Little Brown Stein

The Little Brown Stein is a rivalry trophy awarded to the winner of the college football game between the University of Idaho Vandals and University of Montana Grizzlies. The trophy is, as the name implies, a large stein mug with the results of all the games between the two painted on.[1][2][3][4]

Idaho-Montana football rivalry

Idaho Vandals Montana Grizzlies
First meeting	1903, 117 years ago Idaho, 28–0
Latest meeting	November 9, 2019, 9 months ago Montana, 42–17
Next meeting	October 24, 2020 in Moscow
Statistics
Meetings total	86
All-time series	Idaho leads, 55–29–2 (.651)
Largest victory	Idaho, 46–0  (1945)
Longest win streak	Idaho, 8, (1951–1959)
Current win streak	Montana, 6, (2000–present)

🌍

Locations of Idaho and Montana

The game was not played for fourteen seasons (2004–17),[5][6] and Montana retained the trophy. The series resumed in 2018, when Idaho rejoined the Big Sky for football.

History

Idaho and Montana first met in football 117 years ago in 1903 and have played 86 times; the stein was introduced 82 years ago in 1938,[1][2][3] at the 25th meeting. Idaho has dominated the overall series (55–29–2 (.651)),[7] which also includes two Division I-AA playoff wins at home in the 1980s. Montana has had the upper hand since 1991, winning ten of the last twelve. While Idaho was in Division I-A (FBS), from 1996 through 2017, the teams met only five times, with Montana winning the last four.[5][6][8]

The schools are about two hundred miles (320 km) apart. Moscow and Missoula are on opposite sides of the lower Idaho Panhandle, separated by the Bitterroot Mountains over Lolo Pass (U.S. Route 12).

Idaho hosted the game in southern Idaho at Boise in 1961,[9][10] and in nearby Pullman, Washington, in 1970 and 2000.

Conferences

Both were members of the old Pacific Coast Conference (the forerunner of today's Pac-12);[11] Montana departed after the 1949 season, and the PCC disbanded in the summer of 1959. In most years, the loser of the game was last in the PCC standings.

The universities were charter members of the Big Sky Conference in 1963,[12][13] (although Idaho remained an independent in football until 1965) and their final season as conference opponents was in 1995. While Montana has been in the Big Sky since its inception, Idaho has changed its conference affiliation no fewer than five times since 1995:

• Idaho moved to the Big West for all sports in 1996, returning to Division I-A after 18 years in I-AA.
• After the 2000 season, the Big West dropped football. Idaho became a football-only member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2001 while remaining a full Big West member.
• Idaho joined the WAC for all sports in 2005 as part of a major NCAA conference realignment.
• After the WAC experienced a near-complete membership turnover in the early 2010s, it dropped football after the 2012 season. Idaho football was an FBS independent for one season in 2013.
• Idaho returned to the Big Sky in 2014 except for football, which rejoined the Sun Belt.
• Idaho dropped back to FCS in 2018 and resumed football membership in the Big Sky.[7][14]

