More Than 'The Cup', Reivers Playing for Conference Title; Perfection

Council Bluffs, Iowa

'Paul Bunyan's Axe', 'Floyd of Rosedale', the 'Apple Cup', the '$5 Bits of Broken Chair' Trophy.  The list goes on and on when it comes to traveling trophies in College Football.  For Iowa Central and Iowa Western Football, it's simply 'The Cup'.

From 2009-2019, 'The Cup' was known as 'The Kinney Cup' and was a nod to the two colleges being helmed by the father-son duo of Dr. Dan Kinney in Council Bluffs and Dr. Daniel Kinney in Ft. Dodge.

The two teams first played for the traveling trophy on September 5th, 2009 when the Tritons helped the Reivers start their inaugural season of football at Council Bluffs Stadium.  ICCC left town with the win and the trophy as IWCC watched the visitors collect the hardware on the home sideline after the game.

"Shoot, that first Thanksgiving was almost unbearable," said President Emeritus, Dr. Dan Kinney with a smile, in reference to the 'wager' he and his son placed on the games first two meetings, "I made up for it the next year though."  The wager?  Who did the dishes after Thanksgiving dinner, although it only lasted for the first two meetings and the father wouldn't have had to do the son's dishes over the course of the next nine seasons of Reiver football.

The Reivers won the next meeting in 2010 to take back the Cup and held it every subsequent year until the Tritons kept hold of the newly renovated version in 2019 with a win in Ft. Dodge.  From there, both the physical cup and the name changed.

"We decided that whoever took over in Ft. Dodge, didn't need our family name attached to the trophy anymore, but it was important to keep the tradition," said current IWCC President, Dr. Daniel Kinney.  "So much of College Football is the pageantry and the traditions and I just felt that it should continue."

So that's what the schools decided to do, the Reivers won the newly branded version in April during the second meeting of the Spring and Dr. Daniel presented Dr. Dan with the old cup to place in a prominent spot in the Kinney household.

"Scott (Strohmeier) and Young Dan thought it should be in my man cave, but I gave it to Scott to keep in the trophy case." Said Dr. Dan Kinney, "It is more about the history of the football program than about an old college President."

While Head Coach Scott Strohmeier's program went quickly from trying to win a conference title to trying to play for a National Title, winning the Iowa crown is the first on a yearly list of goals for each Reiver squad and winning The Cup is part of the list.

"Our goals on the field are to finish each week undefeated, win the conference championship and of course a National Title each and every season," said Head Coach Scott Strohmeier.  "Winning the Cup is important, not only for our players, but for the school.  We want it displayed in Council Bluffs so that when people walk into the Athletic Performance Center, it's one of the first things they see."

IWCC owns a 13-2 advantage over ICCC since the two schools started playing against each other, but The Cup adds another level to the rivalry, regardless of how well one team or the other is playing in a given season.

"We haven't had many down years, but I know that when we have, playing for it (The Cup) has given us that added incentive to get the win." said Strohmeier, adding, "It's definitely on the minds of the players as they're getting ready for the game, they don't want to be the squad that allows it to leave campus or not ride on the bus back home."

This year, 'The Cup' just adds a bit more to another Top 10 match-up, the 4th consecutive time the two teams have met up with both ranked among the nation's elite.  Overall, it's the fifth consecutive time both teams have been ranked in the Top 20.  Iowa Western, passed up yet again in the polls by a team behind them the previous week, apparently has more to prove.  A win over sixth ranked Iowa Central would presumably do that.  IWCC already owns wins at the previously #8 Tritons in week two and at #1 Snow in week five of the season.  Three top-ten victories isn't something any pollster could turn their nose up at and winning 'The Cup' would be icing on the cake for the Reivers with three games remaining in the regular season, a loss however would not only spoil any potential playoff hopes, but would add salt in a fresh wound if 'The Cup' leaves as well.

Game time for the 13th edition of 'The Cup' is set for 2:30 from Lewis Central High School with the game seen and heard on the Reiver Sports Network.  The pregame can be heard on Iowa Western's 100,000 watt FM station, 89.7 the River.  Jake Ryan and Russ Nelsen will have the call for the game as IWCC and ICCC will battle for 'The Cup' for the 13th time overall and for just the second time under its new identity.  Reivers Volleyball will be honored at halftime for their National Championship and the game has been designated as the annual 'Pinkout' game and Down Syndrome Awareness day.  Fans are encouraged to wear pink, blue and yellow to support these causes.

Follow the team on Twitter or Facebook for live updates and information from the game.