Trophy Exchanges

Missouri Nebraska Bell Exchange

The bell dates back to 1892, when it was taken from a church in Seward by members of Phi Delta Theta and Delta Tau Delta. At the time, the members of the two fraternities occupied the same house. When the two groups moved into separate houses, there was a dispute over who should keep the bell. Annual scholastic or athletic contests were held, with the bell being used as a trophy. This rivalry abated, yet still the ownership of the bell was left in question. In 1926, the athletic director at Missouri, Chester D. Brewer, suggested an annual award be established for the annual Missouri-Nebraska football game. The bell was selected to be the prize to end the conflict between the fraternities, and an ‘M’ and an ‘N’ were engraved on opposite sides of the bell. The exchange was coordinated by the Innocents Society and Missouri’s prestigious Q.E.B.H. Society. Missouri won the first game in 1927 7-6, and the scores from the games are engraved on the bell stand until 2010. This came to end when Nebraska moved to the Big Ten conference, ending one of the oldest traditions in college football.

Buffalo Head Exchange

In 1951, the Innocents Society organized a Buffalo Head Exchange with the University of Colorado’s Heart and Dagger Society. The Heart and Dagger Society bought the buffalo head and had it mounted for $20. The buffalo came to be known as Mr. Chip, receiving its name from an ill-fated mascot from Colorado. The winner of the annual Nebraska-Colorado football game took home Mr. Chip. The last exchange was made in the fall of 1962. Nebraska won the game, but Colorado could not produce Mr. Chip because he had been permanently misplaced during their possession of him.

The Corn Bowl

As the University moves forward into a new chapter in its history, so does the Society. The 107th class of Innocents created a new traditional trophy exchange with the President's Leadership Society at University of Iowa. The Corn Bowl was selected by popular vote of over 4000 citizens of both states and is the official trophy of the student bodies of both universities. Both Nebraska and Iowa have a base covered with plaques, which are engraved when each respective school wins the trophy. The Corn Bowl exchange also contains a service component in the form of a penny war. The school that donates the most gets to select the organization to which to proceeds are donated.