Victory Bell (Cincinnati–Miami)
| Victory Bell | |
 Logo of the 111th Battle of the Bell | |
| Teams | Cincinnati Bearcats Miami Redhawks |
| Originated | 1888 |
| Trophy Series | Miami leads, 59-48-7 |
| Longest UC Win Streak | 5 (1897-1900) |
| Longest MU Win Streak | 5 (1913-1917, 1971-1975) |
| Current Holder | Cincinnati |
| Cincinnati logo | Miami logo |
| Cincinnati (48) 1894 1897 1897 1898 1899 1900 1904 1909 1910 1911 1920 1923 1924 1930 1931 1934 1935 1939 1940 1941 1942 1946 1949 1951 1952 1953 1958 1959 1964 1968 1970 1976 1980 1982 1986 1987 1988 1989 1993 1996 1997 1999 2000 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 |
Miami (59) 1889 1893 1893 1895 1896 1903 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1919 1921 1922 1925 1927 1928 1929 1932 1933 1937 1938 1945 1947 1948 1950 1954 1955 1956 1957 1960 1961 1962 1963 1965 1966 1967 1969 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1977 1978 1979 1981 1983 1984 1985 1990 1991 1992 1995 1998 2001 2002 2003 2005 |
| Ties (7) | |
|---|---|
| 1888 1906 1912 1918 1926 1936 1994 | |
The Miami-Cincinnati Victory Bell is the oldest current non-conference college football rivalry in the United States (though the teams were conference rivals for a few years in the late 40s-early 50s). The Cincinnati Bearcats and the Miami University RedHawks square off each fall for the famed Victory Bell. The first meeting, on Dec. 8, 1888 in Oxford, was the first collegiate football game played in the state of Ohio. The original bell hung in Miami's Harrison Hall (Old Main) near the site of the first game 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.
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.
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