Land of Lincoln Trophy The Illinois – Northwestern football rivalry is a college football rivalry between the Illinois Fighting Illini football team of the University of Illinois and Northwestern Wildcats football team of Northwestern University . The Land of Lincoln Trophy is presented to the winner of the game . The teams began competing for the new prize in 2009 , replacing the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk , which was used from 1945 until 2008 . Traveling trophies . Sweet Sioux Tomahawk . The Sweet Sioux Tomahawk was presented to the winner of the annual football game between the two schools . The original trophy was a carved wooden " cigar store " Indian , but was stolen and replaced by a replica of a tomahawk . Northwestern won the Tomahawk first in 1945 , beating Illinois 13 - 7 in Evanston . At the end of the 2008 football season , when the teams last played for the trophy , Illinois held a 52 - 45 - 5 edge in the series overall , and a 33 - 29 - 2 lead during the era of the Tomahawk . Northwestern narrowed the series record in the trophy ' s final years , winning five of the last six meetings . The 2008 game in Evanston was the final time the two teams played for the Tomahawk , which Northwestern won 27 - 10 . The NCAA mandated that all Native American imagery deemed hostile and abusive must be removed from college athletics , including the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk . Before the game , the schools agreed that Northwestern would be the trophy ' s permanent resting place . If Illinois had won the game , it would have surrendered the trophy to Northwestern after the on - field celebration . Land of Lincoln Trophy . Beginning in 2009 , the two schools played for the Land of Lincoln Trophy . The trophy derives its name from the official state nickname of Illinois and depicts a bronze replica of a stovepipe hat famously worn by Abraham Lincoln . It was designed by Dick Tracy cartoonist Dick Locher and cast by sculptor Don Reed of River ' s Edge Foundry , Beloit Wisconsin . Northwestern won the trophy in it inaugural game in 2009 . The 2010 contest was played at Wrigley Field , home of Major League Baseball ' s Chicago Cubs . It was the first football game at Wrigley Field since 1970 and the first collegiate football game at Wrigley Field since 1938 . The field used an east - west field configuration ( home plate to right field ) . In order to keep the playing field at regulation size , the safety clearances for each end zone to the walls in the field were considerably less than normal . In particular , the east ( right field ) end zone came under scrutiny as its end zone was wedged extremely close to the right field wall ( as close as one foot in some areas ) , forcing the goal posts to be hung from the right field wall in order to fit . Despite extra padding provided in these locations , it was decided that all offensive plays for both teams play to the west end zone , where there was more safety clearance . The east end zone could still be used on defensive touchdowns and punt returns , as well as defensive safeties ; in fact , there was one interception run back for an eastbound touchdown . Illinois won the game 48 - 27 . Northwestern won the most recent meeting 50 - 14 , and is currently 47 - 54 - 5 in the overall series . Starting in 2014 , the Land of Lincoln game will become a division contest when Illinois and Northwestern are aligned into the Western division to accommodate the arrival of Maryland and Rutgers . The Big Ten announced its plans to realign its schools geographically in April 2013 in time for the 2014 football season .