Arizona State Territorial Cup

Territorial Cup

What is the Territorial Cup?

The heated in-state rivalry between ASU and the University of Arizona football is highlighted yearly during the Territorial Cup, the oldest trophy awarded in the sport. Also known as the Duel in the Desert, this rivalry is a major cultural event in Arizona, with fans, alumni and students deeply invested in the outcome. The rivalry extends beyond football into other sports, but football remains the biggest showdown.

Did you know?

  • The Territorial Cup was first awarded in 1899 in the Arizona Territory, nearly 13 years before Arizona became a state in 1912.
  • The Arizona Normal School (now ASU) won the first-ever Territorial Cup game on November 30, 1899, defeating the University of Arizona 11-2 in Tucson.
  • The two teams have met every year since 1946 and it is often considered the most crucial game of the season for both schools.
  • After disappearing for decades, the original trophy was found in the ASU Alumni Association’s basement in 1980. The NCAA later recognized it as the oldest rivalry trophy in college football.
1899 football team players with territorial cup
The 1899 Arizona Territorial Normal School football team claimed the original Territorial Cup by winning the Arizona Territorial Football League Championship after a season of three games

A deeper dive into Territorial Cup history and rivalry

The rivalry between the Arizona schools dates back to when Arizona was still a U.S. territory. In the early days, resentment grew between the cities of Phoenix and Tucson. The University of Arizona was founded in 1885 as the state’s first university. That same year, Tempe Normal School was established as a small teachers' college in the farming community of Tempe, just east of Phoenix. Over the years, it evolved into Arizona State Teacher’s College, then Arizona State College at Tempe and eventually Arizona State University.

The 1958 ASU Football team took the Territorial Cup game easily with a 47-0 defeat of Arizona.
The 1958 ASU Football team took the Territorial Cup game easily with a 47-0 defeat of Arizona.

Early football history

The football rivalry between the two schools spans more than century. In 1899, the Arizona Territorial Normal School football team claimed the original Territorial Cup by winning the Arizona Territorial Football League Championship after a season of three games. The Normals, as they were then known, were undefeated, beating:

  • Phoenix Union High School (6–0)

  • Phoenix Indian School (6–0)
  • University of Arizona (11–2)

The first "Big Game" against the University of Arizona took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 30, 1899, at Carillo Gardens Field in Tucson, drawing a vocal crowd of 300 fans. Newspaper accounts suggest it was the University team's first game. The Normal team was reported to be physically larger and better conditioned. The atmosphere was one of genuine sportsmanship. University students met the Normal squad at the train station, hosted them in a dormitory, and offered a post-game Thanksgiving feast.

The 1950s

The rivalry, however, takes a less friendly turn at a pivotal moment in the 1950s. At the time, Arizona State College was pushing to become Arizona State University, a change that seemed inevitable given Phoenix’s rapid growth. But the University of Arizona, which had been the state’s only university for decades, strongly opposed it. 

In 1958, Proposition 200 appeared on the ballot to officially change ASC’s name to ASU. On the day of the first game at Sun Devil Stadium, some UA fans broke in and burned “No on 200” into the grass, marking the turning point. 

Proposition 200 passed easily, and later that season ASU went down to Tucson and crushed UA 47–0. While other events have added fuel to the fire over the years, that moment set the tone for the bitterness that’s defined the rivalry ever since.

The ‘Ultimatum Bowl’

Another notably heated game came in 1968. The contest was expected to decide which team would go on to the Sun Bowl, but before the game, Arizona coach Darrell Mudra issued an ultimatum to the Sun Bowl committee that his team would not play in the bowl unless they were selected regardless of who won. 

The committee chose Arizona, who promptly lost to Arizona State by a score of 30-7 in what became known as the "Ultimatum Bowl." The events led to the creation of the Fiesta Bowl as a default bowl for Arizona State should they receive no other bids. The Fiesta Bowl went on to become part of the highly lucrative Bowl Championship Series and is now part of the College Football Playoff system. 

In the modern era of the game, the Territorial Cup has often been played on the day after Thanksgiving. Starting with the 2009-2010 school year, State Farm became the presenting sponsor for the State Farm Territorial Cup Series. This series encompasses each of the 20 varsity intercollegiate sports that Arizona and Arizona State compete head to head in. 

Each sport is worth one point in the year-long competition. The school that wins the most head to head competitions is awarded the new Territorial Cup Series Trophy. 

The trophy goes missing

The Territorial Cup stands out not only as the oldest existing rivalry trophy in the country, but also because of its unusual history. The trophy soon disappeared after its inaugural season — and remained missing for nearly 80 years. 

It was eventually discovered in the early 1980s in the basement of a church. Once found, the cup was put on display in the Alumni Association headquarters and then the ASU Archives. It was later authenticated as the original cup by the NCAA, making it the oldest rivalry game trophy in college football. 

In 2000, Arizona contacted Arizona State about displaying the cup on their campus. The following year, then ASU President Lattie Coor ordered that the Territorial Cup be shared as a traveling trophy, to be displayed by each year's winner. Coor and then UA President Peter Likins signed a protocol governing the cup's use and care. Each year the tradition is celebrated at a pre-game reception for boosters. A replica version was also made and is the trophy presented to the winner after the game. 

Remarkably, it wasn’t officially presented to the winner of the rivalry game until 2001. That journey adds a unique layer to its legacy, not just because of its age, but because of the unexpected path it took to become a symbol of the rivalry.

About the trophy

The original Territorial Cup is silver-plated over a britannia base metal, manufactured by Reed and Barton of Taunton, Massachusetts. Priced at $20 in their 1910 catalog (about $440 in 2007 dollars), the inscription reads:

“Arizona Foot League Championship 1899 Normal”

*Historical data courtesy of University Archives, ASU Libraries.

Territorial Cup scoring

Arizona State University and University of Arizona sports teams compete against one another in 19 common varsity intercollegiate sports during the academic year. For a school to be the winner of the Territorial Cup series trophy, it must accumulate 11 points.

  • Each sport will be worth one point.

  • The point is awarded to the team that wins a season series.
    • If the teams play once in a given season (football), that game counts as one point.
    • For baseball and softball, all regular-season games, including the non-conference games, count towards the season series tally.
    • For cross country, golf, and track and field only, one point is awarded to whichever team finishes higher in the conference Championship.
  • If teams split the regular season match-ups, then each team receives a half-point for that sport.
  • In the event of a tie, the following tie-breaker will be used: the university with the higher finish in the Directors' Cup Standings.
    • In the event of a tie after the Directors' Cup standings are used the TCS will end in a tie.

Territorial Cup year-by-year scoring

 

2024-25: Territorial Cup heads back to Tuscon

See Territorial Cup scorings

2022-23 season: Territorial Cup goes to Tuscon

2018-19 season: Sun Devils capture 2018-19 Territorial Cup Series

2018-19 Territorial Cup® Standings

2018-19 Territorial cup series

2017-18 season: Arizona tops ASU 11-10 in Rivalry Series