Yankee In Exile

Basic Information 

Rivalry: Arizona vs. Arizona State. 

First Meeting: November 30, 1899 

All-Time Series Record: Arizona leads 52-45-1

Rivalry Trophy: Territorial Cup 

These are the mundane statistics that one can easily find on wikipedia while searching for information about the rivalry that is also referred to as “The Duel in the Desert.” The yearly contest is not just a significant part of the culture at both schools, but also is a premier event in the state of Arizona as a whole. However, as with most exciting things in life, the figures that are listed fall extremely short of telling the complete story of a rivalry that has survived for 127 years. Indeed, the Wildcats and Sun Devils have withstood college name changes, student protests, changing conferences, and voter referendums. Perhaps most memorably, though, these sides have played on for many decades in spite of the disappearance of the original symbol of the game itself. This is the story of Arizona and Arizona State. 

The First Game 

These two sides met for the first time in 1899 when Arizona State was still known as “Arizona Normal School.” Unlike many other rivalries in which traveling rewards were introduced years later, the Territorial Cup trophy was commissioned in celebration of this very first meeting, making it the oldest known trophy in college football. The silver plate over base metal trophy was made all the way across the country by the Reed and Barton Company in Taunton, MA. The reason why the award has its name is because on the date of their original meeting, Arizona had not yet been made a state and continued to be a territory until the year 1912. This first encounter took place on Thanksgiving Day (back when Thanksgiving could legally fall on the fifth Thursday of November) and a post-game feast that involved both teams followed its conclusion. However, somewhere between the post-game meal and the celebration, something strange happened. The Territorial Cup went missing! Yes, that’s right. The trophy was only presented one time (to Arizona State) and then was lost. Regardless of any efforts to retrieve this cup, its location remained unknown and the two colleges continued to play on and off over the years minus the prize that had graced that initial event. 

Proposition 200 

However, the cup being lost didn’t exactly cool off the intensity of this rivalry. Beginning in 1946, Arizona and Arizona State played each other every year, usually in the season’s final game. The story behind the 1958 game was especially notable. It was around this time that Arizona State College wanted to become a full fledged university. Many people in Tucson didn’t agree with this though, as they wanted UA to be the state’s only university. Chief among these detractors were some wildcat faculty, staff, and students. Proposition 200 on the state ballot that November was dedicated to solving this issue and allowed citizens of the state to decide for themselves. According to legend, just before election day, some Arizona students broke into Sun Devil Stadium and reportedly burned the phrase “No on 200” into the field grass. In spite of the opposition from ASU’s rivals to the southeast, the ballot passed by a landslide and, in due course, Arizona State became one of the largest universities in the country. Oh, and the Sun Devils also won that year’s game 47-6 for good measure. 

Other Memorable Duels in the Desert

The 1958 contest was far from the only matchup that has defined this rivalry over the years. Most fans in south central Arizona know that when these two schools get together, it is a recipe for high pressure games and memorable moments. Beginning in 1963, a few years after “Proposition 200”, the newly named Arizona State University began a stretch in which they won 14 of the next 16 meetings, including a nine game winning streak from 1965 to 1973. Then, in 1975, “Sparky” used a spectacular diving catch and a 1-yard QB sneak to come from behind and beat their rivals on the way to a perfect 12-0 season. Arizona, however, has had their fair share of huge wins in these meetings too. These triumphs include the 1982 clash in which they denied ASU a trip to the Rose Bowl with a 28-18 victory. In fact, that game started a nine year wildcat run of victories that saw them deny ASU another trip to the Rose Bowl in 1985 by coming back from a ten point fourth quarter deficit. ‘Zona also ruined the Sun Devils’ chance at the AP No. 1 ranking by beating them in the final game of the 1986 season. This in state feud has produced scores as low as 7-6 (1992) and as high as 50-42 (1998). There have been many, many more classic fixtures in this storied rivalry, however, let’s now take some time to check back in on the piece of silverware that the decades forgot. 

A Curious Thing Happened in 1980 

By this point, the burning question that must be on your mind is: What about our beloved, lost Territorial Cup? Was it ever found? Incredibly, the answer to that question is yes. Around 1980, the cup was finally rediscovered after eight decades. Different accounts of the trophy’s finding yield multiple stories. Some say it was found in the basement of a Tempe church. Other versions claim it was spotted in the downstairs of the Arizona State Alumni Association. Whichever report you believe, it will probably never be known if any one individual stole the trophy or if it simply was disregarded due to negligence. Stunningly, at the time of resurfacing, both universities decided not to revive it as a traveling trophy. There simply seemed to be no interest in competing for it in those days. Instead, it was displayed in the ASU archives for the next 20 years, reduced to nothing but a relic of the very first meeting between the two schools from the Grand Canyon State. 

The Territorial Cup…..Back Again! (Well, sort of)

In 2001, though, after 102 years, the two schools decided that it was finally time for the Territorial Cup to be awarded to the winner again. This resolution began when the University of Arizona called ASU wanting to borrow the trophy to display on their campus (the trophy had never physically been on their property in its over a century existence). Following some intense (maybe) negotiations, an agreement was made for the two longtime foes to put the cup up for grabs again. Not all is as it seems, though. Since then, the trophy that one might see the players of the winning team celebrate with on the field is not the original cup. Instead, the real 1899 Territorial Cup is celebrated (and passed from school to school if need be) at a pre-game party between boosters from both universities. 

The Territorial Cup Rivalry in Modern Times

If you are a college football fan in 2026, you know that many rivalry traditions that defined the sport have gone the way of the dinosaurs. This is thanks to an absurd amount of conference realignment, scheduling conflicts, and misplaced ego among schools. We’ve lost classic clashes such as Notre Dame and Michigan, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, and Penn State-Pittsburgh. In the past few months alone, it has also been announced that Oregon will no longer play Oregon State, SMU and TCU won’t meet and, one of my personal favorites, Notre Dame and USC will likewise be dormant for the foreseeable future. 

So, it would be completely understandable to fear for the future of the Territorial Cup. In fact, with the dissolution of the old Pac-12 (Pac-10?), some thought that Arizona and Arizona State may go their own ways and join separate conferences. However, thankfully for the many fans of this rivalry, they both agreed to join the new-look Big 12 in 2024. So, it seems as though the most important matchup for both schools, the rivalry that has gone beyond football, and the most ancient trophy in the sport are safe going forward. There are thousands of football fans in Arizona that are truly appreciative of this fact.