The Heisman Memorial Trophy, given to the nation’s most outstanding collegiate football player, is one of the most recognizable and prestigious trophies in all of sports, with the ball carrier encased in bronze, stiff-arming his way down the field.
The Heisman is also one of the heaviest trophies in sports and hasn’t changed much over the years, coming in at 45 pounds. It is 14 inches long, 13 inches in height, and six inches in width, and no doubt winners will have issues getting it through airport security. Perhaps the thrill of winning a trophy is the ability to pick it up. Some sports trophies don’t have that luxury.
Here are some of the heaviest trophies in sports:
Fremont Cannon
This behemoth of a trophy goes to the winner of UNLV and Nevada. Its namesake comes from soldier and explorer John C. Fremont and is a replica of a cannon he used in the 1840s. It weighs 545 pounds and is by far the heaviest trophy in collegiate sports.
America’s Cup Trophy
This trophy, also known as the Auld Mug, is the crown jewel in sailing, specifically yacht racing, and is made of sterling silver. It weighs 33 pounds and was first awarded in 1851, making it international sports’ oldest trophy. Sailors from the United States have won the competition 30 times.
The Stanley Cup
Perhaps the most recognizable trophy outside the Heisman, the Stanley Cup is given to the National Hockey League champions. The trophy is almost 3 feet tall and weighs 34.5 pounds. The bowl holds 209 fluid ounces and the names of the members of the winning team are engraved on bands on the base. Each player and staff member from the winning team can spend a day with the trophy.
The Borg-Warner Trophy
The winner of the Indianapolis 500 gets to pose with this 110-pound beauty after enjoying a bottle of milk. But the nearly 5½-foot tall trophy, which features the likenesses of every winner of the historic race, stays put at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and the driver who crosses the finish line first at the Brickyard takes home a much smaller replica, called the “Baby Borg.”
Floyd of Rosedale
The winner of the annual Big Ten slugfest between Iowa and Minnesota gets to stare at this bronze swine, which was created because it’s not practical to pass around a live pig every year.
The Floyd of Rosedale is currently in the possession of the Golden Gophers (don’t mention punt return to Hawkeyes fans). It weighs 98 pounds and is 21 inches long and 15 inches tall. Since the first Floyd of Rosedale was awarded in 1935, Iowa leads the series 44–43–2.
The Harley J. Earl Trophy
The Daytona 500 winner is presented with this trophy, which features an XP-21 Firebird on the top and tops the scales at more than 100 pounds. Like the Borg-Warner Trophy, it doesn’t leave the confines of Daytona International Speedway, and the winner takes home a replica. But the replica is no slouch either, weighing 54 pounds and standing 18 inches tall.
The Victory Bell Trophy
When you have to carry a trophy on a carriage and need multiple people to lug it around, you know your muscles will get a workout. This version of the Liberty Bell weighs 295 pounds and has been given to the winner of the crosstown USC-UCLA rivalry since 1942.
