Hey, Joe, Find the Cannon

[carney2Participant]

Back in the days when Lafayette, Lehigh and Rutgers were known as the Middle Three (Harvard, Yale and Princeton were the Big Three and Williams, Amherst and, I think, Wesleyan were the Little Three) we played for a trophy called The Little Brass Cannon. News articles indicate that it was originally contributed Rutgers by a former Rutgers football coach and a former Rutgers cheerleader in 1931. It entered the three cornered rivalry as the annual prize in 1940. The Middle Three rivalry ended in 1975 with Lehigh winning the Cannon. No one has seen or heard of it since, and it assumed to rest in a crypt under Grace Hall or Packard Lab next to Asa Packer’s last rocking chair.

How about if some of you loyal ‘neers rattle Joe Sterrett’s cage and have him begin a search for The Little Brass Cannon. We can then assume that Rutgers is no longer interested (Help me out here, lawyers. We must be able to invoke some sort of statue of limitations thingie to bilk them out of their share.) and make it the trademark trophy that the Leopards and ChickenSquawks tussle for on the last Saturday before Thanksgiving each year.

[HistorianParticipant]

Sterrett was the quarterback on that 1975 team that "retired" the trophy. However, Lehigh did play Rutgers a couple of more years (Lafayette – Rutgers ended in 1975) and Rutgers won in ’76 and ’77. Thus, Rutgers may have the Cannon.

[bogus megapardusParticipant]

It appears that Rutgers does not have the cannon. They think Lehigh has it and they want it back.

http://blog.upstreamredteam.com/2009/08/why-not-big-apple-cup.html

Lafayette won the first cannon and Lehigh won the last. As best as I can tell, Rutgers is not entitled to it.

[bogus megapardusParticipant]

LFN – "Source" at ScarletNation seems to know a bit about the cannon and the Middle Three from the Rutgers side. As long as you’re investigating . . . . .

[engineer91Participant]

Anyone know if the that little brass cannon had any markings on it labeling it as "The Little Brass Cannon"?

Lehigh had switched to a larger (physical size, I think it still fired the same size cartridge blank) about 5 years ago. The canon at that time looked very similar to the Little Brass Cannon from one picture that I have seen but there are no markings on it.

[carney2Participant]

"engineer91" wrote: Anyone know if the that little brass cannon had any markings on it labeling it as "The Little Brass Cannon"?

Lehigh had switched to a larger (physical size, I think it still fired the same size cartridge blank) about 5 years ago. The canon at that time looked very similar to the Little Brass Cannon from one picture that I have seen but there are no markings on it.

Good points. We need to find THE Cannon, not A cannon.

[bogus megapardusParticipant]

Possibly "Source" at ScarletNation would have a photo and/or could describe any markings, engravings, etc.

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