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   from the issue of November 2, 2006

     
 
From the Archives

Bell Exchange



 


 
A bell stolen from a church in Seward has provided a 79-year tradition for Nebraska and Missouri football.

The bell, exchanged annually in the Nebraska-Missouri football game, was taken from a church in 1892 by members of Phi Delta Theta and Delta Tau Delta. The NU fraternities occupied the same house at the time.

When the two groups moved into separate houses, a dispute over who should keep the bell arose. Annual scholastic or athletic contests were held, with the bell as the winning trophy. The rivalry dwindled, but ownership of the bell was left in question.

In 1926, Chester Brewer, the Missouri athletic director, suggested an annual award be established for the Husker-Tiger football game. The bell was selected as the prize to end the conflict between the fraternities. An "N" and an "M" were engraved on opposite sides of the bell and scores from games between 1927 and 1956 were added.

Missouri won the first game in 1927, 7-6.

The bell exchange is organized by the Innocents Society (the chancellor's senior honorary at UNL) and the QEHB society at Missouri. Possession of the bell was originally granted to the winning university. However, in recent years, the bell has been rotated to the home team of the annual meeting between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Missouri.



This is a regular feature of the Scarlet. The image was provided by Alumni Association. Submit items to tfedderson2@unl.edu or call 472-8515.


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