Fremont Cannon

Fremont Cannon
Sport Football
First meeting November 22, 1969
Nevada 30, UNLV 28
Latest meeting October 3, 2015
UNLV 23, Nevada 17
Next meeting 2016
Trophy Fremont Cannon
Statistics
Meetings total 41
All-time series Nevada leads, 24–17  (.585)
Largest victory Nevada, 50–8  (1991)
Longest streak Nevada, 8  (2005–2012)
Current streak UNLV, 1  (2015)
University
of Nevada,
Reno
University
of Nevada,
Las Vegas
Locations in Nevada

The Fremont Cannon is the trophy awarded to the winner of the Battle for Nevada, an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Nevada Wolf Pack football team of the University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada) and the UNLV Rebels football team of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The trophy was built in 1970 and is a replica of a 19th-century Howitzer cannon that accompanied American explorer and politician John C. Frémont on an expedition to Nevada in the mid 19th century. Originally fired following a touchdown by the team in possession of the cannon, it has been inoperable since 1999. The wooden carriage is painted the school color of the team in possession, navy blue for Nevada or scarlet for UNLV. The trophy is the heaviest and most expensive in college football.

The first game between the teams was in 1969 with Nevada defeating UNLV. The following year the cannon was built and UNLV became the first team to win the cannon. The current holder is UNLV, following a 23–17 victory in 2015 at Mackay Stadium in Reno in front of the stadium's crowd of 29,551. Nevada has the longest win streak in the rivalry, holding the cannon for eight consecutive years.

History of the trophy

In 1967 Bill Ireland was hired by Nevada Southern University (the predecessor to UNLV) to coach their new football team,[1] and by 1969 came up with the idea to have a trophy as a symbol of the rivalry between the two schools.[2] Ireland was the first football coach of the UNLV Rebels,[3] and an alumnus and former coach of Nevada.[1] The cannon was donated by Kennecott Copper and is a replica of a howitzer cannon that explorer John C. Fremont used on an expedition in 1843, and allegedly left in a snowdrift in the Sierra Nevada mountains.[2] The cannon contains a 55 millimetres (2.2 in) barrel, weighs 545 pounds (247 kg), and cost $10,000 to build, making it the heaviest and most expensive trophy in college football.[4] The cannon is painted the winning team's color, red for UNLV,[5] and blue for Nevada.[6]

The two schools first played each other on Thanksgiving Day, 1969, the game was actually played the Saturday before Thanksgiving (Nov 22 1969) and was homecoming, with the Wolf Pack winning 30–28, however construction of the cannon had yet to be completed. The first competition for the cannon was in 1970 when the Rebels won 42–30 in Las Vegas.[4] In 1978, following Nevada's first victory over UNLV in four seasons, Chris Ault convinced security at McCarran International Airport to allow the team to disassemble the cannon and take it as carry-on luggage back to Reno.[4] The team had to figure out how to break down the cannon, a task that was usually done by the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, which UNLV did not have in 1978.

The Fremont Cannon was refurbished by the UNLV athletics department at a cost of $1,500 in 2000 following damage after a UNLV victory celebration wherein fans and players attempted to lift the cannon and dropped it.[7] Traditionally, the team possessing the cannon would fire it each time they scored a touchdown during the rivalry game;[3] however, the cannon has not been fired since the restoration due to the damage it received.[7]

History of the rivalry

John C. Frémont,
the cannon's namesake
The Fremont Cannon in 2005, painted Nevada blue

Students of Nevada's two public universities share a mutual disdain for each other, as evidenced by the numerous blue "FUNLV" (UNLV being shorthand for University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and red "FUNR" shirts (UNR being shorthand for University of Nevada, Reno) at the stadium on rivalry days. Many Nevada students hail from Las Vegas and view UNLV as a glorified community college; UNLV students see Nevada as an overrated, stodgy institution in an uncultured part of the state.[8]

In 1993 Wolf Pack coach Jeff Horton left Nevada after one season to coach for UNLV in what is referred to as the "Red Defection".[9]

The rivalry is heated inside the stadium as well. Sam Boyd Stadium and Mackay Stadium are two of the few NCAA football venues remaining to sell alcohol to all spectators of legal age on game day (many institutions either do not sell alcohol at all, or sell it only to those seated in luxury boxes). This, combined with the heated nature of the rivalry, has resulted in numerous fights in the stands. In 1995, UNLV players allegedly started a pre-game brawl, which prompted the Wolf Pack to run up the score in their 55–32 victory against UNLV. After the game, UNLV player Quincy Sanders threw his helmet in the direction of Nevada head coach Chris Ault.[10]

In 2003 a Nevada fan was charged with battery for throwing a half full plastic beer bottle at UNLV head coach John Robinson, striking him near his head.[11]

On August 18, 2010, Nevada announced that they would join the Mountain West Conference starting in either 2011 or 2012; their entry was later confirmed for 2012. Since UNLV has been in the Mountain West Conference since 1999, the annual rivalry game is once again a conference game. When the MW expanded to 12 football members in 2013 and split into divisions for that sport, both schools were placed in the West Division, assuring annual matchups for the foreseeable future. Before 2012, the last meeting of the two schools as conference rivals was in 1995, when both schools were members of the Big West Conference.[12]

Game results

██ Blue indicates Nevada victories.
██ Scarlet indicates UNLV victories.

