Although it's most commonly referred to in shorthand, the full name of Michigan vs.
Michigan State's prize is the Paul Bunyan Governor of Michigan Trophy.
That obviously doesn't roll off the tongue, but it pays homage to Michigan's 1949-1960 governor G.
Mennen Williams, who established the trophy tradition in 1953 after Michigan State joined the Big Ten.
The trophy is meant to honor Michigan's lumber industry, dating back to the 1800s.
Who is Paul Bunyan? Paul Bunyan is an American and Canadian folk hero: a giant lumberjack who is often depicted as having a love for buffalo plaid and his giant blue ox, Babe.
True to the intent of the trophy, his legend was spread through loggers, and often involved incredible feats of strength.
Michigan is one of the claimed "birthplaces" of Bunyan specifically Oscoda a town on the coast of Lake Huron in northeast Michigan.