A Brief History of the Stanford Axe

The historic trophy returned to Stanford for the first time since 2020

Nov 22, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal players take possession of the axe after the game against the California Golden Bears at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The axe is back. After five years of being away from Stanford, the university finally reclaimed the coveted Stanford Axe for the first time since 2020 after the Stanford Cardinal beat Cal 31-10 in this year's edition of Big Game.

Going into the game with a major sense of urgency, Stanford wasted no time in getting out ahead and successfully accomplished their main goal for 2025-- beating their rival Cal.

But with the axe back on campus, what exactly is it? The trophy, which is an axe head mounted on a large wooden plaque that contains all the past Big Game scores, is a very prestigious award that became the official Big Game trophy in 1933.

But, the axe actually made its first appearance in 1899 during a Stanford rally. Two days later, the axe made its second appearance at a Cal-Stanford baseball game—its last appearance for over 30 years. On that day, a group of Cal students stole the axe and despite a pursuit, they successfully ran off with it and returned it to Berkeley where for the next 31 years, it stayed there as a prize of conquest.

In 1930, Stanford University recaptured the axe despite it being heavily guarded by Cal. Bringing it back to campus, it was then paraded around by Stanford students and then put into a bank vault in Palo Alto, with both universities needing to figure out what to do with it.

Finally in 1933 a decision was made to make the axe the official trophy of the game with the winner being able to take it back to their school for at least one year until the next Big Game. In the event of a tie, which happened in 1950, 1953 and 1988, the side that already possessed the axe would get to keep it.

But even with the axe becoming the game's trophy, there have still been multiple attempts by both schools to steal it. Since the 1933 recapturing by Stanford, Cal students have stolen the axe three times while Stanford has four times, with the most recent incident occurring in 1973.

But in the modern era, the axe has been heavily protected to where whichever school wins the trophy is able to know that it will safely remain with them until a Big Game result warrants a switch. Since the award became a trophy, Stanford has held the axe 48 times to Cal's 38.

Axe traditions

In terms of traditions, the Stanford Axe is filled with many. One of the most notable traditions is based on whichever school has the Axe. The score of the 1982 game, the game where the infamous 'The Play' happened where the Stanford band went onto the field on the last play, is changed to say either Cal 25-20 or Stanford 20-19 based on where the axe is being held.

But, the official score of 25-20 must be on the plaque before the Big Game starts.

During the Big Game, the axe is displayed by the school that won the previous year and when the game ends, especially if the other school wins, the axe is transferred during what is dubbed 'The Stare Down'—where both school's spirit committees stare each other down while the hand over the axe.

When Stanford holds the axe, it is guarded by the Stanford Axe Committee and kept in a private location when not in the Arrillaga Sports Center.

There is no denying that the axe has a rich history, making the signifcance of Big Game even bigger. While not a big rivalry in the grand scheme of things in the world of college football, Stanford-Cal always brings some of the best traditions in the entire sport.