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An image of the territorial cup between the University of Arizona and ASU.

The Territorial Cup

The symbol of our (mostly friendly) football rivalry with Arizona State University is the oldest of its kind in college football, dating back to 1899.

A historic photograph of the first University of Arizona men's football team practicing in the grass. Old Main is visible in the background.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1899, the University of Arizona football team played the Normal School of Arizona, which later became ASU. U of A’s team was, at the time, ten days old. The Normal School won, receiving a silver-plated cup inscribed with “Arizona Football League Championship 1899 Normal” — henceforth, the Territorial Cup.

A historic photo of the first-ever University of Arizona football team posting for a team photo. Their jerseys all have the "A" on the front.

The cup — named for the fact that Arizona was still a territory when it was made — went into a long and mysterious period of hiding, eventually turning up in the vault of a church next to the ASU campus in Tempe, and authenticated by the NCAA. It has been passed back and forth to the winner of the game since 2001, when the rivalry was made official.

A present-day photo of two University of Arizona football players holding the territorial cup and celebrating in Casino Del Sol Stadium.

It goes by many names — the Battle of Arizona, the Grand Canyon Rivalry, the Desert Wars, the Cactus War, the Duel in the Desert — but one thing is certain: Either the U of A or ASU will win.

TRADITIONS

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