Since 2018, Whittier College’s football team has held onto the coveted “Shoes” trophy — the annual prize contested with rival Occidental College.
The tradition goes all the way back to 1939. A week prior to their matchup, members of the Occidental team stole Whittier running back Myron Claxton’s ’40 shoes. Even without his football shoes, Claxton led the Poets to a 36-0 victory over the Tigers, and he walked over to Oxy’s sideline and took back his shoes after the game. Seven years later in 1946, Claxton’s shoes would be bronzed and made into a trophy for the Tigers and Poets to battle over.
Competition between the two teams started in 1907 and the teams have met more than 100 times since that initial game. Oxy led the series score 38-36 since the teams have played for the coveted Shoes trophy, but Whittier won in 2018 with a score of 28-13. Oxy ended its football program 2020, and the trophy is on display in the office of Football Coach Cory White MA ’06.