Last updated: November 1, 2026
The Bronze Turkey game returns on Saturday, November 14, 2026, when Monmouth visits Knox in Galesburg with a 26-game winning streak in one of college football’s oldest rivalries. The prize is a one-foot bronze bird that has been stolen, buried, ransomed and replaced since 1928, and the stories around it are as good as any in Division III.
Quick summary
- Monmouth leads the series 75-52-10 and has won 26 straight; Knox’s last win came in 1998, 28-20.
- The teams have met since 1888, with the first recorded score in 1891 (Knox 22-4).
- The Bronze Turkey trophy dates to 1928 and has disappeared several times, once for about a decade.
- Monmouth won 69-0 in 2025 and entered 2026 as the near-unanimous Midwest Conference preseason favorite.
How the Bronze Turkey Became a Trophy
Knox, in Galesburg, and Monmouth are neighbors in western Illinois. According to Knox College’s history of the game, the rivalry traces to an 1881 prediction in The Knox Student, the teams have met since 1888, and the first recorded score is an 1891 Knox win, 22-4.
The trophy arrived in 1928. Bill Collins, a Knox player sidelined by injury and working as a reporter for the Galesburg Register-Mail, wanted to give the game more spice. He persuaded the Register-Mail’s publisher and the Monmouth Review-Atlas managing editor to pay $40 each for a one-foot replica of a Thanksgiving turkey, a nod to the years when the game was played on Thanksgiving Day.
The Heists
- 1941: The turkey was stolen from Monmouth and found about five years later, buried under the cinder track in Monmouth’s gym.
- Later years: Two students, presumably from Knox, took it from Monmouth by posing as photographers.
- 1983: A vandal broke a Monmouth display case, and the original disappeared again.
- 1986: The Register-Mail provided a replacement.
- 1993: The original resurfaced. Today the winner takes home both birds.
The 1955 courthouse fire
The pranks went beyond the trophy. In 1955, a six-car Monmouth caravan set out to paint “Beat Knox” signs and burn an “M” into the Knox field. The raiders mistook the Knox County Courthouse for campus and set fire to the Mother Bickerdyke statue on its lawn. They were caught, fined and suspended for 21 days.
A famous Knox alum
Knox’s most infamous graduate, FBI agent turned spy Robert Hanssen (class of 1966), has been linked to one of the trophy thefts in local retellings of the rivalry. That story has not been confirmed by either school, but it has become part of Bronze Turkey lore.
Bronze Turkey Series at a Glance
- All-time record: Monmouth leads 75-52-10
- First game: 1888 (first recorded score 1891, Knox 22-4)
- Last meeting: November 15, 2025, Monmouth 69, Knox 0 at Zorn Memorial Stadium
- Current streak: Monmouth, 26 straight
- Knox’s last win: 1998, 28-20
- Milestone: the series passed 100 games in 1989, the fourth Division III rivalry to reach that mark
Knox led the series until 1992, which makes Monmouth’s current run even more striking. The 2025 game recap confirms the current record and streak.
The 2026 Game
This year’s Bronze Turkey game is Saturday, November 14, in Galesburg. Monmouth won the 2025 Midwest Conference title and was the near-unanimous preseason favorite in the league’s 2026 coaches poll. Knox gets the home crowd and a chance to end a streak that dates to 1999.
What to watch
- Can Knox end 26 years of losses at home?
- Monmouth shut out Knox 69-0 last year, so even a competitive game would be a step forward for the Prairie Fire.
- Whatever the score, both birds change hands only if the streak ends.
Ties, overtime and close calls
The series includes 10 ties from before college football’s tiebreaker rule, the last a 3-3 game in 1983. The 1991 meeting went to overtime, with Monmouth winning 13-7, one of several close games in the stretch when the series lead changed hands.
The NIL Angle
No one in this game is playing for a big NIL deal. These are Division III athletes playing a rivalry that dates to the 1880s for a bronze bird and local pride. Read more in our guide to D3 colleges and the D3 NIL reality, and for another great small-college rivalry, see Hope vs. Calvin. Follow the Fighting Scots on the Monmouth College page on RallyFuel.
FAQ
What is the Bronze Turkey?
It is the trophy for the Knox vs. Monmouth football rivalry, a one-foot bronze turkey introduced in 1928.
Who leads the Knox vs. Monmouth series?
Monmouth leads 75-52-10 and has won 26 straight meetings.
When is the 2026 Bronze Turkey game?
Saturday, November 14, 2026, in Galesburg, Illinois.
Why is the trophy a turkey?
The game was once played on Thanksgiving Day, before the Midwest Conference formed.
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