Blackburn McCafferty trophy, which Dayton and Xavier fought over for decades, up for auction

This is Xavier’s copy of the trophy; Dayton has its own version

Credit: ERIK SCHELKUN

Credit: ERIK SCHELKUN

Xavier University is auctioning off its copy of the Blackburn McCafferty Trophy, the rivalry trophy the Musketeers and the Dayton Flyers fought over for decades.

The Xavier Athletics Department auction on EBTH.com describes the trophy as being in fair condition with "scratches to wood and metal" and "chips in the acrylic ball case." The most recent high bid was $601.

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Each school has its own copy of the Blackburn McCafferty Trophy. There was a silver bowl on the top that changed possession based on who won the most recent game. Dayton won the last game in the series on Feb. 16, 2013, though Xavier beat Dayton in the 2015 Advocare Invitational. That 2015 game in Orlando has been the only meeting between the former rivals since Xavier left the Atlantic 10 for the Big East.

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The trophy, named after former Dayton coach Tom Blackburn and former Xavier coach Jim McCafferty, was first up for grabs in the 1980-81 season.

The trophy up for auction is not the original trophy. According to a 1999 Dayton Daily News story, the original was retired because there was no more room for the metal plates on the sides. The scores of all the games were etched on the plates.

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