NMSU vs. New Mexico
The Maloof Trophy
Though the in-state rivalry dates back to 1894, the New Mexico State - New Mexico football series has awarded a traveling trophy to the winning team only the last six years. The Maloof Trophy, presented by First Security Bank to the winner of “The Big Game,” originated in 1993.
A marketing committee at then-First National Bank created the rivalry trophy in memory of the late George J. Maloof, a fan of collegiate athletics and the former bank owner.
Maloof’s sons have played football for both the Lobos and Aggies.
NMSU vs. Texas-El Paso
Over the course of the 85-year football rivalry between neighboring New Mexico State University and the University of Texas-El Paso, two traveling trophies have been created to honor the series victor:
The Silver Spade
Since 1955, the winner of the New Mexico State vs. Texas-El Paso football game has taken home the Silver Spade, a replica prospector’s shovel. The origin of the Silver Spade dates back to 1947, when an old prospector’s shovel was unearthed in an abandoned mine in the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces. The whereabouts of the original spade are a mystery, but the current spade (on which are engraved the score of each year’s Aggie-Miner game) has been traded between the two schools since 1955.
The relevance of the spade may be due to the fact that at the time of its discovery, the tool was related to the major field of study at both universities—agriculture at New Mexico A&M, and mining and metallurgy at the College of Mines.
The Brass Spittoon
The newest of the two traveling trophies in the New Mexico State - Texas-El Paso series is the 17-year-old Brass Spittoon, formally titled the Mayor’s Cup. The Brass Spittoon came into existence in 1982, when former Las Cruces Mayor David Steinborn and former El Paso Mayor Jonathan Rogers agreed to present an additional trophy to the winner of the storied Aggie-Miner football rivalry.
Rio Grande Championship
The mythical Rio Grande Championship is competed among three universities along the Rio Grande: New Mexico, New Mexico State and Texas-El Paso. The Rio Grande Championship is awarded to the team with the best record in head-to-head meetings among the trio. The Rio Grande champion for each year in the 1990s is listed below:
1990: UNM (48-28 vs. UTEP, 29-12 at NMSU)
1991: UTEP (35-19 at UNM, 22-21 at NMSU)
1992: NMSU (42-39 vs. UNM, 30-24 at UTEP)
1993: UNM (35-29 at UTEP, 42-7 vs. NMSU)
1994: UNM (25-21 vs. UTEP, 56-31 at NMSU)
1995: tie (NMSU 45-17 over UTEP, UTEP 17-12 over UNM, UNM 36-24 over NMSU)
1996: UNM (44-17 vs. UTEP, 28-7 at NMSU)
1997: UNM (38-20 at UTEP, 61-24 vs. NMSU)
1998: NMSU (28-27 vs. UNM, 33-24 vs. UTEP)
