Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy

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The Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy is the award given to the winner of regular season basketball games between the University of Dayton and Xavier University.

Origin of Competition

The first meeting between the two Catholic universities was a 24-18 victory by Dayton on February 20, 1920. [link] The two schools have maintained an annual meeting since then, frequently meeting twice in one season. The series has been interrupted four times, most recently from 1943-45 due to World War II. Xavier held a commanding early lead in the series until Dayton won 61 of the next 74 games beginning in 1950. The rivalry between the two schools took on added significance beginning in the 1988-89 season when Dayton joined Xavier in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) and again in the 1995-96 season when Dayton and Xavier joined the Atlantic 10 Conference. Through the 2004-05 season, Dayton leads the all-time series 79-59.

The Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy

In the 1980-81 season, the two schools began playing for the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy during regular season meetings. Named for former Dayton coach Tom Blackburn and former Xavier coach James McCafferty[link], the award commemorates the two men responsible for raising the national profile of their respective basketball programs. The winner retains possession of the trophy until the next meeting. Since the inception of the Blackburn/McCafferty Trophy, Xavier leads 26-15 in the regular season meetings. Along with the trophy, a MVP is named for the game and scholarship money is raised for each university[link].

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