After the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ 24-17 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers last week, you may have noticed the absence of the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy — the infamous rivalry trophy created by Goldy Gopher, Faux Pelini, and the Internet.
It’s because the trophy never existed, according to an official at Minnesota.
“It was just a social media thing. There never was a trophy to begin with,” University of Minnesota official said.
93.7 The Ticket in Lincoln is reporting that both athletic departments are disavowing the rivalry trophy altogether, even going so far as to pretend it never existed. The station evidently reached out to officials from both universities and received the same response in regards to status of the Broken Chair: “What trophy?”
.@SBNationCFB it's good to be back in Lincoln with some new furniture.#GBR pic.twitter.com/dp1404olic
— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) October 18, 2015
Upon hearing this news, you’re probably fearful that the Broken Chair is being wiped from existence in favor of a corporate-sponsored trophy, but that is not apparently the case either. The two universities are just fun haters, I guess.
So will there even be some sort of rivalry trophy going forward between the schools[?]
“No, that will not happen,” Minnesota official said.
As the product of a Twitter exchange between a school mascot and a parody account for a fired coach, the prospect of the Broken Chair being officially embraced by both universities was admittedly dubious, at best. Fans from both teams have certainly taken to it -- just ask our Big Ten brethren over at Corn Nation.
Last season in Minneapolis, it was Minnesota punter Peter Mortell and Nebraska punter Sam Foltz who ensured the trophy passed hands after the game, but Mortell has since graduated and Foltz died tragically in a car accident during the offseason. And current players for both teams don’t seem to have taken up the mantle.
What a shame.
If this is the end of the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy, it is a sad and unceremonious death unbefitting of a trophy beloved by so many college football fans.
Click here for the full story from 93.7 The Ticket.
If you’d like to save the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy, there is a petition you can sign to show your support: https://www.change.org/p/university-of-minnesota-save-the-5-bits-of-broken-chair-trophy.