Results

Idaho victories

Montana victories

Tie games

No. Date Location Winner Score 1 1903 Moscow, ID Idaho 28–0 2 1914 Moscow, ID Tie 0–0 3 1915 Missoula, MT Montana 15–3 4 1916 Moscow, ID Montana 20–13 5 1917 Missoula, MT Idaho 14–3 6 1919 Moscow, ID Idaho 7–0 7 1920 Missoula, MT Idaho 20–7 8 1921 Moscow, ID Idaho 35–7 9 1922 Missoula, MT Idaho 39–0 10 1923 Moscow, ID Idaho 40–0 11 1924 Missoula, MT Idaho 41–13 12 1925 Moscow, ID Montana 20–14 13 1926 Missoula, MT Idaho 27–12 14 1927 Moscow, ID Idaho 42–6 15 1928 Missoula, MT Idaho 21–7 16 1929 Moscow, ID Idaho 19–0 17 1930 Missoula, MT Montana 12–6 18 1931 Moscow, ID Idaho 21–19 19 1932 Missoula, MT Idaho 19–6 20 1933 Moscow, ID Idaho 12–6 21 1934 Missoula, MT Idaho 13–6 22 1935 Moscow, ID Idaho 14–7 23 1936 Missoula, MT Montana 16–0 24 1937 Moscow, ID Idaho 6–0 25 1938 Missoula, MT Idaho 19–6 26 1939 Moscow, ID Montana 13–0 27 1940 Missoula, MT Montana 28–18 28 1941 Moscow, ID Montana 16–0 29 1942 Missoula, MT Idaho 21–0 30 1945 Moscow, ID Idaho 46–0 31 1946 Missoula, MT Montana 19–0 32 1947 Moscow, ID Montana 21–0 33 1948 Moscow, ID Idaho 39–0 34 1949 Missoula, MT Idaho 47–19 35 1950 Moscow, ID Montana 28–27 36 1951 Missoula, MT Idaho 12–9 37 1952 Moscow, ID Idaho 27–0 38 1953 Missoula, MT Idaho 20–12 39 1955 Moscow, ID Idaho 31–0 40 1956 Missoula, MT Idaho 14–0 41 1957 Moscow, ID Idaho 31–13 42 1958 Missoula, MT Idaho 14–6 43 1959 Moscow, ID Idaho 9–6 44 1960 Missoula, MT Montana 18–14 No. Date Location Winner Score 45 1961 Boise, ID Idaho 16–14 46 1962 Missoula, MT Montana 22–16 47 1965 Missoula, MT Idaho 35–7 48 1966 Moscow, ID Idaho 40–6 49 1967 Missoula, MT Idaho 19–14 50 1968 Moscow, ID Idaho 56–45 51 1969 Missoula, MT Montana 34–9 52 1970 Pullman, WA Montana 44–26 53 1971 Missoula, MT Idaho 21–12 54 1972 Moscow, ID Idaho 31–17 55 1973 Missoula, MT Idaho 20–7 56 1974 Moscow, ID Tie 35–35 57 1975 Missoula, MT Montana 14–3 58 1976 Moscow, ID Idaho 28–19 59 1977 Moscow, ID Idaho 31–20 60 1978 Missoula, MT Idaho 34–30 61 1979 Moscow, ID Idaho 20–17 62 1980 Missoula, MT Idaho 42–0 63 1981 Moscow, ID Montana 16–14 64 1982 Missoula, MT Montana 40–16 65  1982^A Moscow, ID #11 Idaho 21–7 66 1983 Moscow, ID Idaho 45–24 67 1984 Missoula, MT Idaho 40–39 68 1985 Moscow, ID #4 Idaho 38–0 69 1986 Missoula, MT Idaho 38–31 70 1987 Moscow, ID Idaho 31–25 71 1988 Missoula, MT #16 Montana 26–17 72  1988^A Moscow, ID #1 Idaho 38–19 73 1989 Moscow, ID Idaho 30–24 74 1990 Missoula, MT #17 Idaho 35–14 75 1991 Moscow, ID Montana 35–34 76 1992 Missoula, MT Montana 47–29 77 1993 Moscow, ID Montana 54–34 78 1994 Missoula, MT Montana 45–21 79 1995 Moscow, ID Idaho 55–43 80 1999 Missoula, MT Idaho 33–30 81 2000 Pullman, WA #10 Montana 45–38 82 2001 Missoula, MT #1 Montana 33–27 83 2002 Moscow, ID #1 Montana 38–31 84 2003 Missoula, MT #9 Montana 41–28 85 2018 Moscow, ID Montana 46–27 86 2019 Missoula, MT #6 Montana 42–17 Series: Idaho leads 55–29–2

^A Division I-AA playoff game (1982, 1988)

• Years not played: 1904–13, 1918, 1943–44, 1954, 1963–64, 1996–98, 2004–17

Coaching records

Since 1945; Idaho led the first 29 meetings (through 1942) at 20–8–1 (.707)).

