Victory Bell (Carolina-Duke)

The "Victory Bell" is the traveling trophy given to the winner of the annual football game between the Duke and North Carolina . Following their win after overtime in the 2007 game, North Carolina lead the series 39-20 with one game tied.

History

Two cheerleaders, Loring Jones of Duke and Norman Spear of North Carolina, were influential in the concept of the Victory Bell. Jones designed the model and Spear obtained the Bell from an old railroad train. North Carolina won possession of the first ever Victory Bell game with a 20-0 victory at Kenan Memorial Stadium in 1948.

Traditions

It has been a tradition as of late for the winner to spray paint the platform of the trophy to match their school colors. After losing the Victory Bell in 2003, North Carolina came back the next year and beat Duke 40-17 in Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium. After the conclusion of the game, North Carolina football players immediately spraypainted the base of the bell Carolina Blue, leaving large amounts of light blue residue on the track of the stadium. Whenever North Carolina has been in possession of the Victory Bell, cheerleaders wheel it out while ringing the bell at the same time the live ram mascot, Rameses, is brought out onto the field. The bell is also displayed in front of the students section.

Results

Prior to 1948, the teams met 34 times, with a record 16-15-3 in favor of North Carolina, including a forfeit of an 1889 game by Trinity College.

References

* [http://www.dukechronicle.com The Chronicle]
* [http://www.dailytarheel.com The Daily Tar Heel]
* [http://www.newsobserver.com The News & Observer]