THE “AXE”IOM OF THE GAME: Every year the Tau Beta Pi (TBP) chapters from Berkeley and Stanford compete for the axe. But the real competition is about the size of each team’s cheering section, say Berkeley TBP members.

Honor society Tau Beta Pi carries on the tradition of beating Stanford Engineering at football

Every November, UC Berkeley and Stanford University play out their age-old rivalry on the football field.

This past November Berkeley won. Twice! Not only did the Golden Bears best Stanford in this year’s Big Game, but Berkeley Engineering triumphed over Stanford Engineering in an annual and less famous tradition called “The Little Big Game.”

For the past 10 years, the Tau Beta Pi (TBP) chapters from Stanford and Berkeley have clashed on the football field. It’s a day when the honor societies put down their books and prove their dominance with brawn.

While the average GPA represented by each team might be impressive, a mastery of math doesn’t guarantee a high score in touch football.

The engineering school rivals met two hours before the Big Game to battle for the axe, the prize bestowed upon the the winning team.

Berkeley’s 5-to-4 victory was no surprise to Berkeley TBP members, who have had the axe in their possession for the last six years.

Participant and BioE senior Peter Masatoni chalked up the victory to team spirit and support from the much larger Berkeley cheering section.

“Our chapter is bigger, so we had more people there to intimidate Stanford,” he says.

The game’s winning catch was executed by engineering physics junior Mike Shou and TBP president Brian Love.
Despite Berkeley Engineering’s dominance in football, the Berkeley TBPs were gracious winners.

“The game is as much about bonding as it is about rivalry,” adds Masatoni.

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