the giant lumberjack of American folklore, mounted on a five-foot base. It reflects Michigan's history as a major lumber-producing state. The trophy was first presented by Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams to commemorate Michigan State's first year elevated to football competition in the Big Ten Conference. Prior to awarding the first trophy win in 1953, Michigan enjoyed an overwhelming 33-9-3 non-trophy series advantage leading athletic director and former head coach Fritz Crisler's plan to reportedly refuse the trophy if Michigan had won the game. Crisler's protests turned out to be irrelevant, as Michigan State won the first trophy game afterwards displaying it in Jenison Fieldhouse. The following year in 1954, the trophy was left on the field for half an hour after Michigan defeated the Spartans. "We'll find a place for the trophy," Crisler told The Michigan Daily after the game. The Paul Bunyan Trophy was stored in the Michigan Stadium locker room in one of the equipment closets. Despite winning in 1954 and 1955, Michigan did not engrave their scores onto the neglected trophy. When the Spartans won in 1956, they engraved the Wolverine victories onto the trophy. The Spartans possessed the trophy for the next eight years, tied for the longest the trophy has remained at one school, and part of a streak during which the Paul Bunyan Trophy was in East Lansing for 11 of 12 years. The 1958 game ended in a 12–12 tie. The favored Spartans were so embarrassed that they didn't win, they originally refused to keep the trophy while Michigan also refused. Michigan State eventually relented and kept the trophy. In 1999, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr called it "the ugliest trophy in college football", but added: "When you don't have him, you miss him." Notable games 1898: The first game The first game in the rivalry was played in Ann Arbor on October 12, 1898, with Michigan defeating Michigan Agricultural College, 39–0. The Detroit Free Press wrote that the contest was "essentially a practice game," as Michigan played 25 different players during the game. Charles Widman scored two touchdowns, and Leo J. Keena kicked a field goal from a place-kick, "the first time a Michigan eleven has ever scored in that fashion." After the 1898 shutout, Michigan sent its freshman team against Michigan Agricultural for the next three years. 1902: The "Point-a-Minute" team scores 119 in 38 minutes Michigan's undefeated 1902 team outscored