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Illinois–Northwestern football rivalry
First contestedOctober 12, 1892
Illinois 16, Northwestern 16
Number of meetings111
Most recent meetingNovember 24, 2018
Northwestern 24, Illinois 16
Next meetingNovember 30, 2019
at Champaign, IL
All-time seriesIllinois leads, 55–52–5
Largest victoryIllinois, 66–0 (1894)
Longest win streakIllinois, 7 (1913–28, 1979–85)
Current streakNorthwestern, 4 (2015–present)
Illinois–Northwestern football rivalry is located in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois
Northwestern
Northwestern
Locations in Illinois

The Illinois–Northwestern football rivalry is a college football rivalry between the Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats. The Land of Lincoln Trophy is presented to the winner of the game. The teams began competing for the new prize in 2009, replacing the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk, which was used from 1945 to 2008.[1]

Traveling trophies[]

Sweet Sioux Tomahawk[]

The Sweet Sioux Tomahawk was presented to the winner of the annual football game between the two schools. The original trophy was a carved wooden "cigar store" Indian, but was stolen and replaced by a replica of a tomahawk.[2]

Northwestern won the Tomahawk first in 1945, beating Illinois 13–7 in Evanston. At the end of the 2008 football season, when the teams last played for the trophy, Illinois lead the series 52–45–5, and 33–29–2 during the era of the Tomahawk. Northwestern narrowed the series record in the trophy's final years, winning five of the last six meetings.

The 2008 game in Evanston was the final time the two teams played for the Tomahawk, which Northwestern won 27–10. The NCAA mandated that all Native American imagery deemed hostile and abusive must be removed from college athletics, including the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk. Before the game, the schools agreed that Northwestern would be the trophy's permanent resting place. If Illinois had won the game, it would have surrendered the trophy to Northwestern after the on-field celebration.

Land of Lincoln Trophy[]

Beginning in 2009, the two schools played for the Land of Lincoln Trophy. The trophy's name derives from the official state nickname of Illinois and depicts a bronze replica of a stovepipe hat famously worn by Abraham Lincoln. It was designed by Dick Tracy cartoonist Dick Locher[3] and cast by sculptor Don Reed of River's Edge Foundry, Beloit Wisconsin.

Northwestern won the trophy in its inaugural game in 2009. The 2010 contest was played at Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. It was the first football game at Wrigley Field since 1970 and the first collegiate football game at Wrigley Field since 1938.[4] The field used an east-west field configuration (home plate to right field). In order to keep the playing field at regulation size, the safety clearances for each end zone to the walls in the field were considerably less than normal. In particular, the east (right field) end zone came under scrutiny as its end zone was wedged extremely close to the right field wall (as close as one foot in some areas), forcing the goal posts to be hung from the right field wall in order to fit. Despite extra padding provided in these locations, it was decided that all offensive plays for both teams play to the west end zone, where there was more safety clearance. The east end zone could still be used on defensive touchdowns and punt returns, as well as defensive safeties; in fact, there was one interception run back for an eastbound touchdown.[5] Illinois won 48–27. Northwestern won the most recent meeting 24–16.

Since 2014, the game has become a division contest as Illinois and Northwestern are aligned into the Western division to accommodate the arrival of Maryland and Rutgers. The Big Ten announced its plans to realign its schools geographically in April 2013 in time for the 2014 football season.

Game results[]

