The “official” name for the “Coaches’ Trophy” is….

…the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Championship Trophy and is awarded by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) to the winner of college football’s BCS National Championship Game, which determines the national champion for purposes of the Coaches Poll. The trophy has been awarded since 1986 and has been tied to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game since 1998. The winning institution retains the AFCA Trophy for permanent display on campus, as a new one is awarded every year.

The trophy is made of a Waterford® Crystal actual size crystal football affixed to an ebony base, and has an estimated value of over $30,000 (est.2009). The overall trophy is 34 inches tall and weighs 45 pounds. The football portion of the trophy weighs approximately 7 pounds. It is handmade by an artist in Ireland and takes nearly 3 months to complete. The handmade Crystal football is an exquisite design that contains intricate deep cuts that reflect a rainbow of color and light–making each one truly a work of art. It is designed to become a cherished heirloom.  This elegant trophy is a proud treasure symbolizing monumental hard work, dedication and success. It is the top award in NCAA Division 1 Football.

The trophy has undergone several sponsorship changes over the years. It was sponsored by the Gerrits Foundation during the initial 1986 and 1987 seasons.  Pepsi came aboard as a co-sponsor in 1988 and 1989. McDonald’s was the sole sponsor from 1990 until 1992. Sears became the trophy’s sponsor in 1993 and remained so until 2001. Circuit City assumed sponsorship duties for the 2002season. ADT Security Services, the current sponsor, took over in 2003. As the sponsor obtains naming rights to the trophy, its current name is actually the “ADT National Championship Trophy.”

Since 1986, the winner of the UPI or USA Today Coaches’ Poll has received the Coaches’ Trophy.

A little known fact of the Coaches’ Trophy… is that in 2006 the triumphant University of Florida football team suffered an accident with the BCS championship trophy. The awarded and coveted crystal trophy was knocked off its pedestal and destroyed. No details of who was responsible or how it was destroyed are known. A new trophy was created and presented. The Gators have won three national championships, also earning crystal footballs in 1996 and 2006.

The “Flying Hawaiian” (Shane Victorino) kisses the Commissioner’s Trophy

… The Commissioner’s Trophy, which is awarded to the Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Champion.  The other professional sport league awards are named after Lord Stanley (the Stanley Cup -NHL), Vince Lombardi (the Vince Lombardi Trophy -NFL), and Larry O’Brien (Larry O’Brien Trophy – NBA).

Winning the Commissioner’s Trophy brings tears of joy to the eyes of grown men, and to a city starved for a winner.  It is an experience seeing the streets of a city fill to capacity with cheering passionate fans.  As Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams (ex-player and current broadcaster) said so accurately “winning the championship allows all of us to act as if we are all 8 years old once again”…without a care – experiencing sheer joy. Winning the ultimate award in your profession, after years of sacrifice and hard work, brings emotion – heartfelt, deep emotion. The presentation of the Commissioner’s trophy captures and symbolizes the accomplishment.

The Commissioner’s Trophy, designed by Lawrence Voegele, of Owatanna, Minnesota, was first awarded in 1967, when the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Boston Red Sox. The trophy is unlike the Stanley Cup, which is passed down, year by year, to the champions of the National Hockey League, a new Commissioner’s Trophy is created each year, much like the Vince Lombardi Trophy of the National Football League and the Larry O’Brien Trophy of the National Basketball Association.

The current trophy, was redesigned slightly in 1999 and made by Tiffany & Co and presented for first time at the conclusion of the 2000 World Series, which was won by the New York Yankees. The trophy is presented to the ownership of the World Series-winning team by the Commissioner of Baseball. In addition to the team trophy, each player recieves a World Series Championship Ring.

It is made of sterling silver and is 24 inches tall, excluding the base. It is 11 inches around and weighs approximately 30 pounds. The trophy features 30 gold-plated, hand-furled flags, one for each of the Major League teams. The flags surround and rise above an arched silver ox baseball with latitude and longitude lines that symbolize the world. The baseball also contains 24-karat vermeil baseball stitches. The baseball itself weighs over 10 pounds. The base contains the inscription and the signature of the commissioner. The estimated value of the trophy is approximately $15,000. The front design has been changed slightly from the last modification in 1999, now having two different size bases.

