the trophy is a replica of a keg used to ship nails. the exchange is believed to have been initiated by fraternity chapters on the uc and u of l campuses, signifying that the winning players in the game were "tough as nails." the present keg is actually a replacement for the original award, which was misplaced by louisville, lost during some construction of office facilities. it is adorned with the logos of both schools and the scores of the series games.