Grand Forks, North Dakota (U-WIRE) -- Next fall when the University of North Dakota and the University of South Dakota square off at Memorial Stadium the only thing the two teams may be playing for is a win in the North Central Conference standings.

Something that might be conspicuously absent is the Sitting Bull Trophy, annually awarded to the winner of the football game. Controversy has recently surrounded the trophy which has been given out every year since 1953. The rivalry over the trophy, which is a wooden bust of the famed Sioux Indian leader, began, in part, with an incident of grave robbing by several South Dakota businessmen.

The story goes that many years ago some South Dakota businessmen, in an effort to increase tourism, allegedly exhumed Sitting Bull's remains from his burial ground in Fort Yates, N.D. and brought them to their home in Mobridge, S.D.

Recently students at USD have complained to the administration over the continued use of the trophy. Citing the fact that the whereabouts of Sitting Bull's remains are unknown and nature in which the rivalry began, they've asked Athletic Director Kelly Higgins to discontinue the use of the trophy.

UND's Athletic Director Roger Thomas, however, said that nothing has been finalized on stopping the tradition.

"I have not had the opportunity to meet with President Kupchella and discuss it to see what we want to do," he said.

Thomas said that Higgins and USD approached him about ending the trophy exchange.

"Some people had come to (Higgins) and questioned the use," Thomas said. "So he gave me a call and we talked about it."

The next step will be for continued discussions between the two schools, according to Thomas. He said that an accord will have to be reached between the two schools.

"It's a two-sided deal," he said. "If they don't want to play for it then we can't continue on with (the trophy)."

Thomas added, however, that he was still in favor of using the trophy in the annual game between the two schools.

"I'm for it," he said. "We haven't set a policy at this school against it."

Thomas was unsure whether or not the USD's request to possibly end the trophy tradition was connected with the Fighting Sioux nickname controversy that has been a hot topic on this campus.

"Maybe in some way it's connected," he said. "I don't know what kind of issues they have on their campus."

If the two schools decide to stop the trophy presentation at the end of each game, they will then have to determine where the final resting place of the Sitting Bull bust will be.