Illinois victoriesNorthwestern victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 1892 Champaign Tie16–16
2 1893 Evanston Tie0–0
3 1894 Champaign Illinois 66–0
4 1895 Champaign Illinois 38–4
5 1896 Champaign Northwestern 10–4
6 1900 Evanston Tie0–0
7 1901 Champaign Northwestern 17–11
8 1902 Evanston Illinois 17–0
9 1903 Champaign Northwestern 12–11
10 1904 Evanston Northwestern 12–6
11 1908 Champaign Illinois 64–8
12 1909 Evanston Illinois 35–0
13 1910 Evanston Illinois 27–0
14 1911 Champaign Illinois 27–13
15 1912 Evanston Northwestern 6–0
16 1913 Champaign Illinois 37–0
17 1914 Evanston Illinois 37–0
18 1915 Champaign Illinois 36–6
19 1922 Champaign Illinois 6–3
20 1923 Chicago Illinois 29–0
21 1927 Evanston Illinois 7–6
22 1928 Champaign Illinois 6–0
23 1929 Evanston Northwestern 7–0
24 1930 Champaign Northwestern 32–0
25 1931 Evanston Northwestern 32–6
26 1932 Champaign Northwestern 26–0
27 1933 Evanston Illinois 3–0
28 1934 Evanston Illinois 14–3
29 1935 Evanston Northwestern 10–3
30 1936 Champaign #4 Northwestern 13–2
31 1937 Evanston Illinois 6–0
32 1938 Champaign #18 Northwestern 13–0
33 1939 Evanston Northwestern 13–0
34 1940 Evanston #10 Northwestern 32–14
35 1941 Evanston #10 Northwestern 27–0
36 1942 Evanston #20 Illinois 14–7
37 1943 Evanston #9 Northwestern 53–6
38 1944 Evanston Illinois 25–6
39 1945 Evanston Northwestern 13–7
40 1946 Evanston #5 Illinois 20–0
41 1947 Champaign Northwestern 28–13
42 1948 Evanston #7 Northwestern 20–0
43 1949 Champaign Northwestern 9–7
44 1950 Evanston Northwestern 14–7
45 1951 Evanston #6 Illinois 3–0
46 1952 Champaign Northwestern 28–26
47 1953 Evanston #7 Illinois 39–14
48 1954 Champaign Northwestern 20–7
49 1955 Evanston Tie7–7
50 1956 Evanston Northwestern 14–13
51 1957 Champaign Illinois 27–0
52 1958 Champaign Illinois 27–20
53 1959 Champaign Illinois 28–0
54 1960 Evanston Northwestern 14–7
55 1961 Champaign Northwestern 28–7
56 1962 Evanston Northwestern 45–0
57 1963 Champaign Illinois 10–9
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
58 1964 Evanston #3 Illinois 17–6
59 1965 Evanston Illinois 20–6
60 1966 Evanston Northwestern 35–7
61 1967 Evanston Illinois 27–21
62 1968 Champaign Illinois 14–0
63 1969 Champaign Northwestern 10–6
64 1970 Evanston Northwestern 48–0
65 1971 Champaign Illinois 24–7
66 1972 Evanston Illinois 43–13
67 1973 Evanston Northwestern 9–6
68 1974 Champaign Illinois 28–14
69 1975 Evanston Illinois 28–7
70 1976 Champaign Illinois 48–6
71 1977 Evanston Northwestern 28–6
72 1978 Champaign Tie0–0
73 1979 Evanston Illinois 29–13
74 1980 Champaign Illinois 35–9
75 1981 Evanston Illinois 49–12
76 1982 Champaign Illinois 49–13
77 1983 Evanston #4 Illinois 56–24
78 1984 Champaign Illinois 24–16
79 1985 Evanston Illinois 45–20
80 1986 Champaign Northwestern 23–18
81 1987 Evanston Northwestern 28–10
82 1988 Champaign Illinois 28–13
83 1989 Evanston #11 Illinois 63–14
84 1990 Champaign #22 Illinois 28–23
85 1991 Evanston Northwestern 17–11
86 1992 Champaign Northwestern 27–26
87 1993 Champaign Illinois 20–13
88 1994 Evanston Illinois 28–7
89 1995 Champaign #8 Northwestern 17–14
90 1996 Evanston #11 Northwestern 27–24
91 1997 Champaign Northwestern 34–21
92 1998 Evanston Illinois 13–10
93 1999 Champaign Illinois 29–7
94 2000 Evanston #23 Northwestern 61–23
95 2001 Champaign #10 Illinois 34–28
96 2002 Evanston Illinois 31–24
97 2003 Champaign Northwestern 37–20
98 2004 Evanston Northwestern 28–21
99 2005 Champaign Northwestern 38–21
100 2006 Evanston Northwestern 27–16
101 2007 Champaign #20 Illinois 41–22
102 2008 Evanston Northwestern 27–10
103 2009 Champaign Northwestern 21–16
104 2010 Chicago Illinois 48–27
105 2011 Champaign #24 Illinois 38–35
106 2012 Evanston Northwestern 50–14
107 2013 Champaign Northwestern 37–34
108 2014 Evanston Illinois 47–33
109 2015 Chicago #17 Northwestern 24–14
110 2016 Evanston Northwestern 42–21
111 2017 Champaign #22 Northwestern 42–7
112 2018 Evanston #19 Northwestern 24–16
Series: Illinois leads 55–52–5[6]

See also[]

References[]

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