The Tale of the Tape
Teams: Illinois vs. Purdue
Total Meetings: 102
First Meeting: November 22, 1890
All-Time Series: Purdue leads 49-47-6
The Tale of the Trophy
Sometimes simply known as “The Cannon”, it was officially introduced in 1943, but its story begins decades before. Prior to the 1905 matchup between these two schools, some Purdue students reportedly brought a rather small cannon with them to the University of Illinois campus. Their plan was to light it up after the game to celebrate what they were sure was going to be a Purdue victory. However, this now legendary cannon was not to be fired that day or anytime during that era. A popular story holds that the Boilermaker students had to hide it in a drainage culvert before gametime to avoid it being detected. This plan backfired when a group of UI pupils found the cannon and kept it for themselves.
Speed up to the year 1943 and, 38 years later the cannon reemerged. A University of Illinois student named Quincy Hall reportedly discovered it in close proximity to the old football field on campus. Mr. Hall, along with a large contingent from both schools, decided that the small weapon should be donated to commemorate the football rivalry. So, beginning that year, the “Purdue Cannon” began to be awarded to the winner of the annual contest. When Purdue wins, the trophy is held by the Tomahawk Service and Leadership Honorary. When the team from Champaign is victorious, it goes into the possession of the Illini Pride of Illinois group. While the cannon used to actually be able to fire ammunition, it has not been physically functional since 2001. Currently, the Purdue-Illinois rivalry is among one of the closest all-time series in modern college football.
