From 1930 until 1943 the Golden Gophers and Badgers played for The Slab of Bacon Trophy; however, in the commotion that followed the 1943 contest, the slab was lost until 1994 when it was located in storage at Camp Randall Stadium. This was all well and good; however, the slab had been replaced with Paul Bunyan’s Axe in 1948. Created by the National W Club, the axe’s handle is 6 feet long, allowing a team that repeats from the season before to chop down a goalpost or two. Should a school not in possession win the trophy back, their players are expected to run to the other sideline and grab the axe. Either way, the post-game images from The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe are some of the Big Ten’s most memorable.
Paul's Axe stands 13 inches tall and weighs about 3.5 pounds. While it's sturdy, we do not recommend chopping any goalposts down with this replica.