With the return of the college football season, comes the return of great traditions of the sport. Homecoming, tailgating and rivalries make college football the spectacle which captures the attention of the country. 

However, in the Mountain West region, spirited rivalries can sometimes be hard to come by given the geographical distance between teams. The Weber State Wildcats play in the Big Sky Conference, which contains teams from Montana to California. Teams are often separated by many miles of road. The Wildcats are lucky to have a rival about a two hour drive away – the Idaho State Bengals, from Pocatello, Idaho.

Even though the Wildcats and Bengals are closer than most teams, the rivalry still hasn’t always been the most passionate. Sure, last year’s basketball season saw Idaho State’s Jungle Student Section wear “BEAT WEBER” shirts when the Wildcats came to Pocatello, but the football series has hardly been competitive as of late. Bengal football has only beaten Weber State twice since 2002 in the annual matchup. Idaho fans might remember the days when the rivalry was at its fiercest point, but recent generations might find it difficult to care about a one-sided series.

There is renewed optimism in Pocatello, with second-year head coach Cody Hawkins working to rebuild the program. However, even if the matchup does get closer, it still might take something else to drum up passion for the rivalry. That something may just be stored away in the Weber State Archive.

When the Big Sky Conference was formed in 1963, Idaho State and Weber State made natural rivals, being not only close in proximity, but connected by the railroad that ran through Pocatello and Ogden. For the first six years of the rivalry, students from each school would take turns riding a “game train” to the other campus for the annual football game, a practice that died out when passenger rails left the area. This inspired the Weber State student government to secure an old locomotive train bell in 1964. According to Weber State’s digital exhibits, the bell “rings like the dickens,” and serves as a traveling trophy awarded to the winning school of the game typically held during homecoming week. From 1964 to 1973, the Bengals and Wildcats competed for the Train Bell Trophy a total of 10 times, with Weber winning it a total of seven times. 

It’s difficult to tell exactly what happened following 1973, but after Weber State retained the trophy in a 38-23 victory, the bell was retired and ended up in the Weber State Archives, where it sits today.

Kandice Harris is the WSU Special Collections & University Archival Coordinator at Weber State, a position she has held for 13 years. She says while the bell is still in retirement, it gets put on display every homecoming week for students to come look at, and hear its very loud ring. Recently, some students have begun to be interested in the trophy’s history, as well as its future.

Harris says students at both Weber and Idaho State have reached out in the last year about the trophy, looking to confirm that it still exists. There has been talk of bringing the rivalry bell out of retirement, but so far nothing has been made official. When asked for comment, Paul Grua, Weber State Director of Athletic Communications stated that WSU athletics is “looking into the Train Bell Trophy and are working with Idaho State to bring it back.”

Across the border in Pocatello, Pauline Thiros, Idaho State University Athletic Director, emphasized the Bengal’s enthusiasm for a potential return of the train bell. “Idaho State is all for it,” she said. “The Train Bell Trophy symbolizes the fierce and respected rivalry between Idaho State and Weber State. I, along with The Jungle of ISU, and all of our students, will be excited and appreciative if the Wildcats are willing to bring the Train Bell Trophy out and put it on the line this year.”

Weber and Idaho State are no strangers to rivalry trophies. In 2022, Weber State and Northern Arizona football began playing for the Red Rock Rivalry Trophy. The trophy symbolizes the iconic geography of Utah and Arizona. In recent years, Idaho State and University of Idaho have reintroduced the King Spud Trophy in basketball, and introduced the Potato State Trophy in football, obviously playing off of the state’s top crop.

Those rivalry trophies had the added complications of being conceived and constructed out of scratch. The Train Bell Trophy already exists however. It just needs to be brought out of the archives and back onto the football field. 

“I am always a fan of history being reinstated,” Harris said about bringing the trophy out of retirement. “That would be amazing.”

A Wildcat at heart, however, Harris pointed out she’s not worried about it leaving. “I’m pretty confident in Weber State’s football team, so it would stay here anyway.”

Idaho State travels to Ogden Nov. 9 to play the Wildcats at Stewart Stadium.