Texas Tech and TCU revive 'Battle for the Saddle' rivalry trophy

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
FORT WORTH, TX – OCTOBER 29: Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Douglas Coleman (25) intercepts a pass intended for TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (25) during the NCAA Big-12 football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the TCU Horned Frogs on October 29, 2016, at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, TX. Texas Tech defeats TCU 27-24 in overtime. (Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire)

We can now bill TCU and Texas Tech’s game Saturday as “The Battle for the Saddle.”

Tuesday, the teams announced the revival of awarding a saddle trophy to the winner of their game. A saddle trophy was awarded to the winner of the TCU and Tech games from 1961-70, but per Texas Tech, the trophy “suddenly disappeared.”

“We are excited to bring back the Saddle Trophy,” Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a statement “[TCU AD] Chris Del Conte and I have discussed bringing back the saddle several times to honor this great series that dates back to our time in the Southwest Conference. We look forward to playing for the saddle for many years to come.”

The new saddle trophy has the logo of both schools and the record of all previous meetings between the two. Before Texas Tech went to the Big 12 and TCU joined the conference in 2012, the two teams weren’t in the same conference for 17 years. As a proponent of unique rivalry trophies, going back to a saddle for this rivalry gets our wholehearted approval. It’s better than a boring plaque.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!