Apple Cup
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox sports rivalry
The Apple Cup is an American college football rivalry game between the University of Washington Huskies and Washington State University Cougars, the two largest universities in the state of Washington. Both were members of the Pac-12 Conference until 2024.
First played in 1900, Template:Years or months ago,<ref name=atasea>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=psclmld>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=fmretn>Template:Cite news</ref> the matchup was traditionally the final game of the regular season for both teams and generally took place on the Saturday preceding Thanksgiving. With the NCAA's extension of the regular season to twelve games in 2006, the game is often played at a later date. From 2011 to 2023, it was most commonly held on the Friday after Thanksgiving.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As a non-conference game for the first time in 63 years, the 2024 edition was played early in the season, on September 14 at Lumen Field in Seattle.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Since 1946, the game has been held in odd years in Seattle at Husky Stadium (except 2011 and 2024, both at Lumen Field), while Washington State has hosted during even years at Rogers Field (1946, 1948, 1954) and Martin Stadium (since 1982) in Pullman, and Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. The games in eastern Washington from 1935 to 1948, all in Pullman, were held in mid-October. The exception was in 1945, when two games were played: the first in Seattle in mid-October, and the second in Pullman in late November.<ref name=imgapt>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=mbidfrb>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=tfremip>Template:Cite news</ref> Starting in 2024, Seattle is scheduled to host in even years and Pullman in odd years.
First awarded in 1963,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Apple Cup Trophy is presented to the winner by the state's governor at the conclusion of the game.
Series historyEdit
The teams played for the Governor's Trophy starting in 1934.<ref name="1934GovernorsTrophy">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="GovernorsTrophy2007">Template:Cite news</ref> This bronze shield was made by sculptor Dudley Pratt and donated and awarded by Governor Clarence D. Martin, an alumnus of the University of Washington and the namesake of Pullman's Martin Stadium.<ref name="1934GovernorsTrophy"/><ref name="GovernorsTrophy2007"/> The winners for the years 1934–1939 are etched on the shield.<ref name="GovernorsTrophy2007"/> The trophy was awarded until at least 1946.<ref name="1942GovernorsTrophy">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="1946Program">Template:Cite book</ref> Template:OSM Location map
In 1963 the Big Apple Trophy was donated to the competition by the Washington Apple Commission,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> emblematic of Washington's national reputation as a major producer of apples. This award was colloquially referred to as the Apple Cup, <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which later came to metonymically refer to the game itself. In 1989 the apple was recognized as Washington's state fruit<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> during the state's centennial celebration.
When the college football regular season was lengthened from eleven to twelve games in 2006, there was a movement to change the date of the game from the Saturday before Thanksgiving to the weekend following, which would have allowed a bye week for both teams during the season. In 2006, both teams played twelve straight weeks without a bye, leaving the two teams noticeably fatigued. The 2007 game was played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the first time; but the 2008 game was returned to the Saturday before the holiday.
The media joked that the 2008 game won by the Cougars in Pullman was the "Crapple Cup" and "full of worms," because Template:Nowrap hosted winless Template:Nowrap.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The game returned to the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2009 in Seattle. The 2011 game in Seattle was moved to CenturyLink Field to allow an early start on the renovation of Husky Stadium.
From 1950 through 1980 (except for 1954),<ref name=uwsgotff>Template:Cite news</ref> the WSU home games in the series were played in Spokane at Joe Albi Stadium (Memorial Stadium until 1962). The Cougars won three of these fifteen games (1958, 1968, 1972). In 1910, the WSU home game in Spokane was played at Recreation Park (Template:Coord).
The first game in 1900 resulted in a 5–5 tie. The series has been played continuously since 1945, when there were two games, one in Seattle and one in Pullman. The 2020 game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Washington State did not have enough eligible scholarship players available.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Game resultsEdit
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Overtime was introduced for Division I-A (FBS) in 1996 and has been used four times in the Apple Cup, all in Pullman.
Each team has two overtime victories: UW in 1996 and 2002, WSU in 2008 and 2012.
- OT → Overtime (1996, 2012)
- 2OT → Double Overtime (2008)
- 3OT → Triple Overtime (2002)
After a two-year hiatus in 1943 and 1944, two games were played in 1945.
The 2020 game scheduled in Pullman was declared No Contest by the league due to Washington State not having the minimum number of scholarship players available for the game as a result of a positive football student-athlete COVID-19 cases.<ref name=WSU_Covid-19>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Prior to 1959, WSU was WSC.<ref name=nrokffn>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=nnfsc >Template:Cite news</ref>
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Coaching records since 1945Edit
WashingtonEdit
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Washington StateEdit
| Head Coach | Team | Games | Seasons | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Sarboe | Washington State | 6 | 1945–1949 | 2 | 4 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Forest Evashevski | Washington State | 2 | 1950–1951 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Al Kircher | Washington State | 4 | 1952–1955 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Jim Sutherland | Washington State | 8 | 1956–1963 | 2 | 6 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Bert Clark | Washington State | 4 | 1964–1967 | 1 | 3 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Jim Sweeney | Washington State | 8 | 1968–1975 | 3 | 5 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Jackie Sherrill | Washington State | 1 | 1976 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Warren Powers | Washington State | 1 | 1977 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Jim Walden | Washington State | 9 | 1978–1986 | 3 | 6 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Dennis Erickson | Washington State | 2 | 1987–1988 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Mike Price | Washington State | 14 | 1989–2002 | 3 | 11 | 0 | Template:Winning percentage |
| Bill Doba | Washington State | 5 | 2003–2007 | 3 | 2 | Template:Winning percentage | |
| Paul Wulff | Washington State | 4 | 2008–2011 | 1 | 3 | Template:Winning percentage | |
| Mike Leach | Washington State | 8 | 2012–2019 | 1 | 7 | Template:Winning percentage | |
| Jake Dickert | Washington State | 4 | 2021–2024 | 2 | 2 | Template:Winning percentage |
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- Last tie was in 1942, overtime began in 1996 in Division I-A
- Two games were played in 1945
- Jimmy Lake (UW) and Nick Rolovich (WSU) both coached for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, but neither in an Apple Cup;
- the 2020 game was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and both were fired prior to the 2021 matchup
See alsoEdit
- List of NCAA college football rivalry games
- List of most-played college football series in NCAA Division I
- Washington–Washington State men's basketball rivalry
ReferencesEdit
Template:Washington Huskies football navbox Template:Washington State Cougars football navbox Template:Big Ten Conference football rivalry navbox Template:Pac-12 Conference football rivalry navbox