The Bronze Stalk Trophy is associated with the Northern Illinois- Ball State college football game rivalries. In this rivalry, the two teams are the Northern Illinois Huskies of Northern Illinois University and the Ball State Cardinals of Ball State University. Both these teams are members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and compete under the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Northern Illinois and Ball State have been competing against each other for 52 years as of 2024. Moreover, this rivalry also includes the aim to win the Bronze Stalk Trophy from the opponents since 2008. These two teams first met in 1941 and their most recent encounter took place in October 2024. The games have alternated between the home stadiums of both teams over the years.
Read More:- List of Victory Bell Winners Year by Year
What is the rivalry between Northern Illinois and Ball State called?
The rivalry between Northern Illinois and Ball State is called the Battle for the Bronze Stalk. Their competition for the Bronze Stalk trophy started after the introduction of the trophy in 2008. This trophy was designed by Renee Bemis, a well-known sculptor and DeKalb artist. This trophy is notable for depicting several cornstalks, which symbolize the Midwestern landscape around the states of Illinois and Indiana. Moreover, the trophy also pays tribute to the prevalence of maize in the area as per College Football 25.
Since the introduction of the Bronze Stalk trophy in 2008, Ball State was the first team to achieve the trophy. Northern Illinois achieved the trophy for the first time the very next year in 2009. Both teams have continued winning and losing the Bronze Stalk trophy to each other over the years. Notably, the rivalry between the two teams is presently tied with a record of 25-25-2, as of 2024.
Bronze Stalk Trophy Winner Year by Year
It has been 52 years since the rivalry between Northern Illinois and Ball State started in 1941. The first encounter between the two games resulted in a 6-6 tie. Ball State was the first team to win the rivalry in 1942 while Northern Illinois followed suit in 1966. The following table displays all the scores of Northern Illinois-Ball State rivalry over the years from the beginning till 2024-
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 1 | October 4, 1941 | DeKalb, IL | Tie | 6–6 |
| 2 | October 17, 1942 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 14–0 |
| 3 | October 8, 1966 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 38–24 |
| 4 | October 7, 1967 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 28–14 |
| 5 | September 14, 1968 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 40–20 |
| 6 | October 25, 1969 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 17–13 |
| 7 | October 24, 1970 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 31–14 |
| 8 | October 23, 1971 | DeKalb, IL | Tie | 10–10 |
| 9 | October 20, 1973 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 45–17 |
| 10 | November 9, 1974 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 31–21 |
| 11 | October 25, 1975 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 3–0 |
| 12 | October 30, 1976 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 33–7 |
| 13 | October 15, 1977 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 31–6 |
| 14 | November 18, 1978 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 31–13 |
| 15 | November 17, 1979 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 42–0 |
| 16 | September 13, 1980 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 18–17 |
| 17 | October 3, 1981 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 23–0 |
| 18 | October 2, 1982 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 14–7 |
| 19 | October 1, 1983 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 27–14 |
| 20 | September 29, 1984 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 15–14 |
| 21 | October 5, 1985 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 29–0 |
| 22 | August 30, 1986 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 20–10 |
| 23 | October 31, 1987 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 42–17 |
| 24 | October 29, 1988 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 18–17 |
| 25 | October 25, 1997 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 21–14 |
| 26 | October 3, 1998 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 18–13 |
| 27 | October 9, 1999 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 37–17 |
| 28 | September 30, 2000 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 43–14 |
| 29 | November 17, 2001 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 33–29 |
| 30 | October 5, 2002 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 41–29 |
| 31 | November 1, 2003 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 48–23 |
| 32 | October 30, 2004 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 38–31 |
| 33 | October 29, 2005 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 31–17 |
| 34 | September 30, 2006 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 40–28 |
| 35 | November 24, 2007 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 27–21 |
| 36 | November 5, 2008 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 45–14 |
| 37 | November 12, 2009 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 26–20 |
| 38 | November 20, 2010 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 59–21 |
| 39 | November 15, 2011 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 41–38 |
| 40 | October 6, 2012 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 35–23 |
| 41 | November 13, 2013 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 48–27 |
| 42 | November 5, 2014 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 35–21 |
| 43 | October 10, 2015 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 59–41 |
| 44 | October 1, 2016 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 31–24 |
| 45 | November 9, 2017 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 63–17 |
| 46 | October 6, 2018 | Muncie, IN | Northern Illinois | 24–16 |
| 47 | October 5, 2019 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 27–20 |
| 48 | November 18, 2020 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 31–25 |
| 49 | November 10, 2021 | DeKalb, IL | Northern Illinois | 30–29 |
| 50 | October 1, 2022 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 44–38 |
| 51 | November 7, 2023 | DeKalb, IL | Ball State | 20-17 |
| 52 | October 26, 2024 | Muncie, IN | Ball State | 25-23 |
FAQs on List of Bronze Stalk Trophy Winner Year by Year
A. The Bronze Stalk Trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the football game between Ball State and Northern Illinois.
A. Ball State and Northern Illinois started competing for the trophy in 2008.
A. The last meeting for Ball State and Northern Illinois was on October 26, 2024.
A. Huskie Stadium on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb, Illinois, is Northern Illinois Huskies' home field.
A. The record between Northern Illinois and Ball State is tied with 25-25-2 as of 2024.
