Fremont Cannon
Encyclopedia
The Fremont Cannon is the trophy
awarded to the winner of the Battle for Nevada, a college football
rivalry
game between the University of Nevada, Reno
(Nevada) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
(UNLV). The trophy was built in 1970 and is a replica of a 19th century Howitzer
cannon that accompanied American explorer and politician John C. Frémont
on an expedition to Nevada
in the mid 19th century. Originally fired following a touchdown
by the team in possession of the cannon, it has been inoperable since 1999. The wooden carriage is painted the school color of the team in possession, blue for Nevada and red for UNLV. The trophy is the heaviest and most expensive in college football.
The first game between the teams was in 1969
with Nevada defeating UNLV. The following year the cannon was built and UNLV became the first team to win the cannon. Since then the cannon has changed hands twelve times with the current holder being Nevada, following a 37-0 victory in 2011
at Mackay Stadium
in Reno
. The 37-0 Nevada win in 2011 was the first shutout in the history of the rivalry. Nevada has held the cannon for seven years straight, following a five year reign by UNLV. Nevada has won 22 out of the 37 games played between the two teams for the cannon.
In 1967 Bill Ireland was hired by Nevada Southern University (the predecessor to UNLV) to coach their new football team, and by 1969 came up with the idea to have a trophy as a symbol of the rivalry between the two schools. Ireland was the first football coach of the UNLV Rebels, and an alumnus
and former coach of Nevada. The cannon was donated by Kennecott Copper
and is a replica of a howitzer
cannon that explorer John C. Fremont
used on an expedition in 1843, and allegedly left in a snowdrift
in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The cannon contains a 55 millimetres (2.2 in) barrel, weighs 545 lbs, and cost $10,000 to build, making it the heaviest and most expensive trophy in college football. The cannon is painted the winning team's color, red for UNLV, and blue for Nevada.
The two schools first played each other on Thanksgiving Day, 1969
, with the Wolf Pack winning 30-28, however construction of the cannon had yet to be completed. The first competition for the cannnon was in 1970
when the Rebels won 42-30 in Las Vegas
. In 1978
, following Nevada's first victory over UNLV in four seasons, Chris Ault
convinced security at McCarran International Airport
to allow the team to disassemble the cannon and take it as carry-on luggage back to Reno. The team had to figure out how to break down the cannon, a task that was usually done by the Reserve Officers' Training Corps
, which Nevada did not have in 1978.
The Fremont Cannon was refurbished by the UNLV athletics department at a cost of $1,500 in 2000
following damage after a UNLV victory celebration wherein fans and players attempted to lift the cannon and dropped it. While being refurbished, UNLV officials found inscriptions inside the cannon, including "University of Notta Lotta Victories." Traditionally, the team possessing the cannon would fire it each time they scored a touchdown
during the rivalry game; however, the cannon has not been fireable since 2000 due to the damage it received when it was dropped.
In 1993 Wolf Pack coach Jeff Horton
left Nevada after one season to coach for UNLV in what is referred to as the "Red Defection".
The rivalry is heated inside the stadium as well. Sam Boyd Stadium and Mackay Stadium are two of the few NCAA institutions to sell alcohol on game day. This, combined with the heated nature of the rivalry has resulted in numerous fights in the stands. In 1995, UNLV players allegedly started a pre-game brawl, which prompted the Wolf Pack to run up the score in their 55-32 victory against UNLV. After the game, UNLV player Quincy Sanders threw his helmet in the direction of Nevada head coach Chris Ault.
In 2003 a Nevada fan was charged with battery
for throwing a half full plastic beer
bottle at UNLV head coach John Robinson, striking him near his head.
On August 18, 2010, Nevada announced that they will join the Mountain West Conference
starting in either 2011 or 2012; their entry was later confirmed for 2012. Since UNLV has been in the Mountain West Conference since 1999, the annual rivalry game will once again be a conference game. The last meeting of the two schools as conference rivals was in 1995, when both schools were members of the Big West Conference
.
UNLV victories are shaded ██ scarlet.
Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
awarded to the winner of the Battle for Nevada, a college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
rivalry
Sports rivalry
A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
game between the University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
(Nevada) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
(UNLV). The trophy was built in 1970 and is a replica of a 19th century Howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
cannon that accompanied American explorer and politician John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
on an expedition to Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
in the mid 19th century. Originally fired following a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
by the team in possession of the cannon, it has been inoperable since 1999. The wooden carriage is painted the school color of the team in possession, blue for Nevada and red for UNLV. The trophy is the heaviest and most expensive in college football.
