The History of the War for the Wheel

Each year SEMO and SIU play in a non-conference rivalry matchup against one another in a game that since 2018 has been dubbed the “War for the Wheel.” In the most recent installment of the series, No. 21 ranked SEMO defeated No. 7 ranked SIU on Sept. 21 to reclaim the wheel, propelling themselves to the No. 13 ranked team in the country for FCS.

The rivalry between the schools began in 1909, when the programs first started playing one another, and quickly grew into more than simply another non-conference game due to the proximity of the schools only separated by 45 miles and the Mississippi river. Now over a century and 92 meetings later, the two schools are playing for more than simply bragging rights, but also an authentic ship’s wheel as the trophy.

Each year the winners of the game get to claim the wheel and bring it to their side of the Mississippi river until the following season, where it is played for once again.

The wheel stands as a symbol of the early years of the rivalry, as the two schools used to cross the river by boat to play one another during the early 1900’s. A story along with this goes that one year the boat carrying the SIU team sank, forcing the players to swim to shore. Despite this, the game is reported to have continued on schedule.

The rivalry is something that both teams look forward to each and every year, and has produced some incredibly entertaining games in the past. This season going into the game was no different, as both the coach and players had mutual respect and excitement for the game.

“This is as good as it gets. The only thing better than playing a rival is playing a rival when they are ranked top 10. I’m proud of this series. When I first got here it didn't mean a lot to a lot of people, now it means a lot to a lot of people. This is the best team Nick Hills had, so it's got our attention,” Head Coach Tom Matukewicz said.

Since the official passing of the wheel in 2018, the series stands at four wins and three losses in favor of SEMO, with four of the last seven outings being decided by one score, as well as some of the most recent games having been decided by the last throw of the game.

In 2022 this was the case, as the Redhawks entered their final drive down by four points, and with only 2:45 left to play. The Redhawks however marched down the field and scored with 11 seconds left on the clock to ultimately win the game, by a score of 34-31.

In 2023, the Salukis began their final drive in similar fashion - down by five points, with only 1:46 seconds left on the clock, they drove down the field and scored a touchdown that would ultimately win the game for them by a score of 25-26.

In the most recent installment, the teams were playing for more than simply rivalry, as both were ranked in the top 25 of the FCS, giving the game postseason implications in terms of home field advantage and seeding.

While the game began in a competitive fashion similar to the previous outings, the Redhawks went on to dominate in the later stages of the game securing their fourth win in the “War for the Wheel” series and claiming the river wheel trophy.

With this win, the Redhawks jump to No. 13 in the nation, bringing them closer to a playoff berth, and even more important, home field advantage in the postseason.

The Redhawks’ next game is against Northwestern State during family weekend on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. at Houck Stadium, Cape Girardeau.