The previous design contained a gold crown at the top of a haloed gold metal circle with a silver metallic baseball at the base. Two logoed pins, representing the winning teams, were mounted in front of the metal halo. This design proved too delicate, which necessitated the redesign.

The Commissioner’s Trophy is awarded each year by Major League Baseball to the team winning the World Series. The World Series is played between the champion clubs of the American League and the National League, which collectively include 30 clubs based in the United States and one club from Canada. The “modern” World Series has been an annual event since 1903.

Baseball has employed various championship formulas since the 1860s. When the term “World Series” is used by itself, it is usually understood to refer to the “modern” World Series exclusively. The first modern World Series was between the Boston Americans (as in “American Leaguers” — now the Red Sox) of the American League and the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League in 1903. Boston won the Series 5 games to 3, helping to establish the new league’s credibility. However, the next year, the National League champion New York Giants refused to play the American League champions (Boston again) because of the alleged inferiority of the American League, along with the legitimate claim that there were no formal or standard rules for this championship (a factor which had helped kill the 1880s version of the Series). In response, the World Series was instituted in 1905 as a permanent institution, through which the leagues would “meet annually in a series of games for the Professional Base Ball Championship of the World.
The original World Series held in 1903, was a best of nine affair. No World Series was held in 1904 and the best of seven series was used until 1919. The five-of-nine format was used from 1919 through 1921, but it reverted back to a best-of-seven series in 1922. That is the same format used today.

In their “10 Proven Tactics for Rock Solid Recognition,” Recognition Professionals International (RPI) mentions that part of growing a wonderful employee recognition program is learning from the best. Look at companies that are known for their recognition programs for inspiration, and choose the tactics that will work best for your company culture.

You can start your search for inspiration with TELUS Communications, the winner of the    2011 Best Practice Standards® Award for Best Overall Recognition Program.  The key to the success of this program was the companies commitment to create a culture of appreciation and motivate their employees in order to promote values the company upholds: corporate citizenship and environmentalism. TELUS tailored the rewards of their employee recognition programs to fit their values: employees could choose to donate recognition points to charities in their communities, or they could have a tree planted to celebrate career milestones.

A reward that reflects company values can prove more significant and memorable than one chosen at random. How can your company provide meaningful rewards that are aligned with your values?

Knowing I was in the Recognition and Appreciation businesss, a  freind recently forwarded an article by the editor of the Chief Learning Officer magazine.  The article starts with the question “Remember the Gold Star?   The editor goes on to back up his feelings about being acknowledged and the feeling of importance he recieved by “seeing a gold star on my paper”.

Current findings in positive psychology and organizational development suggest that people and organizations flourish when they focus on achievements and best practices.

The editor’s letter states that “In her thought-provoking book The Power of Acknowledgment, Judith W. Umlas maintains that acknowledging each other’s accomplishments, talent and wisdom on a continuous basis is the grown-up equivalent of the grade school gold star and can revolutionize the workplace.”  To read the article please visit http://clomedia.com/articles/view/got-acknowledgment.

If you would like to acknowledge someone in your organization with a “Gold Star” click here.

The Claret Jug, or to use its proper name, The Golf Champion Trophy, is presented to each year’s winner of The Open Championship. Yet it was not the original prize.  When the Championship began at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland in 1860, the winner was presented with …

… the Challenge Belt, made of rich morocco leather, embellished with a silver buckle and emblems.  It wasn’t until 1872 that the “Jug” replaced the Champion’s Belt.

Like other iconic awards, like Lord Stanley’s Cup or the Green Jacket, the Claret Jug has long held a mystical and celebratory quality.  In designing the Claret Jug, it was well, just that – a claret jug. Claret is a dry red wine produced in the famous French winemaking region of Bordeaux.  The British Open Trophy, made of Sterling Silver and standing 52cm (approximately 20 inches), weighing 5.4 pounds including its base, was designed with a handle that resembles a bass clef and with insides hollowed out to hold the exact contents of a bottle of wine.  Certified appraisers have estimated that the Claret Jug may include as much as $1,200 worth of precious metals.  The sentimental and market value of the award is far greater.  It was made in Edinburgh in 1872 by Mackay Cunningham & Company.  There are now three tiers beneath the cup, engraved with the names of over 130 plus champions.  Every year, the winner’s name is engraved on the Claret Jug before it is presented to him.  The television coverage now shows the engraver poised to start work, with the commentators speculating about when he will be sure enough of the outcome, to begin hand engraving the next name.     

