Trophy for the Mississippi River Cup
Several weeks ago I suggested to the powers that be at both the National Sports Center and AC St. Louis that we create a new trophy to be held by the overall winner of the series between AC St. Louis and NSC Minnesota, both new teams in the USSF 2nd Division. The concept being that we are both located on the Mississippi River. The idea went over well with both parties.
I envision this trophy to be much like the University of Minnesota’s football trophy’s they share with several colleges in the Big Ten, like: “The Little Brown Jug” (Michigan), “Paul Bunyun’s Ax” (Wisconsin) or “Floyd (the Pig) of Rosedale” Iowa. This would also be in keeping with the “Rocky Mountain Cup” which is a trophy for the winner of the season series between ReaL Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids of MLS which has grown to see its own logo and website.
A very funny aside: Back in 2005 when the Minnesota Thunder convincingly beat both Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids in US Open Cup 
play, members of the Dark Cloud supporters group laid claim to the Rock Mountain Cup on the Wikipedia page which was not taken kindly to by supporters of either MLS club. It was of course done as a joke and was written with tongue-in-cheek, but it seems our MLS brothers and sisters just didn’t see the humor and it was removed within hours. A cheap replica of the Rock Mountain Cup can be found at every Dark Cloud pregame tailgate and is used to collect money for food and drink that is shared by the Dark Clouds to anyone who wishes to join them in pregame festivities. So in a sense, the Rocky Mountain Cup lives on in the hearts of many supporters.
So now I need your help. We need to come up with a creative trophy to pass between AC St. Louis and NSC Minnesota. I would think this should be called the Mississippi River Cup but then again if it’s not a cup lets call it whatever it ends up being.
So my question to you is: What should the trophy be and what should it be called?
Suggestions so far have been a canoe paddle and a life ring.
Comments are closed.
Great idea.
I am preparing for my mind to be blown with the fan created logos/names for the competition.
How about something related to beer? MN does have some fine breweries (and had some fine breweries in the past), and St. Louis has the alleged “King of Beers” in their back yard.
I think a bronzed Paddle Boat or a Huckleberry Finn-type raft would be great.
Unfortunately a little too close to “The Little Brown Jug” and not brewed on the Mississippi, but in-line with Soccer Boy’s thoughts:
Mississippi Mud
I like the name as BQ stated: Mississippi River Cup. Again, call it what it is … who knows there may be other teams that participate in the future.
Other examples of fan created cup competitions: Southern Derby; Cascadia Cup; Rocky Mountain Cup.
Question is where to get a nice big piece of silver hardware to use, and how do we, the fans pay for it. No need to get the clubs front offices involved, this is by the fans, for the clubs/players.
I look foward to creating a new rivalry with the St. Louis team, and meeting more friends in futbol. It’s only a ten hour, 600 mile drive.
Paddleboat is something that did come to mind.
We will have to wait for the schedule to be released today or tomorrow, but a trip to see MN play St. Louis and then if the schedule works out and trip to watch the Wizards play might work out pretty well.
By the way, a little sneak preview here for anyone paying attention, from what I’m hearing, MN will be grouped with travel partners (meaning 4 games, 2 home 2 away) with St. Louis, Vancouver and Portland.
So we will have two chances to plan trips to St. Louis.
I agree with Parkview_Josh.
You can go with a Sounding Line for the trophy. It’s kind of obscure and stupid, but it fits with the river theme, and would be easy to carry around.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sounding_line
http://www.navyandmarine.org/planspatterns/soundingline.htm
I like the other suggestions as well.
Ya, know I kind of like that sounding line idea. They used to use that along the river for years before depth finders and the Corps of Engineers would dredge the river. It would be sort of cool if the rope was wound up in a loop with the attached items on the rope. Not a bad idea. It’s unique and its very much associated with the river. This could definitely be constructed by some of your very talented supporters.
“On the Mississippi River in the 1850s, the leadsmen also used old-fashioned words for some of the numbers; for example instead of “two” they would say “twain”. Thus when there were only two fathoms left under the boat they would call “by the mark twain!”. The American writer Mark Twain, a former river pilot, likely took his pen name from this cry.”
So could we call it the Mark Twain Trophy?
The only other St. Louis/Minnesota conenction I can think of is the “Avenue of the Saints”. (I hadn’t heard of it either until a couple years ago.)
Playing on the saints thing, they could play for a big St. Christopher medal or statue as he is the patron saint of athletes.
STL used to have a college rivalry that featured an annual Bronze Boot game between SLU and SIU-Edwardsville, both former D1 National Champions. SIU-Edwardsville became a D2 program until last year when they once again entered the D1 sphere.
There are many folks who would love to see that rivalry renewed. A double-header featuring the college game and the pro game would be an automatic sell out and earn AC STL much fan support if they helped revive the college event.
SLU is actively looking for a new coach while SIU-Edwardsville (which will play in the Missouri Valley Conference against Creighton, Evansville and Missouri State among others) is helmed by Kevin Kalish, who also heads Boys Youth Development for St Louis Scott Gallagher. Gallagher’s USSF Academy program is aligned with AC St Louis.
The timing is right to renew this rivalry which paired with a Bronze Boot match between NSC and AC STL would be a definite winner!
How about the Saints Cup (or Saints Trophy) for St. Paul and St. Louis. Yes, I know all the “Minneapolis” fans might be a little too cool for St. Paul, and that NSC is technically in Blaine. Just another thought to make it more “family” oriented.