# Season Date Location Winner Score Series
1 1969 November 22 Reno Nevada 30–28 Nevada 1–0
2 1970 November 21 Las Vegas UNLV 42–30 Tied 1–1
3 1971 November 20 Reno UNLV 27–13 UNLV 2–1
4 1972 November 18 Las Vegas Nevada 41–13 Tied 2–2
5 1973 November 17 Reno Nevada 19–3 Nevada 3–2
6 1974 November 26 Las Vegas UNLV 28–7 Tied 3–3
7 1975 November 22 Reno UNLV 45–7 UNLV 4–3
8 1976 November 20 Las Vegas UNLV 49–33 UNLV 5–3
9 1977 November 19 Reno UNLV 27–12 UNLV 6–3
10 1978 September 16 Las Vegas Nevada 23–14 UNLV 6–4
11 1979 September 15 Reno UNLV 26–21 UNLV 7–4
12 1983 September 3 Las Vegas UNLV 28–18 UNLV 8–4
13 1985 November 16 Reno Nevada 48–7 UNLV 8–5
14 1987 October 3 Las Vegas UNLV 24–19 UNLV 9–5
15 1989 November 11 Reno Nevada 45–7 UNLV 9–6
16 1990 October 20 Las Vegas Nevada 26–14 UNLV 9–7
17 1991 September 7 Reno Nevada 50–8 UNLV 9–8
18 1992 October 17 Las Vegas Nevada 14–10 Tied 9–9
19 1993 October 2 Reno Nevada 49–14 Nevada 10–9
20 1994 November 19 Las Vegas UNLV 32–27 Tied 10–10
# Season Date Location Winner Score Series
21 1995 October 28 Reno Nevada 55–32 Nevada 11–10
22 1996 October 5 Las Vegas Nevada 54–17 Nevada 12–10
23 1997 September 6 Reno Nevada 31–14 Nevada 13–10
24 1998 October 3 Las Vegas Nevada 31–20 Nevada 14–10
25 1999 October 2 Reno Nevada 26–12 Nevada 15–10
26 2000 October 7 Las Vegas UNLV 38–7 Nevada 15–11
27 2001 October 6 Reno UNLV 27–12 Nevada 15–12
28 2002 October 5 Las Vegas UNLV 21–17 Nevada 15–13
29 2003 October 4 Reno UNLV 16–12 Nevada 15–14
30 2004 October 2 Las Vegas UNLV 48–13 Tied 15–15
31 2005 September 17 Reno Nevada 22–14 Nevada 16–15
32 2006 September 30 Las Vegas Nevada 31–3 Nevada 17–15
33 2007 September 29 Reno Nevada 27–20 Nevada 18–15
34 2008 September 27 Las Vegas Nevada 49–27 Nevada 19–15
35 2009 October 3 Reno Nevada 63–28 Nevada 20–15
36 2010 October 2 Las Vegas Nevada 44–26 Nevada 21–15
37 2011 October 8 Reno Nevada 37–0 Nevada 22–15
38 2012 October 13 Las Vegas Nevada 42–37 Nevada 23–15
39 2013 October 26 Reno UNLV 27–22 Nevada 23–16
40 2014 November 29 Las Vegas Nevada 49–27 Nevada 24–16
# Season Date Location Winner Score Series
41 2015 October 3 Reno UNLV 23–17 Nevada 24–17
42 2016 TBA Las Vegas

References

  1. 1 2 "Bill Ireland, Longtime Nevada Coach, Dies in Reno". KOLO TV. Aug 1, 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  2. 1 2 Pope, Jeff (Sep 23, 2008). "For the love of the game — and the tailgate party". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  3. 1 2 Christensen, Nick (Oct 3, 2003). "Winner of rivalry nabs a unique prize". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  4. 1 2 3 Kantowski, Ron (Oct 3, 2009). "The Elevator: Fremont Cannon edition". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  5. ↑ Maxson, Matt (September 25, 2008). "Rebels ready to paint Fremont cannon red". UNLV Rebel Yell. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  6. ↑ Balagna, Jay (October 3, 2009). "Five in a row. The cannon likes Reno better anyway". The Nevada Sagebrush. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  7. 1 2 Murray, Chris (October 2, 2010). "Fremont Cannon: Rolls through history, but hard to roll". Reno-Gazette Journal. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  8. ↑ "The Fremont Canon- History of the Battle for Nevada Rivalry - Mountain West Connection". Mwcconnection.com. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  9. ↑ Hylton, Garrett (September 25, 2007). "Ault sees rivalry through knowing eyes". The Nevada Sagebrush. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  10. ↑ Anderson, Mark (October 1, 1999). "Returning Home". Reno Gazette-Journal. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  11. ↑ Sonner, Scott (October 21, 2003). "UNR fan denies hitting Robinson". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  12. ↑ "Nevada, Fresno State move to MWC". ESPN.com News Services. August 19, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-25.

External links

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