BYU Football Gains Possession Of Mysterious Beehive Boot Trophy
Oct 14, 2021, 12:35 PM
BYU football Jack Damuni and Jon Swift pose with the Beehive Boot Trophy on October 14, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Billy Nixon, @BYUequipment)
(Photo courtesy of Billy Nixon, @BYUequipment)
PROVO, Utah – After BYU football took down both in-state rivals Utah and Utah State, they had one question, where was the Beehive Boot?
Well, we have an answer; it’s back with BYU.
Welcome home Beehive Boot—Thanks @JackDamuni for picking it up this morning!! #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/SCvMS5ZWpy
— Billy Nixon (@byuequipment) October 14, 2021
Director of Player Experience Billy Nixon tweeted that the Boot, awarded to the team in Utah who goes undefeated against in-state FBS rivals in a given season, is now in Provo at the BYU Student Athlete Building.
Beehive Boot is back with the BYU Football program
BYU defeated Utah and Utah State earlier this season to lay claim as this year’s State Champions.
The Beehive Boot began being awarded to either BYU, Utah or Utah State in 1971. Back in those times, the in-state schools always squared off against one another. Lately, it hasn’t been a frequent occurrence for all three teams to meet in the same year.
The Beehive Boot was last awarded in 2016 to the Utah Utes. Since that year, it hasn’t moved from Salt Lake City. So BYU’s Executive Coordinator of On-Campus Recruiting Jack Damuni made the drive up north in the inclement weather to bring the Boot back to BYU for the first time since 2009.
COUGARNATION IT’S ON ITS WAY HOME!!!
Your boy #Iamjackdamuni went on a special mission to salt Lake City this morning in my Tundra from Down Undra and had thee honor of bringing home
“THE BEEHIVE BOOT”
GO COUGS!!!@byuequipment Lessgooo!!! pic.twitter.com/p9g9UnPxqo— Jack Damuni (@JackDamuni) October 14, 2021
Many had wondered if the Beehive Boot was still a thing. A photo from a Utah State reporter indicated that the Boot was up in Logan, but that was inaccurate. It was at the Utah Football facility.
Three years ago, Sports Illustrated wrote a feature on the Beehive Boot, calling it the “oddest trophy in college football.” Honestly, it is odd now because what do you do when the three teams don’t face off against one another?
Time to make the Boot a priority again
Well, for the teams that do face the two FBS in-state schools and go undefeated in those games, they are getting the boot. In years where there was a tie with 1-1 records, media members voted on who would earn the Beehive Boot in those seasons.
As a credentialed media member, we need to see the Boot become more of a thing. We need to see in-state games for that to happen. Will BYU, Utah, and Utah State find ways to play one another?
BYU is set to go into the Big 12 Conference beginning in 2023. It’s unclear how many conference games will tie up BYU’s schedule each year. Utah has been in the Pac-12 Conference since 2011. They haven’t played Utah State since 2012 and there is going to be a two-year hiatus from the BYU series until 2024.
Utah State is in the Mountain West Conference and would love nothing more than to face BYU and Utah more often as Power Five programs.
It’s great to see the Beehive Boot back in action. The Beehive Boot used to be a big thing for fans who have grown up with the teams in this state. Every media guide you looked at prominently displayed a big section on the history of the Boot. Hopefully, this move to secure the Boot makes it a bigger priority in the future for all three schools.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