Mpls St Paul is the Twin Cities, St Louis is the Gateway to the west. How about the Twin Gate Cup!!
River City Cup
or
Cup of the River Cities
Mississippi River Cup is very good: simple, straight forward, meaningful.
Maybe some kind of old school-paddle boat trophy?
I should say steam powered paddle wheel boat…
You guys know what I mean…
Great idea for a new rivalry.
My first thought (and before I’d read previous replies), was something referring to Mark Twain, and/or the steamboat era. Something like Twain Cup would be one way to go. Or for a non-cup trophy item, how about a pilot wheel?
A pilot wheel is another great idea.
FYI, the Brimstone Cup was one of the first of these: http://www.brimstonecup.com/ Started back when it was the Burn and Fire.
Love it. More trophies the better, I say! And y’all are coming up with some good ideas. Just don’t forget to include New Orleans and Memphis when they join the league;)
Use a big ol’ anchor… a silver one at that and then tie nice ribbons on for each year’s winner, blue for MN, Green for St. Louis
Otherwise a gold plated Asian Carp?
Awesome idea. I’m really excited for St. Louis to be a part of this league, and am really hoping to road trip down there for one of the games.
As somebody up there mentioned, I honestly really like the idea of beer. With the Happy Gnome being a big part of the Thunder now, and a wealth of good local breweries in both cities (not to mention Anheuser-Busch), that is what soccer is all about! Although I don’t know what the actual trophy would be. A glass boot?
But if this has to be more family friendly, how about a model of an old Mississippi River Boat?
how many paddle boats make it up and down the river these days?
the trophy needs to be a bronze barge!
i forget, is blaine on the mississippi?
A log
How about an old jar of river water.
A Baby Ruth bar floating in an old jar of river water
S said: “How about an old jar of river water.”
I love this!!!!!!! We have to make sure it smells bad too!
or
How about a canoe paddle all painted up nice and pretty with both logos – one on each side – and the winner every season gets to put the date on their “side”
How about a glowing catfish with 3 eyes?
I’m not a huge fan of rivalry trophies, but if you’re going to do one, it should be done by the supporters, not the club. Some club coordination is always good, but for the most part, the fans should be making this happen.
As for a name, “(blank) of the Saints” seems like a good title to me, given the Avenue of the Saints that runs between the two areas: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_of_the_Saints (Yeah, I know; it’s named for St. Paul, not Blaine. Still, I like it. I can’t even count how often I’ve driven the route.)
Maybe something involving a star, given the MN team name and the old St. Louis Stars of the original NASL. “Star of the Saints” kinda has a nice ring to it.
“it should be done by the supporters, not the club”
Which is why you are finding this information here KJ.
Rockin’.
Big River Cup – named after the Johnny Cash song.
I like Erik’s idea for an anchor for a trophy.
By the way, I have this vision of a miniature section of wrought iron fence with two “ornaments” (I don’t have a better term) on it: a star and a fleur-de-lis. Put it on a trophy base (like Floyd of Rosedale) and I think it could be a winner.
Can’t imagine. Sketch?
I just don’t want it to be a traditional cup. I would love for it to
be something unique that has more character. I’m thinking a poll on
IMS.
Here’s the ones I have liked so far.
-The leading line if it was created like the link that was given and you and wound it up. Could look cool.
-Canoe paddle with each teams logo painted on is and the winner and date gets put on at the end of the season. (a bit traditional so don’t like this one quite as much)
- A tradition captains wheel which could be painted up with the team logos and same set up as paddle.
-(Leaning towards this one) A cool piece of driftwood from the river that is smallish but log shaped and thick. Again, logos and winners painted on it and it could have a niche carved out in it for a sealed jar of river water from the ole Miss. We could get St. Louis to send some up from there and we could ad our own so it was a mixture. Sort of like “The Ashes” but then again nothing at all like the ashes.
Still waiting on KJ’s sketch.
Very quick and dirty sketch here: http://www.m9d.net/cc/saints-trophy.jpg
Though, you could also just chop this off to about a foot high and mount it on a similar base: http://www.art-and-home.net/servlet/the-3082/Wrought-Iron-Star-Finial/Detail
I like the idea of a log.
What about a Flour Barrel?
Back in the day Mpls and St. Louis were the two major US flour producers. And a bit of trivia…when the producers in MPLS came across a barrel of low quality flour they would mark the side “Produced in St. Louis”.
Maybe too obscure.
But the anticipation of a legit soccer rivalry is tasty.
On an unrelated note…what is the word on the MN Kings? is that gonna happen? Will there be a good-hearted rivalry with the Twin Stars?
Big River Cup is an awesome name and a cool tribute to Mr. Cash
if nothing else, we should sing that song at all AC St. Louis NSC Minnesota games
I’m thinking we should combine the best trophy ideas: A log with an anchor stuck in that is attached to a paddle with an Asian carp jumping over it being pulled by a steamboat
“A log with an anchor stuck in that is attached to a paddle with an Asian carp jumping over it being pulled by a steamboat”
Oh my! Sounds as if it would have to be delivered in a 18 wheeler.
I don’t get it, what does the 18 wheeler have to do with NSC Minnesota and AC St. Louis?
Erik, you forgot one…Flour Barrel. It has true relevance.