The history behind the Bell Game

Tonight is the 90th playing of the Bell Game between Rhinelander and Antigo high schools as the teams renew acquaintances at Schofield Stadium in Antigo.

The Bell Trophy has been traded between the rival schools since 1935 when Rhinelander Daily News sportswriter Jack Cory swapped trophy-trade ideas with Antigo writers Fred “Bus” Snyder and Johnny Tradewell. They eventually opted for the Bell over an old oaken bucket.

The Bell was once a piece of Gene Shepard’s most expensive fancies. In 1903, Shepard, the creator of the hodag myth, built a large sternwheeler boat on the east shore of Boom Lake for about $13,000 with another $9,000 in silver and satin. The boat drew in water and rolled at its own dock.

With the help of Shepard’s widow, Cory was able to acquire the Bell from a dusty corner of Shepard’s barn. Rhinelander firemen refurbished the bell and industrial arts students at RHS fashioned the framework and backboard, which is adorned with the name of the winner and final score of each year’s game.

The winning school gets the honor of keeping the Bell in its trophy case and paints the Bell’s legs in its school colors.

The Rhinelander-Antigo rivalry predates the Bell. Tonight marks the 103rd meeting all-time between the schools. According to records kept by WisSports.net, the Hodags and Red Robins first met on the gridiron in 1917 and have met at least one every year since 1921 — making it the fifth-longest active continuous rivalry in the state, and the 15th-most played rivalry in the state overall.

Since the two teams began playing for the Bell, Antigo holds a 56-31-2 edge in the series. Antigo enjoys the two longest winnings streaks in the series — having won 13 in a row between 1961 and 1973, and 12 straight between 2007 and 2018. Rhinelander’s longest winning streak in the series was 10 games between 1943 and 1952.

Antigo has won the last two Bell Games, after the Hodags had won three in a row from 2019-2021. 

“We’ve put ourselves in positions where we can win that game and made it a rivalry again,” Hodag football coach Aaron Kraemer said this week. “I know that Antigo wants to win it and when I started here, it was more like a formality that they were going to win … To be able to put the rivalry back in it and to put the heat back on Antigo, to get them to really want to win that game, that’s excellent.” 

PAST BELL GAME RESULTS

Year    Winner    Score

1935    Rhinelander     19-13

1936    Rhinelander     22-0

1937    Rhinelander     31-6

1938    Rhinelander     27-7

1939    Antigo     19-0

1940    Antigo     20-19

1941    Tie     13-13

1942    Antigo     19-12

1943    Rhinelander    19-0

1944    Rhinelander     14-12

1945    Rhinelander     26-6

1946    Rhinelander     28-0

1947    Rhinelander     14-6

1948    Rhinelander     26-0

1949    Rhinelander     6-0

1950    Rhinelander     27-0

1951    Rhinelander     18-6

1952    Rhinelander     14-13

1953    Antigo     38-6

1954    Antigo     19-6

1955    Rhinelander     25-6

1956    Rhinelander     20-13

1957    Antigo     20-13

1958    Tie     13-13

1959    Antigo     28-6

1960    Rhinelander     21-19

1961    Antigo     40-7

1962    Antigo     20-6

1963    Antigo     39-7

1964    Antigo     6-0

1965    Antigo     33-7

1966    Antigo     19-0

1967    Antigo     11-6

1968    Antigo     32-14

1969    Antigo     52-8

1970    Antigo     38-0

1971    Antigo     20-0

1972    Antigo    33-0

1973    Antigo     26-6

1974    Rhinelander     32-12

1975    Antigo     24-0

1976    Antigo     26-12

1977    Antigo     8-6

1978    Antigo     33-7

1979    Rhinelander     14-0

1980    Antigo     14-12

1981    Antigo     25-12

1982    Antigo     28-16

1983    Antigo     28-0

1984    Antigo     41-6

1985    Antigo     48-0

1986    Antigo     35-7

1987    Antigo     50-0

1988    Antigo     35-0

1989    Rhinelander     31-0

1990    Antigo     22-12

1991    Antigo     42-7

1992    Antigo     52-0

1993    Antigo     32-21

1994    Rhinelander     22-14* 

1995    Antigo     8-7*

1996    Rhinelander     27-26*

1997    Antigo     30-13

1998    Rhinelander     26-20*

1999    Rhinelander     34-28

2000    Rhinelander     28-19

2001    Antigo     15-14

2002    Rhinelander     14-0

2003    Antigo     48-14

2004    Antigo     47-32

2005    Antigo     28-14

2006    Rhinelander     22-18

2007    Antigo     31-14

2008    Antigo     48-6

2009    Antigo     49-21

2010    Antigo     41-0

2011    Antigo     42-13

2012    Antigo     32-7

2013    Antigo    27-0

2014    Antigo    28-7

2015    Antigo    20-14

2016    Antigo    25-6

2017    Antigo    48-7

2018    Antigo    24-13

2019    Rhinelander    20-10

2020    Rhinelander    21-18** 

2021    Rhinelander    42-0

2022    Antigo    26-14

2023    Antigo    24-0

* Overtime

** Double overtime