Brunswick-Balke-Collender Cup

The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Cup was a silver trophy given to the American Professional Football Association. This group later changed its name to the National Football League in 1922. The special cup was donated by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, which made tires at the time. It was an early symbol of achievement in professional football, showing the sport’s growth and importance in its early years.

History

A shiny silver cup was given to the early football league, the American Professional Football Association, later called the National Football League, by a company. It was meant for the team voted as the best each year. The first team to win it was the Akron Pros in 1920 after they had an excellent season.

Even though the Akron Pros won the cup, there were some disagreements about it. Some other teams felt they should have won instead. Over time, the league forgot about this early trophy, and it wasn’t until many years later that they remembered the Akron Pros as the first champions. What happened to the cup after that is still unknown; it was never mentioned again in league meetings. The only picture we have of it comes from old newspaper articles.

Replacement

Starting in 1934, a new trophy called the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy was made for the championship winners. It was named after Ed Thorp, a well-known referee and sports expert who passed away that year. This trophy traveled from team to team each year, with the winning team's name added to it. Teams also got smaller copies of the trophy.

For many years, people thought the last team to win this trophy was the Minnesota Vikings in 1969. But the trophy went missing, just like an earlier one. It was later found in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and it listed all the winners up to the 1967 Packers. This made people wonder if the Vikings or the Baltimore Colts, who won in 1968, ever got the trophy. The Vikings did win a trophy in 1969, but evidence from 2020 shows it might have been a different one.

Since 1970, the league has given the Vince Lombardi Trophy to its champions. Unlike the earlier trophies, a new one is made every year. The Lombardi Trophy was first used in 1967 for the first Super Bowl, and it continued when the NFL joined with the American Football League.