Here's the trophy Purdue football and Illinois play for
Purdue football and Illinois football play for the Cannon Trophy, which started with a bit of mischief from some Purdue students who got outfoxed by Illinois faithful.
Purdue students took a cannon to Illinois for the 1905 game, planning to fire it after a Boilermakers win. Purdue won 29-0, but the cannon was missing. An Illinois student found the hidden cannon and moved it.
The cannon remained unused until 1943, when that former Illinois student, Quincy Hall, donated it to symbolize the rivalry.
1st and 10: Purdue football vs. Illinois storylines, team leaders, betting odds
The cannon was last fired in 2001 after an Illinois win, and the schools share maintenance. Now a replica cannon goes to the winner each year.
The Boilermakers have won 6 of the past 7 meetings, including a 31-24 win in Champaign in 2022, and own a 47-45-6 edge. The teams meet Sept. 30, 2023, in West Lafayette.
Unofficially, the series has been called the Beef House rivalry. The Beef House, a Covington, Indiana, steak restaurant popular with both schools' sports teams, is roughly midway between the teams' stadiums (47.4 miles from Purdue's Ross-Ade and 43.9 miles from Illinois' Memorial Stadium).
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football vs. Illinois in Cannon Trophy rivalry
