C1885 Tug of War Plaque 7.5" X 5.5" - Tug of War an Official Sport?…Yup!

[CarltonHendricks]

Last night I was quickly jamming thru eBay before hitting the hay and came across this copper plated kind of beat up plaque….I was about to shut it down for the night but this darn thing took over…The derby, the cane, the cap of the guy in the center, the guy waving the flag, and the flag next to the building in the background all had a Victorian era college scene look that grabbed me and sent me researching….of all things in the middle of the night….Collegiate Tug of War contests….

It’s never been anything I was interested in…sort of a fringe athletic endeavor I vaguely recalled in all my travels….But I lucked out…I googled and found a remarkable semi comprehensive record of Tug of War contests between eastern colleges in the 1880’s…It was in the April 1887 to September 1887 volume of Outing magazine…not a written dialog but a quick “records set” at the 12th annual, I.C.A.A. track meet (Intercollegiate Athletic Association)…which may have been the big meet of the year for the eastern colleges then…When I say I lucked out, it not only gives the records for the 1887 Meet but an informal recap of (some of) the records of total wins and losses from 1880 to 1887 per school…see below. Bottom line is “Tug of War” was indeed an official event of the meet…and apparently an officially recognized sport!

Also of note…I thought I remembered “Tug of War” represented on that c1888 Bailey Championship plaque I got back in 2009…I checked and sure’nuff…see photo below.

So then…brain fuzzy from reading droopy eyed in the middle of the night all about Tug Of War history…I made an offer last night (early AM this morning really) and got it today!....Someone once asked in jest on this site if there was any sport I didn’t have…last month when I posted the Harness Racing clock I thought I had exhausted new sports….However….








Close in, c1888 Bailey Championship Prize Plaque - Awarded by Amateur Athletic Union of the United States 1888-1891
http://sportsantiques.com/baileychampprize.htm