Purdue Cannon
Encyclopedia
| Purdue Cannon | |
| Teams | Purdue Boilermakers Purdue Boilermakers football The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of... Illinois Fighting Illini Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51... |
| Originated | 1943 |
| Trophy Series | Purdue leads, 31-27-2 |
| Current Holder | Purdue |
The Purdue Cannon is presented to the winner of the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
-Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
football game. The cannon was conceived by Purdue students 95 years ago but was first presented as a trophy by an Illinois alumnus in 1943.
It all started in 1905 when a group of Purdue students took the weapon to Champaign in anticipation of firing it to celebrate a Boiler victory. Although Purdue did win the game 29-0, Illinois supporters, including Quincy A. Hall, had discovered the Cannon in its hiding place - in a culvert near the old Illinois field - and confiscated it before the Purdue students could start their "booming" celebration.
Later, Hall moved the Cannon to his farmhouse near Milford, Ill., where it survived a fire and gathered dust until Hall suggested it be used as a trophy in the football series between the two schools when the rivalry was resumed in 1943 after a 12-year lapse.
The Tomahawk Service and Leadership Honorary at Purdue and Illini Pride now share the maintenance duty.
Game results
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