Held upside down, the Open’s Claret Jug delivers a perfect pour.  This style of silver jug was used to serve claret at 19th Century gatherings.  The Golf Champion’s Trophy has held cheap beer, expensive Champagne and iced tea brewed by Justin Leonard’s mother.  Tiger Woods, winner of a few “Jugs”, has taken the trophy down from the mantle at times and filled it with various libations.  “Honestly, because of the consumption, I really can’t remember,” Woods said of what he put in it.

The original claret jug is kept under lock and key in a display cabinet in the R&A clubhouse, alongside the original first prize, The Challenge Belt, which was donated to the club in 1908 by the grandchildren of Tom Morris Senior.  There are in fact four copies of the original claret jug, one in the Museum of Golf at St Andrews, another in the World Golf Hall of Fame in St Augustine, Florida.  A third travels the world to exhibitions and the champion is allowed to take a fourth home for a year. He is given a replica to keep which is curiously only two-thirds the size of the original. Since the 1980s all those champion jug-hugging moments photographed for the world on the 18th green are with a replica. The trophy is returned each year for presentation to the new champion, but many winners privately commission copies of the ancient jug for their personal collections. This tournament is golf’s oldest major championship and, given its history, it holds a lot of prestige for its victors.

The Beginning
The impetus to provide the Challenge Belt had come from the Earl of Eglinton and derived from his keen interest in medieval pageantry. He was pre-eminent in encouraging sport throughout the social spectrum and was a leading light in setting up The Open Championship. The Earl donated many trophies for competition, including a gold belt for competition among the Irvine Archers. The original Challenge Belt was purchased by the members of Prestwick Golf Club.

According to the first rule of the new golf competition: “The party winning the belt shall always leave the belt with the treasurer of the club until he produces a guarantee to the satisfaction of the above committee that the belt shall be safely kept and laid on the table at the next meeting to compete for it until it becomes the property of the winner by being won three times in succession.”

In 1870, just 10 years after The Open Championship began, Tom Morris Junior won for the third consecutive time and became the owner of the belt. The future direction of the Championship was discussed at Prestwick Golf Club’s Spring Meeting in April 1871, during which a key proposal was put forward by Gilbert Mitchell Innes: “In contemplation of St Andrews, Musselburgh and other clubs joining in the purchase of a Belt to be played for over four or more greens it is not expedient for the club to provide a Belt to be played for solely at Prestwick.”

The motion was passed, but no final decisions were reached about venues or the involvement of other clubs, with the result that The Open Championship was not played in 1871. Moves to revive the competition resumed the following year. The minutes of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, dated May 1, state that the green committee had been “empowered to enter into communication with other clubs with a view to effecting a revival of the Championship Belt, and they were authorized to contribute a sum not exceeding £15 from the funds of the club”.

To replace the original Challenge Belt, the three original clubs (Prestwick, with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers), finally agreed on September 11, 1872, to pay £10 each to provide a new trophy instead of another belt, which was a silver claret jug, and to jointly host the Open Championship. But that was only two days before eight players contested the Open. There was obviously no time to commission a new trophy and the winner was presented with what appears to be a standard, shop-bought medal (pre-dating Spike’s Trophies by 57 years). It was the first time that a medal had been presented. The famous claret jug trophy was hallmarked 1873. Its proper name was to be The Golf Champion Trophy. It was presented to the winner that year and every year for almost half a century. The first Open Champion to receive the new trophy was the 1873 winner, Tom Kidd, but Tom Morris Junior’s name was the first to be engraved on it as the 1872 winner.

