Battle for the Palladium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Battle for the Palladium is an annual college football game between the Troy University Trojans and the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders. The schools first played in 1936; the trophy and named rivalry were introduced prior to the 2004 meeting, which was the first between the two teams as members of the Sun Belt Conference.
The trophy was created as part of a joint project between the student government associations at the two universities and goes to the winner of the annual football game.
Greek Mythology holds that The Palladium is a wooden statue that fell from the Heavens. It was kept at the Temple of Athena in the city of Troy. According to legend, as long as The Palladium was preserved within the walls of the city, Troy would be safe and could not be taken. However,a "Raider" by the name of Odysseus—also known as the Raider of Cities—stole The Palladium during the Trojan War leading to the fall of Troy.
In the spirit of the Blue Raiders and Trojans Greek mythology link, Middle Tennessee and Troy compete in The Battle for the Palladium during their annual Sun Belt Conference game.
[edit] The games
| Year | Winner | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Troy | 37–17 | Troy |
| 2005 | MTSU | 17–7 | Troy |
| 2006 | Troy | 21–20 | MTSU |
The history between the two schools dates back to 1936; however, the two programs competed in different conferences and, at times, different divisions, resulting in a sporadic series history. On the eve of a non-conference match-up in 2001, a minor altercation between the two teams occurred when they both ended up at the same movie theater.
When Troy joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2004, the Battle for the Palladium was born as the rivalry between the two schools continued to escalate. Games in the Battle have been held at the schools' home stadiums. The Trojans lead the Palladium series 2–1. However, the Blue Raiders own an 11–3 overall advantage in all football games played between the schools.
The 70th anniversary of the first meeting was likely the most important to date for both schools. On November 25, 2006, Troy beat Middle Tennessee 21–20 in a de facto Sun Belt championship game. With the win, Troy also secured a berth in the New Orleans Bowl.
[edit] References
- ^ Football History. GoBlueRaiders.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
