Welcome to the final installment of Spring Position Battles, we are looking at the often over looked battle at the kick and punt return positions. Middle of the pack teams like the Indiana Hoosiers need every advantage they can get and a lot of the time that comes via very good special teams. Some of IU’s most memorable wins have come because of a kickoff return for a score. Lance Bennett sparked the Hoosiers’ upset of Oregon on the road in 2004 with a long kickoff return touchdown and Marcus Thigpen initiated come backs in 2006 against Illinois and Ball State with big plays on special teams. Under head coach Kevin Wilson the Hoosiers have had their share of explosive special teamers with Shane Wynn and Tevin Coleman, but in 2014 it was an area that was lacking.

Most Indiana fans are intimately familiar with one of the trophy games that the Hoosiers play for. That is the Old Oaken Bucket which is a staple in Hoosier culture and has been contested by Indiana and Purdue dating back to 1925. However, there is a second trophy game that practically nobody, outside of a select few, truly know about.

That trophy is the Old Brass Spittoon and has been awarded to the winner of the Indiana-Michigan State football game. While the series dates back to 1922, the first time the trophy was up for grabs was in 1950. The trophy has a rather unusual story to say the very least. It is so unique and obscure that it actually was named in a Sports Illustrated for Kids article that listed college football’s most unusual trophies.

The Huddle

Spring Position Battles: Kickoff Return

The Old Brass Spittoon: An Unknown Rivalry Game

Hoosier Huddle