Rivalries in college football come in many different forms from geographic showdowns all the way to historic games that have been played for more than a century.

And with these rivalries come the names that define them. 

In Montana, we have the Brawl of the Wild between the Cats and Griz. The name dates to 1997 when then Missoulian sportswriter Kim Briggeman coined the term in an article. Citing a need to establish a name due to displeasure from either fanbase when calling the matchup Cat-Griz or Griz-Cat, he drew the name from Jack London’s Call of the Wild. 

The name has defined the matchup ever since. 

Elsewhere, names can range from a portmanteau of two schools nicknames a la the CyHawk game between Iowa and Iowa State, to a region-defining name like the Friends of Coal Bowl between Marshall and West Virginia or the Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama — named for the steel industry in Birmingham.  

Then some teams just don’t like each other like Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate between Georgia and Georgia Tech. 

Enter a new name, and one that comes from history; just not on the field. 

Westminster (Mo.) and Eureka (Ill.) announced the creation of the Berlin Wall Bowl Thursday. 

The two schools sit about 250 miles apart and play in Division III. Both are relevant in the history of the Cold War through speeches and ties to leaders of the era. 

In 1946, Winston Churchill delivered a speech at Westminster warning of the rise of the “Iron Curtain” and the beginning of the Cold War. 

Westminster is also home to the largest contiguous display of the original Berlin Wall and features America’s National Churchill Museum. 

Eureka also hosts a piece of the Wall in its Reagan Peace Garden, named after former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who graduated from Eureka in 1932. 

Reagan delivered the 1987 speech where he called for USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev to, “Tear down this wall!” 

A joint release from the two schools believes this to be the only college football game inspired by the Cold War. 

“We are truly excited to host the inaugural Berlin Wall Bowl and welcome Westminster, its alumni and visitors to our campus,” Eureka College director of athletics Sara Shaw said. “This rivalry highlights not only our football programs but also the remarkable historical connection shared by our colleges.” 

Eureka is set to host the 2026 nonconference matchup on Sept. 12. A return trip to Westminster is slated for 2027. Future games areyet to be scheduled. 

The victor will need to heed Reagan’s advice from 1987 and tear down the (defensive) wall. 

Reporter Jon Allen can be reached at 406-758-4426 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.