Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy

The Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy is the award given to the winner of regular season basketball games between the University of Dayton and Xavier University.

Origin of Competition

The first meeting between the two Catholic universities was a 24-18 victory by Dayton on February 20, 1920. [1] The two schools have maintained an annual meeting since then, frequently meeting twice in one season. The series has been interrupted four times, most recently from 1943-45 due to World War II. Xavier held a commanding early lead in the series until Dayton won 61 of the next 74 games beginning in 1950. The rivalry between the two schools took on added significance beginning in the 1988-89 season when Dayton joined Xavier in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) and again in the 1995-96 season when Dayton and Xavier joined the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dayton has not won against Xavier in Cincinnati since January 10th, 1981, a streak that extends to 26 games. Through the 2010-11 season, Dayton leads the all-time series 81-69. The longest streak in the Atlantic 10 belongs to both Xavier and Dayton for 150 meetings between the two.

The Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy

In the 1980-81 season, the two schools began playing for the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy during regular season meetings. Named for former Dayton coach Tom Blackburn and former Xavier coach James McCafferty[2], the award commemorates the two men responsible for raising the national profile of their respective basketball programs. The winner retains possession of the trophy until the next meeting. Since the inception of the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy, Xavier leads 33-18 in the regular season meetings. Along with the trophy, a MVP is named for the game and scholarship money is raised for each university[3].

Game Most Valuable Players

Jan 10, 1981 Mike Kanieski, Dayton
Feb 22, 1981 Mike Kanieski, Dayton
Dec 12, 1981 Kevin Conrad, Dayton
Dec 11, 1982 Roosevelt Chapman, Dayton
Feb 29, 1984 Victor Fleming, Xavier
Mar 3, 1985 Anthony Grant, Dayton
Feb 25, 1986 Walt McBride, Xavier
Dec 27, 1986 Anthony Corbitt, Dayton
Feb 27, 1988 Stan Kimbrough, Xavier
Feb 4, 1989 Stan Kimbrough, Xavier
Mar 4, 1989 Noland Robinson, Dayton
Feb 3, 1990 Jamal Walker, Xavier
Mar 3, 1990 Negele Knight, Dayton
Feb 17, 1991 Chip Jones, Dayton
Mar 2, 1991 Jamal Walker, Xavier
Jan 21, 1992 Aaron Williams, Xavier
Feb 29, 1992 Jamie Gladden, Xavier
Jan 16, 1993 Brian Grant, Xavier
Feb 13, 1993 Mark Poynter, Xavier
Jan 12, 1994 Steve Gentry, Xavier
Jan 29, 1994 Jeff Massey, Xavier
Dec 19, 1994 Larry Sykes, Xavier
Jan 27, 1996 Rodney Horton, Dayton
Feb 20, 1996 Gary Lumpkin, Xavier
Jan 7, 1997 Darnell Hoskins, Dayton
Feb 12, 1997 Torraye Braggs, Xavier
Jan 24, 1998 Ryan Perryman, Dayton
Mar 1, 1998 Torraye Braggs, Xavier
Jan 30, 1999 Coby Turner, Dayton
Feb 24, 1999 Lenny Brown, Xavier
Jan 11, 2000 David Morris, Dayton
Feb 2, 2000 Alvin Brown, Xavier
Jan 30, 2001 David West, Xavier
Mar 4, 2001 Yuanta Holland, Dayton
Jan 5, 2002 Romain Sato, Xavier
Jan 26, 2002 Lionel Chalmers, Xavier
Feb 8, 2003 David West, Xavier
Feb 22, 2003 David West, Xavier
Jan 31, 2004 Ramod Marshall, Dayton
Feb 21, 2004 Lionel Chalmers, Xavier
Feb 19, 2005 Marques Bennett, Dayton
Mar 5, 2005 Will Caudle, Xavier
Jan 28, 2006 Brian Thornton, Xavier
Feb 21, 2006 Norman Plummer, Dayton
Jan 27, 2007 Justin Doellman, Xavier
Feb 24, 2007 Drew Lavender, Xavier
Jan 24, 2008 Stanley Burrell, Xavier
Feb 24, 2008 Josh Duncan, Xavier
Feb 11, 2009 Chris Wright, Dayton
Mar 5, 2009 Dante' Jackson, Xavier
Jan 15, 2010 Jordan Crawford, Xavier
Feb 6, 2010 Chris Wright, Dayton
Jan 15, 2011 Tu Holloway, Xavier
Feb 27, 2011 Tu Holloway, Xavier