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Nebraska Volleyball to Battle Minnesota for $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy

The $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy "chair-ity" contest will continue with the volleyball version in 2024, as Minnesota and Nebraska don't play a football game this season.

Austin Jacobsen

The $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy with mini helmets for Minnesota and Nebraska.
The $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy with mini helmets for Minnesota and Nebraska. / $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy
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Nebraska volleyball will briefly take over for the football program's trophy contest against Minnesota, hoping to bring back an internet-favorite prize back to Lincoln.

A social media post from the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy page announced Monday that the viral trophy from the Nebraska-Minnesota football rivalry will now be used as a charity fundraiser leading up to the No. 2 Husker volleyball program's Nov. 14 contest against No. 15 Minnesota. The fundraising efforts will benefit Nebraska's Team Jack foundation and Minnesota's Team One Four.

The Nebraska and Minnesota football teams are not competing for the trophy this season due to the conference's scheduling, so the two fundraising programs decided to "not take a season off" according to their website, brokenchairtrophy.com.

"Cancer doesn't take a season off."

- $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy theme


The $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy was established in 2014 prior to the Nebraska-Minnesota football game. In an exchange on Twitter, accounts for Minnesota mascot Goldy Gopher and a parody of then-Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini (@FauxPelini) made a wager.

The trophy was proudly displayed at University of Minnesota events by Goldy until the following year when it was transferred to the Husker squad. Nebraska players celebrated the 48-25 victory by passing the trophy around the locker room. Leading up to the 2016 matchup, rumors began to circulate that the athletic departments of both universities were planning to retire this unofficial tradition. Nebraska defeated Minnesota in Lincoln by a score of 24-17, but the trophy was nowhere to be seen.

Since 2017, the two fan bases have combined to raise over $162,000. Since the rivalry trophy began, however, Nebraska has failed to win back the chair since 2018. The Huskers have dropped five straight "trophy games" to Minnesota. Nebraska lost last year 13-10 in Matt Rhule's first game leading the Big Red.

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Jeff Sims (7) runs the ball while Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back
Aug 31, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Jeff Sims (7) runs the ball while Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Tre'Von Jones (2) defends during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

This season, fans of each university decided to take their competition to the court at the Bob Devaney Sports Center as No. 2 Nebraska volleyball welcomes No. 14 Minnesota on Nov. 14. Both programs have been rated in the AVCA's top 25 rankings all season long, with Nebraska returning as the national runner-up from a year ago.

The matchup features another interesting wrinkle, as former Gopher outside hitter Taylor Landfair joined the Huskers during the offseason through the transfer portal. Landfair joined an already potent roster in Lincoln after garnering numerous accolades while at Minnesota - including Region and Big Ten Player of the Year honors in 2022.

As stated in the opening post from the Chair Trophy account, Minnesota fans who donate through the brokenchairtrophy.com link will be entered into a raffle to win tickets to the Gophers' match with Iowa later this season. Nebraska fans who donate to the Team Jack foundation will receive a chance to win tickets to the trophy game itself.

The Nebraska-Minnesota football trophy contest could return in 2025, as the Huskers are set to battle the Golden Gophers next year in Minneapolis.

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MORE: Nebraska Volleyball Remains Behind Pittsburgh in AVCA Polls, Loses First Place Vote

MORE: QB Grade: Nebraska Football's Dylan Raiola vs. Ohio State

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Austin Jacobsen
AUSTIN JACOBSEN

Austin Jacobsen is a radio broadcaster and former Sports Director in Central Nebraska. He has seen the Cornhusker state from all corners; growing up in the Panhandle, completing his college degree in Kearney, working in the rural Sandhills, and now residing in Omaha. Austin is a statewide, regional, and national radio award winner and can usually be found at a high school football field on Friday nights and tuning in to the Huskers wherever they travel. If he is not on the road, Austin enjoys movie dates with his girlfriend and their dog, Ava.

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