OSU Homecoming: 1945 National Championship Trophy To Be Displayed During Festivities

There will be another must-see attraction Friday night as fans and alumni of Oklahoma State University pack Stillwater for the annual Walkaround and Homecoming And Hoops activities.

The American Football Coaches Association national championship trophy, retroactively awarded to the 1945 Oklahoma A&M team, will be on display at the original heart of the campus, Old Central, during Walkaround.

Fans can visit the Waterford crystal trophy on the second floor of the Old Central from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Friday night and again on Saturday at the Hall of Fame Block Party prior to the kickoff of the Cowboys' Homecoming game against West Virginia at 11 a.m.

To view the trophy, fans should utilize the south entrance of Old Central. The trophy will be on display in the Old Central Assembly Hall on the second floor. That same space was used for graduation ceremonies during the early days of Oklahoma A&M College with the first coming in 1896 when construction of Old Central was completed.

Old Central was the first permanent building on the A&M campus. Today it houses OSU's Honors College. The bell tower of Old Central is significant. The ringing of the bell traditionally took place after victories by the Aggies and Cowboys. In the true spirit of college sports, the clapper was discovered missing on Nov. 25, 1930, the Tuesday following A&M's 7-0 Homecoming victory over the University of Oklahoma. The story passed down through the years is that OU students, weary of hearing the "victory" bell, left Stillwater with the clapper. Later, the two state universities begin competing for the Bedlam Bell as a result.

The 1945 Oklahoma A&M Aggies remain the only undefeated team in school history. During the national championship season, the squad had an average margin of victory of 23.2 points.