-20 teams meet here for far more than local bragging rights.
For years, the programs seemed to lack a central ingredient to any rivalry: something to win. There was no Golden Egg (Mississippi and Mississippi State), no Keg of Nails (Louisville and Cincinnati) and no Apple Cup (Washington and Washington State).
This brings us to a mystery, to the story of the Platypus Trophy, once missing, stolen and lost — “I’ve heard rumors,” Oregon offensive lineman Nick Cody said — now found.
“I haven’t seen this since 2007,” Warren Spady said as he surveyed his handiwork this week.
Spady drew the platypus assignment in 1959, as an undergraduate at Oregon. He bought two blocks of wood and began to carve, using a stuffed platypus for inspiration. He worked day and night for a month, with four mallets and six chisels, until his forearms ached, until the beak resembled a Duck and the tail looked like that of a Beaver.
While he sanded the trophy smooth, the game approached. He never did finish the feet.
In the early 1960s, the trophy went missing for months, then years, then decades. In 1986, while on sabbatical at Oregon, Spady bumped into the platypus, his platypus, in a water polo trophy case on Oregon’s campus. Then it disappeared again.
Read the rest of this article HERE
You can also check out the Platypus Trophy Wikipedia page for more info.
by Travis Normand
As always, when I find something “trophy” related, I have to post it. I found this over at Get Witted Sports. Make sure you check them out (if you haven’t already).
On Thursday, members of Ohio State Buckeyes football staff posted pictures of the team’s new rings, which displays “12-0” across the face. The Buckeyes finished last season undefeated, but because of The NCAA hit Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban and additional penalties (for violations that started with eight players taking a total of $14,000 in cash and tattoos in exchange for jerseys, rings and other Buckeyes memorabilia), Ohio State was ineligible for postseason play.
Head Coach Urban Meyer rewarded the undefeated effort, mostly from players who were not involved in the scandal that led to the school’s NCAA-imposed sanctions, with a rather gaudy-looking championship ring.
“The players won the Leaders division championship of the Big Ten, so they’re going to get rings,” Meyer said during an appearance on SiriusXM College Sports Nation following the 12-0 season.
“We did a little pep rally after the season. I’m going to make…
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