Question: Why is the Duke–UNC football rivalry referred to as the Victory Bell game?
Answer: The Duke–UNC football rivalry is known as the Victory Bell game because the winner receives a traveling trophy called the Victory Bell, awarded annually since 1948.
In the fall of 1948, UNC head cheerleader Norman Sper and Duke head cheerleader Loring Jones created it (inspired by other college football rivalry trophies like the Little Brown Jug). Jones designed the frame/cart, while Sper obtained an old railway bell from the Southern Railway. North Carolina claimed the first Bell with a 20–0 win that year.
The tradition was intended to promote friendly competition and reduce campus vandalism between the neighboring schools. The winner traditionally paints the cart’s platform in its school colors (Carolina blue or Duke royal blue).
