• Sgt. York Trophy Background/History
Saturday will mark the beginning of the 17th year of the Sergeant York Trophy presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee in the Ohio Valley Conference as Tennessee State travels to UT Martin.
In 2014 Delta Dental of Tennessee became the presenting sponsor of the Trophy.
The Sgt. York Trophy goes to the winner of the season series between the OVC football playing schools located in the state of Tennessee - Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee at Martin. The award was created in 2007 by the Nashville Sports Council.
The award is named in honor of Alvin C. York, the most noted Soldier of World War I. As a corporal in the 2nd battalion, 328th Infantry, in the Battle of the Meuse River-Argonne (Oct. 8, 1918), York and seven other soldiers captured 132 prisoners, was promoted to sergeant and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, the French Legion of Honor, the Croce di Guerra of Italy and the War Medal of Montenegro. Upon his return to the United States in 1919, he was bestowed the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Following the war York returned his home in Pall Mall, Tennessee (located in north central Tennessee, 55 miles northeast of Cookeville) where he dedicated his life to improving education and facilitating educational opportunities for children in the state of Tennessee. In 1927 he established the Alvin C. York Institute after spending several years raising money for the school which opened as a private institution. That school was established, in part, to provide educational opportunities denied to the boys and girls of Fentress Country. In 1937, the Institute became a state special school after an appeal to the Tennessee State Legislature. The school, located in Jamestown, Tenn., is still in operation today.
York died on Sept. 2, 1964 and the foundation which he helped establish in 1920 – The Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation – was dormant for many years.
After the completion of the football season, the Sergeant York Trophy is awarded to the institution with the best head-to-head record in the match-ups with their fellow Tennessee schools. In the event of a tie, the award is shared; however, the previous winner will retain the trophy if they are part of the tie. If the tie is between two other institutions, the trophy will go to the institution that has gone the most seasons without winning the trophy.
2023 Sgt. York Trophy Games Schedule
September 30 - Tennessee State at UT Martin
November 4 - UT Martin at Tennessee Tech
November 18 - Tennessee Tech at Tennessee State