Cortaca Jug


The Cortaca Jug is the trophy given to the annual college football game played between the Red Dragons of the State University of New York at Cortland and the Bombers of Ithaca College. The match-up is one of the most prominent in Division III football. The Cortaca game typically sells out, with thousands of fans packed into the stadium. In 2015—when Cortland topped Ithaca 11–8 on the Bombers home field—over 10,000 people attended the game, which is incredibly unusual for a typical Division III football game. This was surpassed when the game was held at MetLife Stadium in 2019, hosting just over 45,000.

History of the game

The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two schools. The "cort" part coming from SUNY Cortland and the "aca" part coming from Ithaca College. The schools are 21 miles apart in the eastern end of the Finger Lakes region of New York.
The night before the Jug, it is customary for the staff of Cortland's radio station WSUC to play the staff of Ithaca's radio station 92 WICB in a game called "The Cortaca Mic" which takes place at Cortland.
Since 2006, Ithaca College students and alumni residing in Los Angeles have gathered to watch the game in an event dubbed . The event originally began in an apartment in Sherman Oaks, CA. It was held from 2008 to 2010 at The Casting Office in Studio City, CA and since 2011 has been held at its current home, 33 Taps in Hollywood, CA. Between 300 and 400 Ithaca College alumni attend every year.
Ithaca College alumni in New York City have begun watching the game at their own annual event, . The event was started in 2009 by Ithaca alumni living in NYC, and was first held at George Keeley Pub on the Upper West Side. In 2010 it was held at Berry Park in Williamsburg, and in 2011 it took place at Irving Plaza in Union Square. NYCortaca 2012 was held at in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and in 2013 NYCortaca returned to Irving Plaza. NYCortaca 2013 was attended by over 800 Cortaca fans and was the biggest off-campus alumni gathering in Ithaca College history.
More localized Cortland and Ithaca graduates come together to attend the game, or showings of it at the Lynne Parks Hoffmann Alumni House, in Cortland, NY. Examples include an annual gathering from Slabtown, NY.
In 2019, the game was held at MetLife Stadium in the New York City area, as part of commemorations of the 150th anniversary of college football. The game had an attendance of 45,161, the highest in NCAA Division III history.

History of the trophy

The Cortaca Jug was introduced to the already competitive rivalry in 1959 by the captains of the two teams. While driving in nearby Homer in 1959, Cortland football captain Tom Decker stopped at a yard sale and purchased a $2 jug from a local farmer, named Freddy Testa, that he thought could be used as a trophy during the annual game between the two teams. After meeting up with friend and Ithaca football captain Dick Carmean, the two painted the jug blue, gold, red, and white in honor of both schools’ colors. The first Jug ran out of room for scores in the mid-1980s, necessitating a second Jug that sports the most recent results. After 2015, Jug II was also full.

2013 Riot

The Cortaca Jug is usually associated with an assortment of pre- and post-game parties and drinking. Following their 2013 win, SUNY Cortland revelers rioted on the streets of Cortland, throwing beer and other items, flipping cars, and committing other destructive acts that resulted in the arrests of around 30 people. New York State police assisted the crowd control, and a "command post" was set up at the local fire station. SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum issued a formal apology for the students' behavior.
In 2017, Students in Cortland's Student Government Association started a campaign to "Take Back Cortaca". Partnering with Mayor Brian Tobin and local authorities to change the outlook on the college after the riot. Their campaign centered around community service initiatives before and after the game.

The game

Results

Ithaca leads the overall series 41–33–3 and the Cortaca Jug series 37–24.
Pre Cortaca Jugs Games
YearWinnerScoreSite
1930Cortland12–0Cortland
1931Ithaca12–6Ithaca
1932Tie0–0Ithaca
1933Tie6–6Cortland
1934Ithaca7–0Ithaca
1948Cortland19–0Cortland
1949Cortland32–7Ithaca
1950Ithaca7–6Cortland
1951Ithaca13–6Ithaca
1952Cortland39–6Cortland
1953Cortland32–0Ithaca
1954Tie13–13Cortland
1955Cortland28–0Ithaca
1956Cortland37–0Cortland
1957Cortland32–13Ithaca
1958Cortland16–6Cortland

Cortaca Jug Games
YearWinnerScoreSite
1959Cortland13–7Ithaca
1960Ithaca12–6Cortland
1961Ithaca34–0Ithaca
1962Ithaca24–12Cortland
1963Ithaca22–7Ithaca
1964Cortland16–0Cortland
1965Ithaca13–12Ithaca
1966Cortland24–11Cortland
1967Cortland11–7Ithaca
1968Cortland34–13Cortland
1969Ithaca36–28Ithaca
1970Cortland7–0Cortland
1971Ithaca21–13Ithaca
1972Cortland21–16Cortland
1973Ithaca41–33Ithaca
1974Ithaca34–33Cortland
1975Ithaca21–6Ithaca
1976Ithaca28–12Cortland
1977Ithaca38–17Ithaca
1978Ithaca27–13Cortland
1979Ithaca42–7Ithaca
1980Ithaca24–7Cortland
1981Ithaca42–0Ithaca
1982Cortland21–17Cortland
1983Ithaca49–26Ithaca
1984Ithaca42–6Cortland
1985Ithaca41–0Ithaca
1986Ithaca40–12Cortland
1987Ithaca37–15Ithaca
1988Cortland21–20Cortland
#1988Ithaca24–17Ithaca
1989Ithaca28–0Ithaca
1990Ithaca28–14Cortland
1991Ithaca23–14Ithaca
1992Cortland22–20Cortland
1993Ithaca32–14Ithaca
1994Ithaca15–13Cortland
1995Ithaca35–19Ithaca
1996Cortland41–13Cortland
1997Cortland33–28Ithaca
1998Ithaca37–29Cortland
1999Cortland26–21Ithaca
2000Ithaca19–14Cortland
2001Ithaca21–14Ithaca
2002Cortland16–12Cortland
2003Cortland16–15Ithaca
2004Ithaca47–22Cortland
2005Cortland37–30 Ithaca
2006Cortland23–20 Cortland
2007Ithaca40–17Ithaca
2008Ithaca35–13Cortland
2009Ithaca23–20Ithaca
2010Cortland20–17Cortland
2011Cortland27–3Ithaca
2012Cortland16–10Cortland
2013Cortland28–24Ithaca
2014Cortland23–20Cortland
2015Cortland11–8Ithaca
2016Cortland28–16Cortland
2017Ithaca48–20Ithaca
2018Ithaca24–21Cortland
2019Ithaca32–20MetLife Stadium#College_football|



#Quarterfinal playoff game. Does not count in Cortaca Jug game count.