For 2 IU students, the Old Oaken Bucket is more than a trophy

His mom says he was brainwashed, but senior Randy Spieth knew he was going to IU his whole life. His younger sister Kim, now a sophomore, said she selected IU because it was a well-rounded school. \nCome kickoff for the IU-Purdue football game Saturday afternoon, Randy and Kim Spieth will don cream and crimson while cheering in the IU student section next to Purdue alumna Jo Ann Spieth Saylor, their mother, who will be decked in black and gold.\n"I'll let anyone throw anything at her if they want to," Randy Spieth said with a chuckle.\nRegardless who wins or loses the annual game, one thing is certain -- this is one family rivalry that will never kick the bucket.\nWhile campus lore suggests the Old Oaken Bucket, the trophy given to the winner of the annual IU-Purdue football game, was discovered by Clarence Jones of IU and Russell Gray of Purdue, the Spieths like to remember a different story -- one that was documented in a 1981 issue of the Indianapolis Star Magazine.\nIt all started back in 1911 when Bill Spieth, Randy and Kim's great-grandfather, attended Purdue and was a member of Delta Tau Delta. He was the first of eight Spieths to claim the Boilermaker title.\nFourteen years later, Spieth was a member of the Purdue Alumni Association and was charged to assist fellow member Fritz Ernst in securing an Old Oaken Bucket, something capable of holding large amounts of a certain beverage, for the winner of the annual IU-Purdue football game, according to the article.\nThe two came back with a moss-covered oaken bucket with many of the pieces missing, according to the article. After numerous restorations, several prank thefts performed by members of the rival schools, multiple iron letters added each time a school wins the game (48 "Ps," 24 "Is") and years of decay, the bucket is a tradition for both schools and is a symbol of pride for the Spieth family.\n"That's the story I like to believe," Spieth Saylor said.\nRandy and Kim were first told their great-grandfather helped found the Old Oaken Bucket when they were in high school.\n"I just think it's really cool nowadays especially just because we're adding all these new traditions but this old tradition that we have still makes the IU--Purdue rivalry what it is," Randy Spieth said.\nSince then, Randy and Kim's grandfather, their father, their mother and two of their uncles have gone to Purdue.\nRandy and Kim are the first Spieth students at IU.\nNow, 80 years removed from the start of the tradition, the IU-Purdue football game is about much more than the Old Oaken Bucket to the Spieth family. It's about pride.\n"If I could tell Hoeppner, 'Hoeppner, just win it for me -- win it for the school.' I would be so happy, just to keep my family quiet for a while," Randy Spieth said.\nThough neither team could become bowl eligible with a win Saturday, Randy and Kim still predict an IU victory.\n"I don't know if I'd say anything (to my mom after an IU victory), but I'd definitely have a big grin on face," Kim Spieth said.\nTheir mother is not so optimistic for IU.\n"I heard that Purdue's favored by two touchdowns," said Spieth Saylor, who said she's been wearing black and gold for the duration of the week.\nBut beneath the black and gold exterior might lie a true Hoosier, Kim suggested.\nWhile attending IU football games with her children, Kim said her mom has clapped for the Hoosiers. A couple weeks ago at the IU-Minnesota game, she even wore an IU T-shirt.\n"I've only worn it in public twice," Spieth Saylor said.\nBut the Corydon, Ind. resident said she is pleased her kids are at IU.\n"It's a fun thing to tease about, but I'm excited they are going to a good college close to home," Spieth Saylor said. "The hard part is when I write a check to pay for their room and board each month"