Maryland Railroad Lantern

Maryland Railroad Lantern
Teams	McDaniel Green Terror Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
Originated	2009
Trophy Series	Johns Hopkins leads, 1-0
Current Holder	Johns Hopkins
McDaniel (0)	Johns Hopkins (1) 2009

The Maryland Railroad Lantern is an authentic metal railroad lantern with four lens made by the Adlake company of Chicago circa 1907 and used as a trophy that is awarded to the winner of each college football game between Division III schools McDaniel College and Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins University football team is currently in possession of the trophy.

It is one of the youngest rivalry trophies, yet one of the oldest rivalry games in American college football. This trend of honoring long-time rivals with newly created trophies can be seen in another famous rivalry. Many historians and the NCAA state that the oldest rivalry with a trophy is between what is now Arizona and Arizona State, the Territorial Cup did not start changing hands until 2001, as it was a one-time award after their first series in 1899.^[1]

History

The Maryland Railroad Lantern rivalry trophy was created after McDaniel graduate school alumnus Vincent Chesney wanted to honor the long standing rivalry between McDaniel College and Johns Hopkins University. When Vincent's brother, Bobby Chesney, became Hopkins' defensive coordinator and eventually the associate head coach, Vincent was even more inclined to honor the connection between these two schools. Chesney began researching the histories of both Maryland institutions for a shared link. He found the link in the railroad industry. The lantern was natural choice to symbolize railroads as both school's mottos reference giving light.

McDaniel College takes its motto from the biblical verse spoken by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John verse 12:46 and preached on by Paul the Apostle in verse 4:6 of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians and by Saint Peter in his First Epistle of Peter verse 2:9, "E Tenebris in Lucem Voco" (Latin: I call you out of darkness into light). Johns Hopkins University also speaks to truth as light from verse 8:32 of the Gospel of John, Veritas vos Liberabit (Latin: The truth will set you free). In this regard, the lantern serves not only as a sports trophy but also commemorates the pursuit of scholarship.

2009 game

On November 14, 2009 Johns Hopkins traveled to Westminster, Maryland home of McDaniel College for the 88th meeting between the two schools in a rivalry that dates back to 1894. The game was also the 1,000 game in McDaniel football history.^[2] The game also was the first time two coaches in the state of Maryland played against each other with 100 victories at their respective schools. McDaniel's Tim Keating had 103 wins at McDaniel and Hopkin's Jim Margraff had 126 victories at the start of the game.^[3] Johns Hopkins also secured the Centennial Conference title with the 38-14 victory.

References

1. ^ Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2007. http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/football/football_records_book/2007/2007_d1_football_records_book.pdf. 
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ [2]