History of the Battle Ax
The “Battle Ax” was conceived and presented by Earle Teas, who then was Pipestone’s head football coach, to Coach Arling Anderson and the Luverne football team in the fall of 1957. The occasion was the celebration in Luverne of their 1957 untied and undefeated football season. The final game of the year, the annual battle with Pipestone, had been canceled because of a flu epidemic.
Coach Teas, in presenting the trophy to the Luverne coach and team, described the traditional rivalry between the two teams as a “healthy” one.
The trophy, presented as a surprise to the Luverne group, was a 16-inch long log with an ax driven into it. The ax-head is red on one side and green on the other, representing the schools’ colors. Inscribed on the handle is “The Old Battle Ax.”
Coach Anderson, in accepting the trophy for Luverne, stated that he thought the traveling trophy was a good idea. He felt it would lend a special motivation for both teams in their annual grid-iron battle, and added that a special case would have to be built for the trophy because it was too heavy to be displayed in the Cardinal’s trophy case.
Coach Teas proposed that the trophy remain in Luverne for the year after it was presented, but then it should be the prize that would be the property of the winner of the next year’s ARROW-CARDINAL tilt, and thereafter remain in possession of the team that would win the annual football classic.
2019 will be the 62nd game played since this trophy was created.
|
Year
|
Pipestone
|
Luverne
|
Pipestone Coach
|
Luverne Coach
|
|
1958
|
7
|
20
|
Earle Teas
|
Arling Anderson
|
|
1959
|
13
|
26
|
Earle Teas
|
Arling Anderson
|
|
1960
|
0
|
33
|
Earle Teas
|
Arling Anderson
|
|
1961
|
13
|
6
|
Earle Teas
|
Arling Anderson
|
|
1962
|
21
|
6
|
Earle Teas
|
Robert Lorentzen & Ernie Dahlberg
|
|
1963
|
7
|
31
|
Bill Klitzke
|
Larry Kover
|
|
1964
|
13
|
36
|
Bill Klitzke
|
Larry Kover
|
|
1965
|
13
|
12
|
Bill Klitzke
|
Larry Kover
|
|
1966
|
12
|
14
|
Bill Klitzke
|
Larry Kover
|
|
1967
|
0
|
34
|
Bill Klitzke
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1968
|
26
|
33
|
Bill Klitzke
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1969
|
27
|
6
|
Bill Klitzke
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1970
|
20
|
0
|
Bob Nangle
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1971
|
23
|
8
|
Bob Nangle
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1972
|
13
|
28
|
Bob Nangle
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1973
|
16
|
33
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1974
|
12
|
0
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1975
|
21
|
8
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1976
|
21
|
6
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1977
|
48
|
7
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1978
|
18
|
7
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1979
|
34
|
14
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1980
|
34
|
8
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1981
|
28
|
6
|
Dick Fortier
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1982
|
20
|
0
|
Warren Buerkley
|
Elmer Menage
|
|
1983
|
13
|
6
|
Warren Buerkley
|
Bob Osterday
|
|
1984
|
18
|
14
|
Warren Buerkley
|
Bob Osterday
|
|
1985
|
0
|
6
|
Warren Buerkley
|
Bob Osterday
|
|
1986
|
12
|
14
|
Warren Bailey
|
Bob Osterday
|
|
1987
|
8
|
26
|
Warren Bailey
|
Bob Osterday
|
|
1988
|
6
|
34
|
Warren Bailey
|
Bob Osterday
|
|
1989
|
8
|
0
|
Warren Bailey
|
Bob Osterday
|
|
1990
|
13
|
6
|
Warren Bailey
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1991
|
6
|
28
|
Warren Bailey
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1992
|
7
|
27
|
Warren Bailey
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1993
|
19
|
22
|
Warren Bailey
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1994
|
6
|
25
|
Warren Bailey
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1995
|
7
|
12
|
Tim Bjorge
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1996
|
7
|
0
|
Tim Bjorge
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1997
|
22
|
20
|
Tim Bjorge
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1998
|
6
|
37
|
Tim Bjorge
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
1999
|
9
|
7
|
Darren Baartman
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
2000
|
14
|
28
|
Darren Baartman
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
2001
|
14
|
34
|
Richard Schroyer
|
Joel Swanson
|
|
2002
|
21
|
7
|
Richard Schroyer
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2003
|
7
|
14
|
Richard Schroyer
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2004
|
12
|
19
|
Richard Schroyer
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2005
|
6
|
24
|
Richard Schroyer
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2006
|
7
|
10
|
Richard Schroyer
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2007
|
13
|
41
|
Troy Bouman
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2009
|
14
|
17
|
Troy Bouman
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2010
|
0
|
7
|
Troy Bouman
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2011
|
6
|
35
|
Troy Bouman
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2012
|
7
|
28
|
Troy Bouman
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2013
|
22
|
21
|
Troy Bouman
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2014
|
18
|
16
|
Troy Bouman
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2015
|
21
|
6
|
Clay Anderson
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2016
|
6
|
23
|
Clay Anderson
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2017
|
14
|
0
|
Clay Anderson
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2018
|
33
|
12
|
Clay Anderson
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2019
|
13
|
12
|
Clay Anderson
|
Todd Oye
|
|
2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
2021
|
|
|
|
|
|
2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
2023
|
|
|
|
|
|
2024
|
|
|
|
|
|
2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
2027
|
|
|
|
|
|
2028
|
|
|
|
|
|
2029
|
|
|
|
|
|
2030
|
|
|
|
|
|
