The 1973 heist of the Axe stands out as one of the most notorious pranks in college sports, fueled by the long-standing rivalry between Stanford and Cal. On Nov. 20, 1973, Tim Conway ’74 and his Stanford Theta Delta Chi fraternity brother David Suliteanu ’75 stole the Axe four days before Big Game.
That year, Cal had possession of the Axe after defeating Stanford the previous season. A determined group of Stanford students, eager to return it to the Farm, crafted a daring plan to infiltrate Cal’s territory and reclaim the trophy. The task was no easy feat — the Axe was prominently displayed in Cal’s student union, under tight security. Conway and Suliteanu knew they needed a clever approach.
Each week during the season, Bay Area sportswriters hosted coaches at a press luncheon to discuss upcoming games. The Big Game luncheon in 1973 was set to take place at Ming’s, a Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto, with both Cal coach Mike White and Stanford coach Jack Christensen attending. As part of the plan, Matt Conway, Tim’s brother and a student at San Francisco Law School, would impersonate Coach White over the phone.
Matt Conway called Cal’s student union manager, Mr. Friedrich, claiming that sportswriters needed the Axe for a photo shoot at the luncheon. He explained that he would be picking it up soon with two players. “Coach White” promised to call back later to say he couldn’t make it and ask Friedrich to hand the Axe over to the students.
The plan quickly hit a snag when Matt Conway arrived at the union to find Friedrich absent. He left a message with the secretary, but by the time Tim and Suliteanu arrived, the Axe had been moved to the Berkeley police station for safekeeping. With an officer stationed outside the office, the pair had to wait until Matt called again.
When the phone finally rang, Matt Conway insisted that the Axe be handed over. Cal’s Rally Committee members agreed to deliver it themselves, tailing Tim and Suliteanu to Ming’s in a separate car.
Upon arriving at Ming’s, the duo spotted some fraternity brothers tossing a football in the parking lot. As two Rally Committee members shielded the Axe from the rain, Tim Conway seized the moment, grabbed the trophy and ran. Suliteanu tackled one of the committee members, giving Conway a head start, but the 40-pound Axe slowed him down. He was soon tackled near a pink Cadillac, and the Axe flew from his hands, landing on the car’s roof.
One of the Cal Rally Committee members reached the Axe first, but just as they were about to reclaim it, Conway’s fraternity brothers arrived and wrestled it away, securing the trophy for good.
The Axe was taken to the Theta Delta Chi house, where chaos ensued. After posing for photos, the students hid the Axe under the bed of Suliteanu’s grandmother in her Palo Alto apartment.
The next day, Suliteanu, in an economics class, wrote up a list of demands for the return of the trophy, including $6,000 in cash and a fake ID for the one member of the “Infamous Three” who wasn’t yet 21. Eventually, Stanford sports information director Bob Murphy ’53 proposed a solution: The trio would drive the Axe to Stanford Stadium before Big Game, where it would be handed over to the Cal captains during the coin toss.
Stanford won the 1973 Big Game 26-17, and the Axe was returned to its rightful place.
Since then, the Axe has never been stolen again.