Old Oaken Bucket

Old Oaken Bucket
Teams	Indiana Hoosiers Purdue Boilermakers
Originated	1925
Trophy Series	Purdue leads, 56-26-3
All-Time Series	Purdue leads, 70-36-6
Current Holder	Purdue
Indiana logo
Indiana (26) 1930 1934 1935 1940 1941 1942 1944 1945 1946 1947 1962 1967 1971 1976 1977 1981 1982 1987 1988 1990 1991 1993 1994 1996 2001 2007	Purdue (56) 1926 1927 1928 1929 1931 1932 1933 1937 1938 1939 1943 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1959 1960 1961 1963 1964 1965 1966 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 1975 1978 1979 1980 1983 1984 1985 1986 1989 1992 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008 2009
Ties (3) 1925 1936 1958

The Old Oaken Bucket is the name of the trophy that is annually awarded to the winner of the Big Ten Conference college football game between Indiana University and Purdue University. It is one of the oldest football trophies in the nation. It is symbolic of collegiate football supremacy between the two largest public universities in Indiana which play it at the highest level, NCAA Division I. The trophy was first awarded in 1925 and is one of the most famous football trophies.

Purdue leads the series 56 to 26 with three ties. The Boilermakers have won eleven of the last thirteen contests. Purdue won the 2009 contest 38-21.

History of the Trophy

The concept of a trophy for football games played annually between Purdue University and Indiana University was first proposed during a joint meeting of the Chicago chapters of the Indiana and Purdue alumni organizations in 1925:

“discuss the possibility of undertaking worthy joint enterprises in behalf of the two schools.”

During that meeting Indiana alumnus Dr. Clarence Jones and Purdue alumnus Russel Gray were appointed to propose a suitable trophy. At a subsequent meeting in Chicago Jones and Gray recommended some oaken bucket be that trophy and the chapters drafted the resolution that:

“an old oaken bucket as the most typical Hoosier form of trophy, that the bucket should be taken from some well in Indiana, and that a chain to be made of bronze block "I" and "P" letters should be provided for the bucket. The school winning the traditional football game each year should have possession of the "Old Oaken Bucket" until the next game and should attach the block letter representing the winning school to the bail with the score engraved on the latter link”.

Purdue alumnus Fritz Earnst and Indiana alumnus Wiley J. Huddle were appointed to find a suitable oak bucket. They found such a bucket at the then Bruner family farm between Kent and Hanover in southern Indiana.[1] Although the bucket might have been used at an open well on the Bruner family farm that had been settled during the 1840s, the Bruner family lore indicates that the bucket might have been used under General John Hunt Morgan's command during the Civil War and might have arrived at the farm after one of the Bruner men returned following completion of their military service.

In accordance with the Chicago alumni organization's resolution, the winner of the bucket gets a "P" or "I" link added to the chain of the bucket with the score, date and the city where the game was played engraved on the link. In case of a tie, an "I-P" link was added. Interestingly enough, the inaugural Old Oaken Bucket Game ended in a 0-0 deadlock on Nov. 21, 1925, in Bloomington resulting in the very first and most visible link, an "I-P" link, being added to the handle of the bucket.

The poem "The Old Oaken Bucket"

The name of the trophy refers to a sentimental poem written in 1817 by an unsuccessful printer and publisher, Samuel Woodworth (1784 – 1842) which begins:

"How dear to this heart are the scenes of my childhood,

When fond recollection presents them to view!

The orchard, the meadow, the deep-tangled wild-wood,

And every loved spot which my infancy knew!

...And e'en the rude bucket that hung in the well—

The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket,

The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well.

Although Samuel Woodworth was not from Indiana, the poem exemplifies the sentiment felt by the people of Indiana towards their home state. The poem was set to music in 1826 by G. F. Kiallmark (1804-1887)[2] and memorized or sung by generations of American schoolchildren; it made the poet's unpretentious childhood home in Scituate, Massachusetts the goal of sentimental tourists in the late 19th century.

Game results

Purdue victories are shaded in ██ black. Indiana victories are shaded in ██ crimson.