In 1920 all responsibility for The Open Championship was handed over to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. The tradition continued until three months after Bobby Jones won the championship at St Andrews in 1927. At that time the Championship Committee of the R&A decided that “in future the original Open Championship Cup be retained in possession of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and that a duplicate be obtained for presentation to the winners”. The cost of this duplicate was stated to be about £40.

In 1928, Walter Hagen won the third of his four Open titles and accepted the replica Claret Jug, having already been presented with the original in 1922 and 1924. During the half-century in which the original Claret Jug was used, twenty-eight different players held it aloft, including Harry Vardon on a record six occasions.

In 1990 a further replica was made for display in the new British Golf Museum at St Andrews and in 2000 a third was made for use in traveling exhibitions, and a fourth was created in 2003 for the same purpose.

Memorable moment: In 1999, Paul Lawrie completed the greatest comeback in Open history, starting the final round 10 strokes off the lead while being assisted by Jean Van de Velde’s unforgettable triple bogey on the 18th hole.

• Intended to support and value employees, to positively reinforce their initiative and creativity, and to enhance business performance.
• Available for a wide variety of achievements and contributions, such as: innovations and improvements, performance excellence and meritorious actions, and length of service.
• Presented at different levels depending on the accomplishment significance.

…And Do You Know the TAX BENEFITS of Recognition??

An employer can deduct up to $400 for employee achievement
awards provided to any single employee during a qualified
recognition awards program initiative during that tax year.

So, Did You Know We Can Provide?

• Fast Track Recognition Solutions
• Program Support Services
• Dedicated Customer Service Support Specialists
• Toll-free number and online ordering
• Specialized graphic art support
• Custom packaging and fulfillment
• E-mail notification with order tracking
• E-commerce support
• Marketing and communication support

The World Cup trophy, was originally named Victory. It was later renamed in honor of former FIFA president Jules Rimet. The Jules Rimet Trophy was made of gold plated sterling silver and lapis lazuli (a relatively rare, semi-precious stone that is prized for its intense blue color) and depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Brazil won the trophy outright in 1970, prompting the commissioning of a replacement.

The Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen in 1983 (apparently melted down by the thieves) and never recovered. The replacement trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was first used in 1974. The World Cup is made of 18 carat gold with a malachite (a green-colored copper carbonate mineral) base. This green-colored base, it depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. The bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974.

The 18-karat-gold statue has been kept under lock and key at an undisclosed location since its predecessor, the Jule Rimet Trophy, was stashed under a bed during World War II, held ransom. After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. The experts of FIFA, coming from seven different countries, evaluated the 53 presented models, finally opting for the work of the Italian designer Silvio Gazzaniga. The new trophy is 36 cm (14.2 in) high, made of solid 18-karat (75%) gold and weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb).

This new trophy is not awarded to the winning nation permanently. World Cup winners retain the trophy until the next tournament and are awarded a gold-plated replica rather than the solid gold trophy.

In trying to determine the value of the world cup it has been said that the trophy would probably be insured for its replacement value, rather than its value to a collector. The cost of the 18ct gold – roughly 75% pure – multiplied by the cost of gold at the time, and then add on the manufacture or sculpting costs, and you have a new World Cup. So, a new World Cup trophy would cost about £98,182 (approximately $12,000) plus design and labor. However the cost of the trophy is really immeasurable.

The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month – this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).

 Players from all over the world compete in the only grass court Grand Slam, for the rights to hold the silver gilt trophy and the sterling silver salver.   Since it started in 1877, The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly referred to as simply Wimbledon, is the oldest major championship in the sport of tennis and is widely considered to be the most prestigious.

The Gentlemen’s Singles champion receives a silver gilt cup 18.5 inches (about 47 cm) in height and 7.5 inches (about 19 cm) in diameter. The Cup has a classical style with two handles and a raised foot. The lid is formed with a pineapple on top and a head covered with a winged helmet beneath each handle. There are two decorative borders with floral work and oval styled moldings on the bowl of the Cup and on the handles. Since 1949, all champions have received a miniature replica of the trophy (height 8 ½-inches) to take with them. The trophy has been awarded since 1887 and bears the inscription: “The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World.”

