Platypus Trophy

Platypus Trophy

Teams	Oregon Ducks Oregon State Beavers
Awarded to	Winner of the Civil War
Originated	1959
Restored	2007
Not awarded	1962–2006 (lost)
Other uses	Water Polo Civil War trophy, 1964–1968
Current Holder	Oregon State Beavers


Oregon (9) 1960^[1]^[2] 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015	Oregon State (4) 1959 1961 2007 2016

The Platypus Trophy is a trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Civil War college football game between the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. The trophy depicts a platypus, an animal which has features of both a duck (Oregon's mascot) and a beaver (Oregon State's mascot). For three years, from 1959 to 1961, the trophy was awarded to the winning school. The trophy was lost for more than 40 years before being rediscovered in 2005 and proposed as the game's unofficial trophy in 2007. It is currently awarded to the alumni association of the winning school.

History

In 1959, University of Oregon director of public service Willard Thompson selected art student Warren Spady to create a trophy depicting a platypus to be presented to the winner of the upcoming Civil War. A platypus was chosen as the subject because with its duck-like bill and beaver-like tail, it resembles a combination of each school's mascot. Spady had only a month before the game to complete the trophy, which is carved from maple and measures 2 feet (0.61 m) wide and 18 inches (46 cm) tall. He submitted it unfinished, having not quite completed sculpting the feet.^[2]

Oregon was heavily favored in the 1959 game, but Oregon State won 15-7 and took home the trophy, which they displayed in a case at Gill Coliseum. During that year, Oregon students apparently stole the trophy, and kept it after the 1960 Civil War ended in a 14-14 tie. In 1961, Oregon State won 6-2 and Oregon returned the trophy to Oregon State immediately following the game.^[2]

Theft and disappearance

Following the 1961 game, the trophy was stolen several more times and was eventually forgotten as the football game's trophy. In 1986, artist Spady, now an art teacher in Eugene, spotted the trophy in a case at Oregon's Leighton Pool. It had apparently been reappropriated as a trophy for the schools' water polo Civil War, and was affixed with a brass plaque commemorating four consecutive Oregon water polo victories from 1964 to 1968.^[2] Spady was unable to convince anyone to reacquire the trophy for use in the football game, and in 2000, the pool and its trophy cases were demolished as part of a renovation project.^[3]

Reappearance

In 2004, with the trophy long forgotten, Oregonian sportswriter John Canzano wrote a column lamenting the fact that uniquely unlike other college rivalry games, the Civil War had no trophy.^[4] Spady contacted Canzano and informed him of the existence of the Platypus Trophy, and a follow-up Canzano column ignited a search for the missing trophy.^[5] Led by Dan Williams, a UO administrator who had been the student body president who handed the trophy over to his OSU counterpart in 1961, the trophy was rediscovered in 2005 in a closet at the University of Oregon's McArthur Court.^[6]

After obtaining Spady's signature on the work, Williams returned the trophy to the Oregon Alumni Association so it could resume its role as a game trophy. However, despite initial interest from the schools' athletic directors to start awarding the trophy again, after viewing the abstract piece, they declined to do so. Instead, beginning with the 2007 Civil War, the trophy was presented to the winning school's alumni association.^[3] Oregon State was the first recipient of the restored trophy after defeating Oregon 38-31 in overtime.^[7]

References

↑ Tie game, but Oregon took possession of the trophy.
1 2 3 4 Baker, Mark (November 28, 2007). "Trophy fits the bill". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
1 2 Canzano, John (November 28, 2007). "Platypus trophy just doesn't get much respect". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
↑ Canzano, John (November 20, 2004). "To the victor needs to go some spoil". The Oregonian.
↑ Canzano, John (November 24, 2004). "Civil War has trophy after all...or does it?". The Oregonian.
↑ Canzano, John (March 25, 2005). "Old Platypus Trophy newly found at last". The Oregonian.
↑ "The Passing of the Platypus Trophy". University of Oregon Alumni Association. April 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010.

Oregon Ducks football

Venues	Athletic Field (1894) Stewart's Field (1894) Kincaid Field (1895–1918) Hayward Field (1919–1966) Multnomah Stadium (alternate, before 1967) Autzen Stadium (1967–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Oregon State: Civil War (Platypus Trophy) Washington

Culture & lore	The Oregon Duck "Mighty Oregon" Marching band Green Garter Band "The Toilet Bowl" "O" (gesture)

People	Head coaches Quarterbacks Statistical leaders All-Americans NFL draftees

Seasons	1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Oregon State Beavers football

Venues	Bell Field (1909–1952) Reser Stadium (1953–present) Multnomah Stadium (alternate)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Oregon: Civil War (Platypus Trophy)

Culture & lore	History Benny Beaver "Hail to Old OSU" Marching band Pyramid Play "The Toilet Bowl" 1985 Washington game

People	Head coaches Notable players NFL draftees Statistical leaders

Seasons	1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Pac-12 football rivalries

Conference	Apple Cup (Washington–Washington State) Arizona–Arizona State Big Game (California–Stanford) California–UCLA Civil War (Oregon–Oregon State) Oregon–Washington Rumble in the Rockies (Colorado–Utah) Stanford–USC UCLA–USC

Non-conference	Arizona–New Mexico Battle of the Brothers (Utah–Utah State) Battle of the Palouse (Idaho–Washington State) Beehive Boot (BYU–Utah–Utah State) Bill Walsh Legacy Game (San Jose State–Stanford) Colorado–Nebraska Holy War (Utah–BYU) New Mexico–Utah Notre Dame–USC Notre Dame–Stanford Rocky Mountain Showdown (Colorado–Colorado State)

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