Year	Purdue		Indiana		Location	Series
1891	Purdue	60	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	1–0–0
1892	Purdue	68	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	2–0–0
1893	Purdue	64	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	3–0–0
1894	Purdue	1	Indiana	0	Bloomington, IN	PU	4–0-0
1897	Purdue	20	Indiana	6	West Lafayette, IN	PU	5–0–0
1898	Purdue	14	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	6–0–0
1899	Purdue	5	Indiana	17	West Lafayette, IN	PU	6–1–0
1900	Purdue	5	Indiana	24	West Lafayette, IN	PU	6–2–0
1901	Purdue	6	Indiana	11	Bloomington, IN	PU	6–3–0
1902	Purdue	39	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	7–3–0
1904	Purdue	27	Indiana	0	Indianapolis, IN	PU	8–3–0
1905	Purdue	11	Indiana	11	Bloomington, IN	PU	8–3–1
1908	Purdue	4	Indiana	10	West Lafayette, IN	PU	8–4–1
1909	Purdue	3	Indiana	36	Bloomington, IN	PU	8–5–1
1910	Purdue	0	Indiana	15	West Lafayette, IN	PU	8–6–1
1911	Purdue	12	Indiana	5	Bloomington, IN	PU	9–6–1
1912	Purdue	34	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	10–6–1
1913	Purdue	42	Indiana	7	Bloomington, IN	PU	11–6–1
1914	Purdue	23	Indiana	13	West Lafayette, IN	PU	12–6–1
1915	Purdue	7	Indiana	0	Bloomington, IN	PU	13–6–1
1916	Purdue	0	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	13–6–2
1917	Purdue	0	Indiana	37	Bloomington, IN	PU	13–7–2
1920	Purdue	7	Indiana	10	West Lafayette, IN	PU	13–8–2
1921	Purdue	0	Indiana	3	Bloomington, IN	PU	13–9–2
1922	Purdue	7	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	13–9–3
1923	Purdue	0	Indiana	3	Bloomington, IN	PU	13–10–3
1924	Purdue	26	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	14–10–3
1925	Purdue	0	Indiana	0	Bloomington, IN	PU	14–10–4
1926	Purdue	24	Indiana	14	West Lafayette, IN	PU	15–10–4
1927	Purdue	21	Indiana	6	Bloomington, IN	PU	16–10–4
1928	Purdue	14	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	17–10–4
1929	Purdue	32	Indiana	0	Bloomington, IN	PU	18–10–4
1930	Purdue	6	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	18–11–4
1931	Purdue	19	Indiana	0	Bloomington, IN	PU	19–11–4
1932	Purdue	25	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	20–11–4
1933	Purdue	19	Indiana	3	Bloomington, IN	PU	21–11–4
1934	Purdue	6	Indiana	17	West Lafayette, IN	PU	21–12–4
1935	Purdue	0	Indiana	7	Bloomington, IN	PU	21–13–4
1936	Purdue	20	Indiana	20	West Lafayette, IN	PU	21–13–5
1937	Purdue	13	Indiana	7	Bloomington, IN	PU	22–13–5
1938	Purdue	13	Indiana	6	West Lafayette, IN	PU	23–13–5
1939	Purdue	7	Indiana	6	Bloomington, IN	PU	24–13–5
1940	Purdue	0	Indiana	3	West Lafayette, IN	PU	24–14–5
1941	Purdue	0	Indiana	7	Bloomington, IN	PU	24–15–5
1942	Purdue	0	Indiana	20	West Lafayette, IN	PU	24–16–5
1943	Purdue	7	Indiana	0	Bloomington, IN	PU	25–16–5
1944	Purdue	6	Indiana	14	West Lafayette, IN	PU	25–17–5
1945	Purdue	0	Indiana	26	Bloomington, IN	PU	25–18–5
1946	Purdue	20	Indiana	34	West Lafayette, IN	PU	25–19–5
1947	Purdue	14	Indiana	16	Bloomington, IN	PU	25–20–5
1948	Purdue	39	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	26–20–5
1949	Purdue	14	Indiana	6	Bloomington, IN	PU	27–20–5
1950	Purdue	13	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	28–20–5
1951	Purdue	21	Indiana	13	Bloomington, IN	PU	29–20–5
1952	Purdue	21	Indiana	16	West Lafayette, IN	PU	30–20–5
1953	Purdue	30	Indiana	0	Bloomington, IN	PU	31–20–5
