The Illinois–Purdue football rivalry is an American
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
rivalry
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
between the
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini football program represents the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. The Fighting Illini are a founding member of ...
team of the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
and
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team represents Purdue University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. Purdue plays its home games at Ross–Ade Stadium on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. ...
team of
Purdue University
Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...
. The Purdue Cannon is presented to the winner of the game. Purdue leads the series 48–46–6.
History
It all started in 1905 when a group of Purdue students took the Cannon to Champaign in anticipation of firing it to celebrate a Boilermaker victory. Although Purdue won 29–0, Illinois supporters, including Quincy A. Hall, discovered it in a culvert by the field and took it before the Purdue students could start their "booming" celebration.
Hall later moved it to his farmhouse near Milford, Illinois, where it survived a fire and gathered dust until he suggested it be used as a trophy in the football series between the two schools when the rivalry resumed in 1943 after an 11-year lapse. It was presented at halftime to the schools' athletic directors,
Doug Mills and
Guy Mackey. Before the Cannon became an annual tradition, Illinois led the series 15–8–2.
The cannon is now maintained by the Tomahawk Service and Leadership Honorary at Purdue and Illini Pride.
[ Official Purdue Athletics Website - Traditions]
Game results
See also
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List of NCAA college football rivalry games
This is a list of List of sports rivalries, rivalry games in college football. The list also shows any trophy awarded to the winner of the rivalry between the teams.
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
...
*
List of most-played college football series in NCAA Division I
This is a list of the most-played college football College rivalry, series in NCAA Division I. The The Rivalry (Lafayette–Lehigh), Lafayette–Lehigh rivalry, known as "The Rivalry," is the most-played in Division I at 159 games. Lehigh and Lafa ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Illinois-Purdue football rivalry
College football rivalries in the United States
Illinois Fighting Illini football
Purdue Boilermakers football
Big Ten Conference rivalries