There’s no shortage of oddball college football trophies. There’s Notre Dame and USC’s Jeweled Shillelagh, Iowa State and Missouri’s telephone, and Northwestern and Illinois’ top hat.
Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich is in favor of adding one more unique trophy to the mix for the team’s rivalry with Fresno State: a Golden Screwdriver.
“We’ve got to get that (trophy) going,” Rolovich told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “Heck, if we win I’d put that in the trophy case.”
Allegedly, when Hawaii beat Fresno State in the 2002 season, head coach June Jones claimed various objects, including a screwdriver, were thrown at members of the Hawaii team on the sidelines. While the story has never been confirmed, its legend has lived on for more than a decade. Years ago, an ESPN radio contest in Fresno asked listeners to create a symbolization of the rivalry, and the winner was a screwdriver wedged into turf.
Understandably, Fresno State did not want to associate its football program with the trophy, as the joke was the result of a disorderly Fresno fan’s actions. But Rolovich doesn’t mind looking past that.
“It would be fun,” Rolovich said. “That legend will grow and, pretty soon, it’ll be a mechanic jumped out from behind the goal post and was throwing screwdrivers at June like a ninja.”
Fresno State and Hawaii, which were in the WAC together before moving to the Mountain West, first met in 1938 and have played 48 times. Fresno leads the series 26-21-1.
The trophy already exists. According to the Fresno Bee, an ESPN Fresno radio personality had it on his desk this week. So if Rolovich can quickly persuade Fresno State, the Golden Screwdriver is ready for this Saturday’s meeting.