The Ladies’ Singles champion receives a sterling silver salver commonly known as the “Venus Rosewater Dish”, or simply the “Rosewater Dish”. The salver, which is 18.75 inches (about 48 cm) in diameter, is decorated with figures from mythology.  The original 50 guineas ( somewhere close to $150) trophy was made in 1864 by Messrs. Elkington and Co. Ltd of Birmingham and is a copy of an electrotype by Caspar Enderlein from the pewter original in the Louvre.  There is a central design surrounded by four reserves, spread out to the rim.  The remainder of the tray’s surface is decorated with gilt renaissance designs and foliate motifs in relief against a rigid silver ground.  The theme of the decoration is mythological.  The central figure of Temperance, seated on a chest with a lamp in her right hand and a jug in her left, with various attributes such as a sickle, fork and caduceus around her.  The four reserves on the sides of the dish each contain a classical god, together with elements. The reserves around the rim show Minerva presiding over the seven Liberal Arts: Astrology, Geometry, Arithmetic, Music, Rhetoric, Dialectic and Grammar, each with relevant attribute.  The rim of the tray has an oval molding, much like The Cup. And again, beginning in 1949 all champions has received a miniature replica of the trophy (diameter 8 inches) for their personal collection.

The winners of the Gentlemen’s Doubles, Ladies’ Doubles, and Mixed Doubles events receive silver cups. The runner-up in each event receives an inscribed silver plate.  The trophies are usually presented by the President of the All England Club, The Duke of Kent, and by his wife, the Duchess of Kent.

At Wimbledon, more prize money was traditionally awarded in the Gentlemen’s events than in the Ladies’ events. However, as of 2007 prize money is equal at all levels (in part in response to a powerful protest by tennis player Venus Williams).[4] This makes Wimbledon policy identical to that of the Australian Open, US Open, and most recently the French Open.

Held annually between late June and the beginning of July[2] for two weeks (usually ending, at the latest, on the second Sunday of July) at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England, the tournament is the third Grand Slam event played each year, preceded by the Australian Open and the French Open, and followed by the U.S. Open.  The tournament duration is subject to extensions for rain.

Separate tournaments are simultaneously held, all at the same venue, for Gentlemen’s Singles, Ladies’ Singles, Gentlemen’s Doubles, Ladies’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Youth tournaments – Boys’ Singles, Girls’ Singles, Boys’ Doubles and Girls’ Doubles – are also held. Additionally, special invitational tournaments are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen’s Doubles, 45 and over Gentlemen’s Doubles, 35 and over Ladies’ Doubles and wheelchair doubles.

The Championships were first played under the control of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 1877 at a ground near Worple Road, Wimbledon; the only event held was Gentlemen’s Singles. In 1884, the All England Club added Ladies’ Singles and Gentlemen’s Doubles. Ladies’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added in 1913. The Championships moved to their present location, at a ground near Church Road, in 1922. As with the other three Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players until the advent of the open era in tennis in 1968. Britons are very proud of the tournament but it is a source of national anguish and humour — no British man has won the singles event at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936, and no British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977. The Championship was first televised in 1937. For the fans who do attend, it is customary to nosh on strawberries and cream.

Height: 35-1/4 inches
Weight: 34-1/2 pounds
Material: Silver-nickel alloy
Cost: $75,000

The Stanley Cup ….

…is the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes
… was crafted in Sheffield, England
… was purchased for 10 guineas ($48.67 at the time) in 1892
… Logged more than 400,000 miles in travel during the past five seasons
… has each winning player and team management member take the Cup home for a day to share with family and friends
… has misspells on the Cup that never have been corrected: Jacques Plante’s name has been misspelled five times, (incl. “Jocko,” “Jack” and “Plant”); Bob Gainey was spelled “Gainy” when he was a player for Montreal in the 70s; Ted Kennedy was spelled “Kennedyy” in the 40s; New York Islanders was spelled “Ilanders” in 1980/81; the Toronto Maple Leafs was spelled “Leaes” in 1962/63; the Boston Bruins was spelled “Bqstqn” in 1972.

The Stanley Cup is a Silver bowl atop plinth, engraved with all past winners. Plinth is extended as required. First named the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. First contested in 1894. The original bowl was retired in 1969 because it was brittle. In case you were wondering what a plinth is, it is any flat block used as a base for something.