1954	Purdue	13	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	32–20–5
1955	Purdue	6	Indiana	4	Bloomington, IN	PU	33–20–5
1956	Purdue	39	Indiana	20	West Lafayette, IN	PU	34–20–5
1957	Purdue	35	Indiana	13	Bloomington, IN	PU	35–20–5
1958	Purdue	15	Indiana	15	West Lafayette, IN	PU	35–20–6
1959	Purdue	10	Indiana	7	Bloomington, IN	PU	36–20–6
1960	Purdue	35	Indiana	6	West Lafayette, IN	PU	37–20–6
1961	Purdue	34	Indiana	12	Bloomington, IN	PU	38–20–6
1962	Purdue	7	Indiana	12	West Lafayette, IN	PU	38–21–6
1963	Purdue	21	Indiana	15	Bloomington, IN	PU	39–21–6
1964	Purdue	28	Indiana	22	West Lafayette, IN	PU	40–21–6
1965	Purdue	26	Indiana	21	Bloomington, IN	PU	41–21–6
1966	Purdue	51	Indiana	6	West Lafayette, IN	PU	42–21–6
1967	Purdue	14	Indiana	19	Bloomington, IN	PU	42–22–6
1968	Purdue	38	Indiana	25	West Lafayette, IN	PU	43–22–6
1969	Purdue	44	Indiana	21	Bloomington, IN	PU	44–22–6
1970	Purdue	40	Indiana	0	West Lafayette, IN	PU	45–22–6
1971	Purdue	30	Indiana	38	Bloomington, IN	PU	45–23–6
1972	Purdue	42	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	46–23–6
1973	Purdue	28	Indiana	23	Bloomington, IN	PU	47–23–6
1974	Purdue	38	Indiana	17	West Lafayette, IN	PU	48–23–6
1975	Purdue	9	Indiana	7	Bloomington, IN	PU	49–23–6
1976	Purdue	14	Indiana	20	West Lafayette, IN	PU	49–24–6
1977	Purdue	10	Indiana	21	Bloomington, IN	PU	49–25–6
1978	Purdue	20	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	50–25–6
1979	Purdue	37	Indiana	21	Bloomington, IN	PU	51–25–6
1980	Purdue	24	Indiana	23	West Lafayette, IN	PU	52–25–6
1981	Purdue	17	Indiana	20	Bloomington, IN	PU	52–26–6
1982	Purdue	7	Indiana	13	West Lafayette, IN	PU	52–27–6
1983	Purdue	31	Indiana	30	Bloomington, IN	PU	53–27–6
1984	Purdue	31	Indiana	24	West Lafayette, IN	PU	54–27–6
1985	Purdue	34	Indiana	21	Bloomington, IN	PU	55–27–6
1986	Purdue	17	Indiana	15	West Lafayette, IN	PU	56–27–6
1987	Purdue	14	Indiana	35	Bloomington, IN	PU	56–28–6
1988	Purdue	7	Indiana	52	West Lafayette, IN	PU	56–29–6
1989	Purdue	15	Indiana	14	Bloomington, IN	PU	57–29–6
1990	Purdue	14	Indiana	28	West Lafayette, IN	PU	57–30–6
1991	Purdue	22	Indiana	24	Bloomington, IN	PU	57–31–6
1992	Purdue	13	Indiana	10	West Lafayette, IN	PU	58–31–6
1993	Purdue	17	Indiana	24	Bloomington, IN	PU	58–32–6
1994	Purdue	29	Indiana	33	West Lafayette, IN	PU	58–33–6
1995	Purdue	51	Indiana	14	Bloomington, IN	PU	59–33–6
1996	Purdue	16	Indiana	33	West Lafayette, IN	PU	59–34–6
1997	Purdue	56	Indiana	7	Bloomington, IN	PU	60–34–6
1998	Purdue	52	Indiana	7	West Lafayette, IN	PU	61–34–6
1999	Purdue	30	Indiana	24	Bloomington, IN	PU	62–34–6
2000	Purdue	41	Indiana	13	West Lafayette, IN	PU	63–34–6
2001	Purdue	7	Indiana	13	Bloomington, IN	PU	63–35–6
2002	Purdue	34	Indiana	10	West Lafayette, IN	PU	64–35–6
2003	Purdue	24	Indiana	16	Bloomington, IN	PU	65–35–6
2004	Purdue	63	Indiana	24	West Lafayette, IN	PU	66–35–6
2005	Purdue	41	Indiana	14	Bloomington, IN	PU	67–35–6
2006	Purdue	28	Indiana	19	West Lafayette, IN	PU	68–35–6
2007	Purdue	24	Indiana	27	Bloomington, IN	PU	68–36–6
2008	Purdue	62	Indiana	10	West Lafayette, IN	PU	69–36–6
2009	Purdue	38	Indiana	21	Bloomington, IN	PU	70–36–6
	Purdue	2432	Indiana	1498		PU	70–36–6

External links

• Indiana-Purdue Series History
• History of the Bucket (Purdue)
• History of the Bucket (Indiana) including a good photograph
• Scituate Historical Society: Old Oaken Bucket Homestead