The first game between the teams was in 1969
1969 college football season
The 1969 college football season was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of college football. During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A"...
with Nevada defeating UNLV. The following year the cannon was built and UNLV became the first team to win the cannon. Since then the cannon has changed hands twelve times with the current holder being Nevada, following a 37-0 victory in 2011
2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season, play of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level, began on Thursday, September 1, 2011...
at Mackay Stadium
Mackay Stadium
Mackay Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in Reno, Nevada, on the campus of the University of Nevada. It is the home field of the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Western Athletic Conference, the university's venue for football and track & field....
in Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. The 37-0 Nevada win in 2011 was the first shutout in the history of the rivalry. Nevada has held the cannon for seven years straight, following a five year reign by UNLV. Nevada has won 22 out of the 37 games played between the two teams for the cannon.
History of the trophy
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
and former coach of Nevada. The cannon was donated by Kennecott Copper
Kennecott Utah Copper
Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation , a division of Rio Tinto Group, is a mining, smelting, and refining company. Its corporate headquarters are located in South Jordan, Utah, USA. Kennecott operates one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world in Bingham Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah. ...
and is a replica of a howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
cannon that explorer John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
used on an expedition in 1843, and allegedly left in a snowdrift
Snowdrift
A snowdrift is a deposit of snow sculpted by wind into a mound during a snowstorm. Snowdrifts resemble sand dunes and are formed in a similar manner, namely, by wind moving light snow and depositing it when the wind is slowed, usually against a stationary object. Snow normally crests and slopes...
in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The cannon contains a 55 millimetres (2.2 in) barrel, weighs 545 lbs, and cost $10,000 to build, making it the heaviest and most expensive trophy in college football. The cannon is painted the winning team's color, red for UNLV, and blue for Nevada.
The two schools first played each other on Thanksgiving Day, 1969
1969 in sports
1969 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall champion: Karl Schranz, Austria** Women's overall champion: Gertrud Gabl, Austria-American football:...
, with the Wolf Pack winning 30-28, however construction of the cannon had yet to be completed. The first competition for the cannnon was in 1970
1970 in sports
1970 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion – Karl Schranz, Austria** Women's overall season champion – Michèle Jacot, France-American football:...
when the Rebels won 42-30 in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. In 1978
1978 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first season of Division I-A football; Division I-A was created in 1978 from the splitting of Division I for football only. The season came down to a rare #1 vs. #2 post-season meeting as #1 Penn State and #2 Alabama met in the New Year's Day Sugar...
, following Nevada's first victory over UNLV in four seasons, Chris Ault
Chris Ault
Chris Ault is the current college football head coach of the University of Nevada Wolf Pack. Ault, along with John Gagliardi, is one of two active coaches who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame....
convinced security at McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...
to allow the team to disassemble the cannon and take it as carry-on luggage back to Reno. The team had to figure out how to break down the cannon, a task that was usually done by the Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
, which Nevada did not have in 1978.
The Fremont Cannon was refurbished by the UNLV athletics department at a cost of $1,500 in 2000
2000 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Oklahoma Sooners claiming their first national championship and their first conference championship since the departure of head coach Barry Switzer....
following damage after a UNLV victory celebration wherein fans and players attempted to lift the cannon and dropped it. While being refurbished, UNLV officials found inscriptions inside the cannon, including "University of Notta Lotta Victories." Traditionally, the team possessing the cannon would fire it each time they scored a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
during the rivalry game; however, the cannon has not been fireable since 2000 due to the damage it received when it was dropped.
History of the rivalry
Students of Nevada's two public universities share a mutual disdain for each other, as evidenced by the numerous blue "FUNLV" and red "FUNR" shirts (UNR being shorthand for University of Nevada, Reno) at the stadium on rivalry days. Many Nevada students hail from Las Vegas and view UNLV as a glorified community college; UNLV students see Nevada as an overrated, stodgy institution in an uncultured part of the state.In 1993 Wolf Pack coach Jeff Horton
Jeff Horton
-External links:*...
left Nevada after one season to coach for UNLV in what is referred to as the "Red Defection".
The rivalry is heated inside the stadium as well. Sam Boyd Stadium and Mackay Stadium are two of the few NCAA institutions to sell alcohol on game day. This, combined with the heated nature of the rivalry has resulted in numerous fights in the stands. In 1995, UNLV players allegedly started a pre-game brawl, which prompted the Wolf Pack to run up the score in their 55-32 victory against UNLV. After the game, UNLV player Quincy Sanders threw his helmet in the direction of Nevada head coach Chris Ault.
In 2003 a Nevada fan was charged with battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
for throwing a half full plastic beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
bottle at UNLV head coach John Robinson, striking him near his head.