In baseball, basketball or football, you often hear of athletes pining for a ring. Not in hockey. When it comes to the NHL, the championship ring is nice, but every player longs to hoist the trophy. It is one of the few team sports in which you see every member personally holding, kissing and even drinking from Lord Stanley’s mug. It is one of the most famous trophies in the sporting world and has been awarded every year since 1894, except for 1919 (Spanish influenza) and 2005 (labor dispute).
Memorable moment: In 1989, in the only all-Canadian Stanley Cup Final within the last 16 years, Lanny McDonald raised the Stanley Cup trophy for the first time in what would be his final NHL game, as the Calgary Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games.

For some more information you may want to visit the following link: http://www.tmlfever.com/NHLTrophies.html

The Borg-Warner trophy is made of sterling silver and is just less than 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing nearly 153 pounds. The original trophy was designed to display images of the faces of 80 Indy 500 winners.  The base from the original has been expanded in order to hold additional winners. This was done most recently in 2004 when space was added to accommodate all winners through the 2034 race. The actual trophy is not given to the winner; it remains at the Hall of Fame Museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Since 1988, the winner receives an 18-inch (460 mm) tall replica of the trophy, called a “Baby Borg” at a cost exceeding $30,000, during the preparations for the following year’s race. Prior to 1988, winners received a 24-inch upright model of the trophy mounted on a walnut plaque.  During the race, the trophy is displayed trackside.  When the winner pulls into Victory Lane, the trophy is placed on the rear of the car behind the driver.  This tradition dates back to 1911, when Ray Harroun won the race with an average speed of 74.602 miles per hour.  The unique tradition, of handing the winner a bottle of milk at race end, along with the trophy presentation, continues today. 

In 1935, U.S. automotive supplier, the BorgWarner Automotive Company, commissioned designer Robert J. Hill to create the Borg-Warner Trophy at a cost of $10,000.  The trophy was refurbished in 1991 and again in 2004 to create space for additional winners.  Today the trophy is valued in excess of $1.5 million dollars! Unveiled at a 1936 dinner hosted by then-Speedway owner Eddie Rickenbacker, the trophy was officially declared the annual prize for Indianapolis 500 victors. Louis Meyer, was that year’s champion and its first recipient.

Prior to the inaugural 1936 Borg-Warner Trophy was the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy, which was awarded from 1911 through 1935.  The trophy was named after Frank Wheeler, one of the Speedway’s four original founders, and George Schebler, one of the two partners in a carburetor company that merged into a group that formed BorgWarner in 1928.  The founding organizations were Borg & Beck, Warner Gear, Marvel-Schebler and Mechanics Universal Joint.

The Borg-Warner Indianapolis 500 Trophy is synonymous with top performances, speed and leading-edge automotive technology.

Some Memorable moments:

The trophy has had quite a history.  The Indy track historian has noted a particular story where a Butler University student was given the trophy to watch in the 1930s before race day.  The young frat student hid the trophy under his bed one night and proceeded to have a night out. Upon his return to his fraternity house, the man found the trophy missing. Frantically looking for the “lost” trophy, he went looking in the frat house’s basement.  He found the trophy surrounded by his frat brothers drinking beer out of it. 115 beers were inside the trophy. After emptying the beer, the smell of beer stayed with the trophy.  To solve this problem prior to the race, he decided to take a shower – taking the trophy in with him!

For over forty years, 1950 Indianapolis 500 winner Johnnie Parsons’ name was misspelled on the trophy as Johnny Parsons (which is how his son spelled his name when he raced in USAC and CART), an error that was corrected during the 1991 restoration of the trophy.

Eight drivers have won the BorgWarner trophy twice: Tommy Milton; Bill Vukovich; Rodger Ward; Gordon Johncock; Emerson Fittipaldi; Al Unser, Jr.; Arie Luyendyk and Helio Castroneves.  There are five, three-time winners: Louis Mayer; Wilbur Shaw; Mauri Rose; Bobby Unser; and Johnny Rutherford.  And, three, four-time winners: Al Unser, Sr.; Rick Mears; and A.J. Foyt.