Victory Bell (Miami-Cincinnati)

The Miami-Cincinnati Victory Bell is the oldest non-conference college football rivalry in the United States. The Cincinnati Bearcats and the Miami University RedHawks square off each fall for the famed Victory Bell. The first meeting, on Dec. 8, 1888 in Oxford, was the first collegiate football game played in the state of Ohio. The original bell hung in Miami's Harrison Hall (Old Main) near the site of the first game and was used to ring in Miami victories. The traveling trophy tradition began in the 1890's when some Cincinnati fans "borrowed" the bell. The bell went to the winner of the annual game for the next 40 years until it mysteriously disappeared in the 1930's. The original bell reappeared in 1946 and is on display in the lobby of Miami's Murstein Alumni Center. The current trophy is a replica of the original bell and is kept in the possession of the winning team each year. One side of the bell is painted red and black and shows Cincinnati's victories, while the other side is red and white and shows Miami's victories.

The Miami-Cincinnati series ranks fifth on the list of most-played rivalries in college football and is the oldest rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains. Of the more than 30 rivalries that include at least 89 games, none are older than Miami vs. Cincinnati.

Logos

External links

* [http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigeast/cincinnati/opponents_records.php?teamid=1969 Cincinnati-Miami Series History]