The Victory Bell is the traveling trophy that is played for every football season between Miami University and the University of Cincinnati. Even though these two college football programs are currently in different conferences they continue to play each other every season. The first game between these two Ohio schools occurred all the way back in 1888. That date makes this the current oldest out of conference rivalry game in collegiate football.
The location of the University of Cincinnati campus is quite obviously in Cincinnati, Ohio. Many people get Miami University confused with the University of Miami. The University of Miami Hurricanes wear orange and green and are scr888 malaysia based in south Florida in the city of Miami. Miami University on the other hand is located in Oxford, Ohio. The name of Miami University comes from the Miami Valley which in turn takes its name from the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio. The name of the river comes from the title of the Native American people that lived in the area during the era of European exploration.
It takes less than an hour to drive the 36 miles from the Oxford campus to the Cincinnati campus. Due to the close proximity student turn out from the visiting school is very strong for the Victory Bell game. Many students from both schools have friends that they grew up with who now attend their rival institution of higher learning.
Despite having only spent a few years in the same college football conference back in the late 1940s and early 1950s these two college football programs have played each other a staggering 114 times. The inaugural meeting that laid the groundwork for this historical rivalry occurred on a cold Ohio day back on December 8, 1888 when Miami University was the host for what has been recognized as the first college football game ever played in the state of Ohio. Fittingly for the even nature of this rivalry the final score of that first game was a tie.
The Victory Bell was a prominent feature on the Oxford campus before it was a traveling trophy. It was way back in the 1890s that the formerly functioning bell became a keepsake trophy for whichever team claimed the most recent victory. The original Victory Bell has since been turned into a permanent display in an alumni center in Oxford. A replica of the original has been used since the first version was misplaced in the 1930s.
Despite losing the last four contests Miami University still has a comfortable series lead of 59-48-7 over the University of Cincinnati. In spite of being behind in the overall standing Cincinnati can feel good about having won the last meetings between these two Ohio schools.
As previously stated these two schools are less than an hour apart and camaraderie in the area is high. It's not unusual to see a pair of friends on an area golf course with one fellow toting a University of Cincinnati golf bag.
