History of the Creator’s Trophy

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Celebrating the roots of the game of lacrosse and the founding programs of the sport in the Big Ten, the Creator’s Trophy was established in 2012 by Ohio State men’s lacrosse head coach Nick Myers and his counterparts at Michigan (John Paul) and Penn State (Jeff Tambroni). The award is contested annually between the three schools who were the only programs in the Big Ten at the time.

“The Creator’s Trophy unites the proud lacrosse traditions of three universities and allows our student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete for this special award,” said Coach Myers at the time of the announcement. “Our men will be focused on not only competing for this award but also building fellowship amongst the former, current and future players on all three teams as these rivalry games grow stronger each year. We are proud to be a part of the initiation of this trophy and partner with colleagues with whom we have tremendous respect.”

How it’s Won

A team that earns a 2-0 record against the other programs will take ownership of the trophy each spring and have its name and the year inscribed. If two teams earn a 1-1 record, the trophy will go to the head-to-head winner. If all teams finish 1-1, then no team or year will be recorded on the trophy and it will reside with the most recent team to win it outright.

The History

Coach Myers, then-Michigan head coach John Paul and Penn State’s Coach Tambroni announced the establishment of the Creator’s Trophy on Feb. 16, 2012.

Lacrosse is considered North America’s first sport and its generation is credited to Native Americans. Today, Native Americans still refer to the sport as “The Creator’s Game.” The trophy is intended to pay homage to the sport’s heritage, promote the budding rivalry of the Big Ten schools and encourage sportsmanship on and off the field of play.

Penn State began lacrosse in 1913, followed by Ohio State in 1949 and Michigan in 2012.

 Year                Winner                        Record
2012                 Penn State                     2-0
2013                 Ohio State                     2-0
2014                 Penn State                     2-0
2015                 Ohio State                     2-0
2016                 Penn State                     2-0
2017                 Penn State                     2-0
2018                 Penn State                     1-1
2019                 Penn State                     2-0
2020                 N/A
2021                 Penn State                     1-1
2022                 Ohio State                     2-0

The Quest for the 2023 Creator’s Trophy

Ohio State and Penn State open the competition this season, meeting Sunday, April 2 at noon in University Park, Pa. Michigan hosts the Nittany Lions on April 16 and the Buckeyes close the regular season, and the journey for the trophy, in Ann Arbor on April 21 at 8 p.m.

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