On August 18, 2010, Nevada announced that they will join the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
starting in either 2011 or 2012; their entry was later confirmed for 2012. Since UNLV has been in the Mountain West Conference since 1999, the annual rivalry game will once again be a conference game. The last meeting of the two schools as conference rivals was in 1995, when both schools were members of the Big West Conference
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
.
Game results
Nevada victories shaded in ██ blue.UNLV victories are shaded ██ scarlet.
| # | Date | Winning team | Losing team | Series | Site | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 2011 | Nevada | 37 | UNLV | 0 | Nevada 22-15 | Reno |
| 36 | 2010 | Nevada | 44 | UNLV | 26 | Nevada 21-15 | Las Vegas |
| 35 | 2009 | Nevada | 63 | UNLV | 28 | Nevada 20-15 | Reno |
| 34 | 2008 | Nevada | 49 | UNLV | 27 | Nevada 19-15 | Las Vegas |
| 33 | 2007 | Nevada | 27 | UNLV | 20 | Nevada 18-15 | Reno |
| 32 | 2006 | Nevada | 31 | UNLV | 3 | Nevada 17-15 | Las Vegas |
| 31 | 2005 | Nevada | 22 | UNLV | 14 | Nevada 16-15 | Reno |
| 30 | 2004 | UNLV | 48 | Nevada | 13 | Tied 15-15 | Las Vegas |
| 29 | 2003 | UNLV | 16 | Nevada | 12 | Nevada 15-14 | Reno |
| 28 | 2002 | UNLV | 21 | Nevada | 17 | Nevada 15-13 | Las Vegas |
| 27 | 2001 | UNLV | 27 | Nevada | 12 | Nevada 15-12 | Reno |
| 26 | 2000 | UNLV | 38 | Nevada | 7 | Nevada 15-11 | Las Vegas |
| 25 | 1999 | Nevada | 26 | UNLV | 12 | Nevada 15-10 | Reno |
| 24 | 1998 | Nevada | 31 | UNLV | 20 | Nevada 14-10 | Las Vegas |
| 23 | 1997 | Nevada | 31 | UNLV | 14 | Nevada 13-10 | Reno |
| 22 | 1996 | Nevada | 54 | UNLV | 17 | Nevada 12-10 | Las Vegas |
| 21 | 1995 | Nevada | 55 | UNLV | 32 | Nevada 11-10 | Reno |
| 20 | 1994 | UNLV | 32 | Nevada | 27 | Tied 10-10 | Las Vegas |
| 19 | 1993 | Nevada | 49 | UNLV | 14 | Nevada 10-9 | Reno |
| 18 | 1992 | Nevada | 14 | UNLV | 10 | Tied 9-9 | Las Vegas |
| 17 | 1991 | Nevada | 50 | UNLV | 8 | UNLV 9-8 | Reno |
| 16 | 1990 | Nevada | 26 | UNLV | 14 | UNLV 9-7 | Las Vegas |
| 15 | 1989 | Nevada | 45 | UNLV | 7 | UNLV 9-6 | Reno |
| 1988 | No game | ||||||
| 14 | 1987 | UNLV | 24 | Nevada | 19 | UNLV 9-5 | Las Vegas |
| 1986 | No game | ||||||
| 13 | 1985 | Nevada | 48 | UNLV | 7 | UNLV 8-5 | Reno |
| 1984 | No game | ||||||
| 12 | 1983 | UNLV | 28 | Nevada | 18 | UNLV 8-4 | Las Vegas |
| 1982 | No game | ||||||
| 1981 | No game | ||||||
| 1980 | No game | ||||||
| 11 | 1979 | UNLV | 26 | Nevada | 21 | UNLV 7-4 | Reno |
| 10 | 1978 | Nevada | 23 | UNLV | 14 | UNLV 6-4 | Las Vegas |
| 9 | 1977 | UNLV | 27 | Nevada | 12 | UNLV 6-3 | Reno |
| 8 | 1976 | UNLV | 49 | Nevada | 33 | UNLV 5-3 | Las Vegas |
| 7 | 1975 | UNLV | 45 | Nevada | 7 | UNLV 4-3 | Reno |
| 6 | 1974 | UNLV | 28 | Nevada | 7 | Tied 3-3 | Las Vegas |
| 5 | 1973 | Nevada | 19 | UNLV | 3 | Nevada 3-2 | Reno |
| 4 | 1972 | Nevada | 41 | UNLV | 13 | Tied 2-2 | Las Vegas |
| 3 | 1971 | UNLV | 27 | Nevada | 13 | UNLV 2-1 | Reno |
| 2 | 1970 | UNLV | 42 | Nevada | 30 | Tied 1-1 | Las Vegas |
| 1 | 1969 | Nevada | 30 | UNLV | 28 | Nevada 1-0 | Reno |