Idaho

Head Coach	Team	Games	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
Babe Brown	Idaho	2	1945–46	1	1	0	.500
Dixie Howell	Idaho	4	1947–50	2	2	0	.500
Babe Curfman	Idaho	3	1951–53	3	0	0	1.000
Skip Stahley	Idaho	7	1954–61	6	1	0	.857
Dee Andros	Idaho	1	1962–64	0	1	0	.000
Steve Musseau	Idaho	3	1965–67	3	0	0	1.000
Y C McNease	Idaho	2	1968–69	1	1	0	.500
Don Robbins	Idaho	4	1970–73	3	1	0	.750
Ed Troxel	Idaho	4	1974–77	2	1	1	.625
Jerry Davitch	Idaho	4	1978–81	3	1	0	.750
Dennis Erickson (a)	Idaho	5	1982–85	4	1		.800
Keith Gilbertson	Idaho	4	1986–88	3	1		.750
John L. Smith	Idaho	6	1989–94	2	4		.333
Chris Tormey	Idaho	2	1995–99	2	0		1.000
Tom Cable	Idaho	4	2000–03	0	4		.000
Nick Holt	Idaho	0	2004–05
Dennis Erickson (b)	Idaho	0	2006
Robb Akey	Idaho	0	2007–12
Paul Petrino	Idaho	2	2013–19	0	2		.000
Total	Idaho	57	1945–2019	35	21	1	.623

Montana

Head Coach	Team	Games	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
George Dahlberg	Montana	1	1945	0	1	0	.000
Doug Fessenden	Montana	3	1946–48	2	1	0	.667
Ted Shipkey	Montana	3	1949–51	1	2	0	.333
Ed Chinske	Montana	2	1952–54	0	2	0	.000
Jerry Williams	Montana	3	1955–57	0	3	0	.000
Ray Jenkins	Montana	5	1958–63	2	3	0	.400
Hugh Davidson	Montana	2	1964–66	0	2	0	.000
Jack Swarthout	Montana	9	1967–75	3	5	1	.389
Gene Carlson	Montana	4	1976–79	0	4	0	.000
Larry Donovan	Montana	7	1980–85	2	5		.286
Don Read	Montana	11	1986–95	5	6		.455
Mick Dennehy	Montana	1	1996–99	0	1		.000
Joe Glenn	Montana	1	2000–02	3	0		1.000
Bobby Hauck (a)	Montana	1	2003–09	1	0		1.000
Robin Pflugrad	Montana	0	2010–11
Mick Delaney	Montana	0	2012–14
Bob Stitt	Montana	0	2015–17
Bobby Hauck (b)	Montana	2	2018–19	2	0		1.000
Total	Montana	57	1945–2019	21	35	1	.377

• Last tie was in 1974 and the Big Sky enacted overtime for conference games in 1980;[15] all Division I games went to overtime in 1996.
• Two games in 1982 and 1988; regular season at Montana and playoff (I-AA) at Idaho: home teams won all four games
• No games in 1954, 1963, 1964, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2004–2017

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

1. "Vandals still seeking a win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). October 20, 1948. p. 18.
2. Payne, Bob (October 18, 1974). "Tips riding two-game win streak". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 29.
3. "Football". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1943. p. 233.
4. "Montana tickets on sale to season ticket holders". University of Idaho Athletics. August 27, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
5. Meehan, Jim (September 28, 2003). "Idaho collapses in Montana". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C13.
6. Bauer, Doug (September 28, 2003). "Griz catch Vandals with pants down". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
7. Welsch, Jeff (April 30, 2016). "Idaho's twice-bruised ego offers cautionary tale for Griz, Cats". Billings Gazette. (Montana). Retrieved October 4, 2016.
8. "Idaho opponents: vs. Montana". CFB Data Warehouse. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
9. "Idaho, Montana renew old football rivalry at Boise". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 18, 1961. p. 2.
10. "Vandals repel late Montana bid for 16-14 upset victory". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 19, 1961. p. 8.
11. "Montana eleven wallops Vandals". Bend Bulletin. (Oregon). United Press. November 8, 1947. p. 2.
12. Missildine, Harry (February 26, 1963). "Six western schools create Big Sky athletic conference". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 12.
13. "Big Sky is ready for league action". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). February 26, 1963. p. 13.
14. "Idaho football to Big Sky Conference". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
15. Kasper, John (September 25, 2013). "No. 48 Big Sky Innovation". Big Sky Conference. Retrieved June 9, 2016.