Snowy Woods

[Late Fires]

As a man who appreciates the fine traditions of mighty Big Ten football, you might like this anecdote from Lloyd's press conference on the history of the Little Brown Jug.

"You remember Tommy Roberts. He was the manager in 1903. Coach [Fielding] Yost, when they got up there, with good cause, he did not trust Minnesota would provide good, clean drinking water. He sent Tommy Roberts out to buy a jug. The Michigan team drank water from that jug. Whether or not they had cups, I do not know.

"After the game, it was very unfair that Minnesota fans rushed the field before the game was over, or we all know Michigan would have won that game. Instead it ended in a 6-6 tie. In their rush to leave and get back on the train, they let the jug there. When they got back to Ann Arbor, Coach Yost, a very frugal man, realized the jug - they hadn't brought it back. He didn't call or leave a text message. He wrote a letter. He asked them to return the jug. Of course, they said if you want it, come and play for it.

"That's how today we happen 104 years later, and we're still playing for the coveted jug … the oldest trophy in college football. It has a great tradition and great meaning here. When you lose it, it's a miserable experience. When you win it, you get to keep that jug where it belongs. I mean, we bought that jug."