Originated 1959 Current Holder Cortland | Trophy Series Ithaca leads, 34–24 | |
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Teams Cortland State Red Dragons
Ithaca Bombers | ||
The Cortaca Jug is the trophy given to the annual college football game played between the Red Dragons of the State University of New York at Cortland and the Bombers of Ithaca College. The match-up is one of the most prominent in Division III football.
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History of the game
The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two schools. The "cort" part coming from SUNY Cortland and the "aca" part coming from Ithaca College. The schools are 21 miles apart in the eastern end of the Finger Lakes region of New York.
The night before the Jug, it is customary for the staff of Cortland's radio station WSUC to play the staff of Ithaca's radio station 92 WICB in a game called "The Cortaca Mic" which takes place at Cortland.
Since 2006, Ithaca College students and alumni residing in Los Angeles have gathered to watch the game in an event dubbed CortaCal. The event originally began in an apartment in Sherman Oaks, CA. It was held from 2008 to 2010 at The Casting Office in Studio City, CA and since 2011 has been held at its current home, 33 Taps (formerly Dillon's Irish Pub) in Hollywood, CA. Between 300 and 400 Ithaca College alumni attend every year.
Ithaca College Alumni in New York City have begun watching the game at their own annual event, NYCortaca. The event was started in 2009 by Ithaca alumni living in NYC, and was first held at George Keeley Pub on the Upper West Side. In 2010 it was held at Berry Park in Williamsburg, and in 2011 it took place at Irving Plaza in Union Square. NYCortaca 2012 was held at Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and in 2013 NYCortaca returned to Irving Plaza. NYCortaca 2013 was attended by over 800 Cortaca fans and was the biggest off-campus alumni gathering in Ithaca College history. NYCortaca has been compared to New Year's Eve and Halloween in vibrancy.
More localized Cortland and Ithaca graduates come together to attend the game, or showings of it at der Lynne Parks Alumni House, in Cortland, NY. Examples include an annual gathering from Slabtown, NY.
History of the trophy
The Cortaca Jug was introduced to the already competitive rivalry in 1959 by the captains of the two teams. While driving in nearby Homer in 1959, Cortland football captain Tom Decker stopped at a yard sale and purchased a $2 jug from a local farmer, named Freddy Testa, that he thought could be used as a trophy during the annual game between the two teams. After meeting up with friend and Ithaca football captain Dick Carmean, the two painted the jug blue, gold, red, and white in honor of both schools’ colors. The first Jug ran out of room for scores in the mid-1980s, necessitating a second Jug that sports the most recent results. After 2015, Jug II will be full, no word on if/how a third jug will be procured.
2013 Riot
The Cortaca Jug is usually associated with an assortment of pre- and post-game parties and drinking. Following their 2013 win, SUNY Cortland revelers rioted on the streets of Cortland, throwing beer and other items, flipping cars, and committing other destructive acts that resulted in the arrests of around 30 people. SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum issued a formal apology for the students' behavior.
Results
(Ithaca leads overall series 39–31–3 and Cortaca Jug series 34–23)
Pre Cortaca Jugs Games
Cortaca Jug Games
#Quarterfinal playoff game. Does not count in Cortaca Jug game count.