Minnesota and Nebraska football fans continue fundraising rivalry

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The "Bits of Broken Chair" trophy and fundraiser has become an unofficial rivalry symbol between the Gopher and Cornhuskers football teams thanks to fans. 

In 2014, an online Twitter beef between a Nebraska fan and the Gopher mascot lead to the Bits of Broken Chair rivalry trophy between the two teams. A few years later, the organizations decided to end the trophy, but fans stepped in to carry on the rivalry and turn it into a fundraiser for each teams’ children’s hospitals. 

In 2017, when P.J. Fleck became the Gopher’s head coach, Gopher football fan Mary Stepnick and other fans decided to embrace Fleck’s push for public service and bring the Bits of Broken Chair trophy back. The chair trophy is a play on "charity." 

"(Fleck) had the serving and giving culture attributes to his Row the Boat culture and we saw it as a great opportunity to not only make a great pun on charity but also show the teams we support them in what they do off the field as well," Stepnick said. 

Since then, every year, fans from both teams compete to raise money for their children’s hospitals. Gopher fans raise money for the University of Minnesota M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital. Cornhusker fans donate to the Team Jack Foundation, an organization that works with hospitals to research childhood cancers. 

"Last year it just took off and we raised about $48,000 last year alone. As of yesterday, we passed $100,000 total between the two organizations in the sixth year here so we’re very proud of that word of mouth grass roots just fan led," Stepnick said. 

For the past several years, Gopher fans have donated to former Gopher football player Casey O’Brien’s foundation. O’Brien is trying to raise $1 million to renovate a floor at the hospital where kids receive cancer treatments. O’Brien has received several treatments there himself. 

"Casey O’Brien’s Team 14 Foundation that is set up to help renovate and remodel the infusion center here where a lot of the kids get their treatment to set that up to be a little more kid friendly, less of a technical, medical environment for them that they can have some positive memories up there," Stepnick said. 

Stepnick is getting ready to take the trophy to Nebraska for the game this weekend. Before she and other fans hit the road they’ll hold a fundraiser at Stub and Herbs near campus on Thursday night from 7 until 9 p.m. Gopher football players Chris Autman-Bell and Brevyn Spann-Ford will be there to meet fans. 

Click here for more information on the fundraiser and "Bits of Broken Chair."