Rivalries between sports teams can get people fired up, and Ohio University students are no strangers to this phenomenon. For the Bobcats, one college is the top enemy: Miami University
Tuesday, the OU and Miami football teams went head-to-head for another Battle of the Bricks faceoff in Peden Stadium. 2025 marked the 102nd time in history the two rivals met, a previous Post article stated.
The first faceoff was in 1908, and the RedHawks defeated the Bobcats 5-0 in Athens. OU did not win the rivalry game until 1914 in Athens.
Ryan O’Dell graduated from OU in 1998 with a degree in secondary education. He was a student manager for the football team all four years.
“Every game was very intense,” O’Dell said. “Everybody was excited, and there was a little something extra there. (It) didn't always go our way, but I do remember that feeling … you knew you were doing something a little different … It took it up a notch.”
Matthew Sakol, a freshman studying integrated social studies and coaching education, agrees with O’Dell and said each team is fierce on gameday.
“We always have a packed crowd (in Athens),” Sakol said. “Last year in my class, we actually watched the OU-Miami MAC championship because one of my teachers was from OU. Just seeing the energy the crowd had (was special).”
The Bobcats and Redhawks battle in other sports, too. No matter the sport, the rivalry remains alive.
“One of the biggest basketball games I ever saw in my life was at The Convo against Miami,” O’Dell said. “We had games packed to the rafters … and we had big crowds, but the Miami crowd was always big … the place was jam packed, and it was just absolutely rocking.”
A plethora of OU freshmen had yet to experience the Battle of the Bricks; however, energy was brewing on campus as the game approached. Shirts with the “UCK IAMI” phrase in big bold letters were on sale at 10 West Clothing Co. on Union Street.
Social media posts by OU’s Barstool account, not directly affiliated with the university, also declared “hate week.”
Despite what appears to be a deep hatred for each other, O’Dell said the universities have a civil rivalry.
“I don't think that there's hatred between the students who go to both schools,” O’Dell said. “I think there's a little bit of good fun, probably trash talking (and) going back and forth.”
Sakol said he believes OU fans and players are courteous, despite the game’s intensity.
“I mean, it's football,” Sakol said. “You can come to expect that, I think, no matter what the stakes are. But, I also know our team is respectful, and it's a game … there might be some trash talk, but it's not gonna stem anything farther than that. It's just a game.”
Part of the rivalry stems from Miami stereotypes. A Patch article from 2017 stated Miami has been “long stereotyped as a place where upper-class, white families send their children.” In the Fall 2024, statistics showed 14,966 of the 18,838 students on the Oxford campus were white, with out-of-state students paying $40,822 and in-state students paying $18,162 for tuition and general fees.
O’Dell’s son, Landon O’Dell, a freshman studying political science, said Miami was “too preppy” for him but is still a “great school.”
In a column published by The Post in 2005, Mark Shugar, a then-sophomore studying journalism, also referenced Miami’s seemingly posh atmosphere.
“Most confusing to me in this rivalry is the RedHawk itself,” Shugar said “I want to see one. Does it truly exist, or is it some Napoleon Dynamite-esque creature, bred for its magical ability to pop its collar?”
Throughout the years, the rivalry has not only been fueled by fashion insults but also by similarities between the two universities. Although OU students may mock Miami, of the 22,504 students enrolled at the Athens campus in 2024, 17,736 were white. In comparison to Miami’s tuition prices, OU in-state students pay $14,582 and out-of-state students pay $25,796.
Additionally, the Battle of the Bricks name originates from both campuses' brick features.
“I think that our similarities are what draw us apart,” Landon O’Dell said. “... Both the schools have been here for over 200 years now, and I think that rivalry has always existed. I think they're two very successful schools in their own right.”
As the Battle of the Bricks commenced, OU students, Athens locals and Miami fans gathered, cheering on their respective teams. The thousands in attendance proved the rivalry won’t be losing its novelty anytime soon.
“Whatever the outcome of the games this weekend, one thing is for certain: We Bobcats won't dislike the Redhawks any less,” Shugar said.
