It was 1953, and MSU, which went by the name of Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, was formally welcomed to participate in Big Ten athletics. Former governor G. Mennen Williams established the Paul Bunyan trophy then, and decided that the first battle between the in-state establishments would be the appropriate time to unveil the trophy.
The Spartans went on to win that first game, and won 11 of the first 17 games in the rivalry. Historic Michigan coach Bo Schembechler helped end that, winning 17 of his 20 contests against the Spartans.
Paul Bunyan has traveled back and forth from Ann Arbor to East Lansing throughout the years, but just like in the beginning, the Paul Bunyan Trophy has been quite comfortable on display in MSU’s campus.