Our last “in person” game between state rivals, University of Nevada, Reno and University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is soon approaching. This game and state rivalry has been an important event in our lives for the past 12 years. It’s right up there with Superbowl Sunday and the Academy Awards for our family.

When we married 12 years ago, we knew that it would be difficult for the children to spend holidays with more than one household a day. Children need to play and do not generally like to be opening gifts and eating and getting in the car to go to another household to open more gifts, eat again and get back in the car. We decided that holidays could be celebrated when we were together without disrupting the children, and then we thought it could be just as much fun to create special family days that were not traditional holidays.

So Superbowl Sunday became a family holiday, the kids would pick a team to support, so did we, food was laid out to be grazed upon during the day and lively shouting ensued. The Academy Awards were another family holiday. We printed up the categories, the nominees and everyone voted for who they thought would win and at the end of the night correct answers were added up and a winner named. These were the family days we most looked forward to, more than Christmas and Thanksgiving because these were our special times with our kids and we looked forward to them every year.

The UNR vs. UNLV game isn’t one where anyone picks a team to support. We are now and will forever be UNR fans. This isn’t just any state rivalry . . . we play for the largest trophy of any college team in the U.S., the Fremont Cannon, and it’s a very, very serious event. The winner of the game paints the cannon in their school colors and the cannon has been it’s rightful blue color for the past 7 years. UNR can lose every single game in a season and as long as they beat UNLV they remain champions to all their fans and supporters, and this family. This year, like all the others, we will scream, holler, kick the back of the bleachers and have the time of our lives and will love and support our Wolf Pack for another year . . . as long as they bring that cannon home to it’s rightful place.

We are making the arrangements, getting tickets, arranging a small bus and generally beginning to get pretty excited for game day at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. This game will be bittersweet, but even that can be overcome as long as the cannon stays blue and comes home to Reno.

So say a prayer for our Pack on Saturday, October 13 for a hard fought victory . . . game starts at noon, prayers should start at approximately 11:45 am! Go Pack!

UNR vs. UNLV Football History

1969 Reno  UNR 30–28       

1970 Las Vegas  UNLV 42–30

1971 Reno  UNLV 27–13       

1972 Las Vegas  UNR 41–13       

1973 Reno  UNR 19–3       

1974 Las Vegas  UNLV 28–7       

1975 Reno  UNLV 45–7       

1976 Las Vegas  UNLV 49–33       

1977 Reno  UNLV 27–12       

1978 Las Vegas  UNR 23–14       

1979 Reno  UNLV 26–21       

1983 Las Vegas  UNLV 28–18       

1985 Reno  UNR 48–7       

1987 Las Vegas  UNLV 24–19       

1989 Reno  UNR 45–7

1990 Las Vegas  UNR 26–14       

1991 Reno  UNR 50–8       

1992 Las Vegas  UNR 14–10       

1993 Reno  UNR 49–14

1994 Las Vegas  UNLV 32–27       

1995 Reno  UNR 55–32       

1996 Las Vegas  UNR 54–17       

1997 Reno  UNR 31–14       

1998 Las Vegas  UNR 31–20       

1999 Reno  UNR 26–12       

2000 Las Vegas  UNLV 38–7       

2001 Reno  UNLV 27–12       

2002 Las Vegas  UNLV 21–17       

2003 Reno  UNLV 16–12       

2004 Las Vegas  UNLV 48–13       

2005 Reno  UNR 22–14       

2006 Las Vegas  UNR 31–3       

2007 Reno  UNR 27–20       

2008 Las Vegas  UNR 49–27       

2009 Reno  UNR 63–28       

2010 Las Vegas  UNR 44–26

2011 Reno  UNR 37–0

Total Wins: UNR 22, UNLV 15