100th Meeting Between Crosstown Rivals Set for Saturday

This Saturday at Sparks Stadium, crosstown rivals Pacific Lutheran University and University of Puget Sound will meet on the gridiron for the 100th time in the storied rivalry. 

The Loggers enjoy a slim 49-45-5 edge in the all-time series that dates back to the Lutes first ever college football season in 1931. 

Notable Facts About The Rivalry

• From 1947 until 2019 the two Tacoma institutions played for the Totem  Pole Trophy. Since the fall of 2021, the rivals have battled for possession of “The Trophy.”
• Puget Sound has never won The Trophy since it was unveiled in 2021, getting outscored 110-17 in those three meetings
• From 1948 to 1965 the rivalry was played twice a year. It was also played twice during the COVID spring season of 2021. 
• The rivalry has been contested every academic year since 1983
• PLU won 17 straight from 1988 to 2004 and 26 of 27 from 1988 to 2014
• The two teams have split the last 10 meetings

Notable Games from the Series:

Sept. 19, 1931: PLU plays Puget Sound in the Lutes’ first ever college football game. The host Loggers would win the game 20-0.

Oct. 18, 1941: PLU crushes Puget Sound 47-0 at the Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma. Just the fourth ever meeting between the team’s it’s the Lutes first win in the intracity rivalry.

Sept. 17, 1977: The two squads met at the newly constructed Kingdome in Seattle with the Loggers squeaking out a 23-21 victory in front of 13,167 fans. 

Sept. 17, 1983: After a three year hiatus in the series, the two squads meet in the TacomaDome for the first time, a game the Lutes grind out a 13-10 victory. The game has been played annual since, including in the TacomaDome from 1983 to 1990.

Sept. 15, 1988: PLU rolls Puget Sound 30-7 inside the TacomaDome, kicking off the Lutes’ 17 year reign over the Loggers.

Nov. 13, 1993: The Lutes roll the Loggers 41-7 in the regular season finale. PLU would go on to win four playoff games, including hoisting the program’s third NAIA Division II National title with a 50-20 victory over Westminster College. 

Nov. 15, 1997: The series plays its first game at PLU’s current home of Sparks Stadium. The Lutes steamroll the visitors 52-10. 

Nov. 13, 1999: The Lutes crush Puget Sound 49-13 in the regular season finale. PLU would hit the road for the NCAA Division III playoffs, winning five road games including the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl to win the program’s fourth national title.

Nov. 10, 2001: Pacific Lutheran lights up the scoreboard, piling on a series record 62 points in a 62-14 thrashing of the Loggers at Sparks Stadium. 

Nov. 1, 2014: The Lutes win their ninth straight over the Loggers, securing a 42-27 win.

Oct. 31, 2015: In a driving rainstorm on the natural grass of Baker Stadium, the host Loggers score a late fourth quarter touchdown to win by an unusual 6-2 scoreline.  

Feb. 6, 2021: The college football season was moved to an abbreviated spring schedule with no fans in the stands due to the COVID pandemic. The homestanding Loggers squeak out a 28-20 victory over the Lutes to kick off the four-game spring slate. 

Nov. 6, 2021: PLU blanks the Logger 33-0 at Sparks Stadium to claim The Trophy for the first time. 

The Lute-Logger Rivalry extends beyond the gridiron. This fall, the two schools have played six times across the sports of men's and women's soccer and volleyball with PLU enjoying a slim 2-1-3 edge this fall. 

Kickoff on Saturday at Sparks Stadium is set for 1 p.m.