Tickets || e–Newsletter || July 4, 2008
Traditions
 

Victory Bell

Miami and the University of Cincinnati square off each fall for the famed Victory Bell. The original bell hung in Miami's Harrison Hall (Old Main) near the site of the first football game in 1888 and was used to ring in Miami victories. The traveling trophy tradition began in the 1890's when some Cincinnati fans "borrowed" the bell. The bell went to the winner of the annual game for the next 40 years until it mysteriously disappeared in the 1930's. The original bell reappeared in 1946 and is on display in the lobby of Miami's Murstein Alumni Center. The current trophy is a replica of the original bell and is kept in the possession of the winning team each year. One side of the bell is painted red and black and shows Cincinnati's victories, while the other side is red and white and shows Miami's victories. Miami leads the series 55-42-7 and has won six of the last 10 games.

The Miami-Cincinnati series ranks fifth on the list of most-played rivalries in college football and is the oldest rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains. Of the more than 30 rivalries that include at least 89 games, none are older than Miami vs. Cincinnati. Below are the top 10 most-played rivalries in Division 1-A:

GamesOpponentsBegun
109Minnesota-Wisconsin1890
108Missouri-Kansas1891
106Nebraska-Kansas1892
106Texas-Texas A&M1894
104MIAMI-CINCINNATI1888
104North Carolina-Virginia1892
103Auburn-Georgia1892
103Oregon-Oregon State1894
102Purdue-Indiana1891
102Stanford-California1892