Is it finally time to bring back the Beer Barrel trophy?

Two of the biggest offseason Kentucky football stories had nothing to do with the actual play on the football field. At heart of each development is an old relic from year’s past, the Beer Barrel.

Since the news broke that Texas and Oklahoma are joining the SEC, schedule talk has consumed the most diehard football fans in the South. The debate waged on between how many SEC games they should play, but more importantly, who they would play. Kentucky officials whipped enough votes to preserve regional rivalries and keep the 8-game schedule through 2024.

A few weeks later, Mitch Barnhart said the trial run with beer and seltzers at Kentucky Proud Park was a success. The long-time athletic director announced Kentucky will expand alcohol sales to all athletic venues and events this fall.

Beer is on tap at Kroger Field and Neyland Stadium. Now Kentucky and Tennessee fans alike want to see the Beer Barrel back at the rivalry game in October.

What Happened to the Beer Barrel?

The Beer Barrel trophy was introduced in 1925. The rivalry between Kentucky and Tennessee was fierce, but it needed a little something more. UK students sought out a trophy that could serve as a symbol for each of the border states. Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee moonshiners could all agree on the Beer Barrel as an excellent idea. There was only one problem.

Prohibition was still in effect in 1925. Undeterred, when the students brought the barrel to the matchup at Stoll Field, they painted “Ice Water” on the side. The Wildcats won 23-20 and from that point forward, the Beer Barrel was awarded to the victor of the border rivalry.

That all changed in 1998 when tragedy struck the University of Kentucky. Following a victory over Vanderbilt that punched Kentucky’s ticket to the Outback Bowl, a celebration went awry. Kentucky center Jason Watts was under the influence with two passengers, Scott Brock and fellow Wildcat Arthur Steinmetz, when his black pickup truck crashed in Pulaski County. Watts was the only survivor. He pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless homicide and served four months of a 10-year sentence before being released on shock probation.

A week after the accident, Kentucky traveled to Neyland Stadium for the season finale against Tennessee. With the team still mourning, athletics director CM Newton stated using an alcohol container as a trophy would be inappropriate. The following year both schools agreed to cease the annual exchange of the orange, white and blue Beer Barrel.

In the 25 years since, the Beer Barrel has been collecting dust. It was taken out of the Tennessee trophy case and is now an old relic in the equipment manager’s office. As of last fall, Tennessee officials said there have been no talks to bring back the classic trophy.

College Football Rivalry Trophies are the Best

Over the last 25 years attitudes around alcohol have changed. Thanks to the rise of ride-sharing services, PSA’s against drinking and driving have been replaced by ads warning of the dangers of texting and driving. Alcohol sales are available to the general public at all but two SEC football stadiums.

Bringing back the Beer Barrel does not promote underaged or irresponsible drinking, nor does it diminish the lives that were lost 25 years ago. Similarly, Paul Bunyan’s Axe does not promote deforestation. It’s just a really, cool, enormous rivalry game trophy. If the trophies were meant to be taken literally, PETA would protest the distribution of the Floyd of Rosedale.

The Beer Barrel is a unique trophy that enhances the experience and tradition that is slowly slipping away from the sport. Kentucky currently plays for one rivalry trophy, the Governor’s Cup. Conference realignment will eventually put that game on the chopping block. The return of a 100-year old trophy to a border rivalry can serve as a reminder that the SEC of old is still alive and well, all while re-injecting energy into the annual battle on the gridiron between the Cats and the Vols.