INDIANAPOLIS – College football has the legendary Heisman Trophy. Hockey has the Stanley Cup. There’s the Green Jacket at Augusta, the Olympic Gold Medal, the Kentucky Derby’s Blanket of
Roses, and the Old Oaken Bucket that’s coveted each autumn by Indiana and Purdue Universities’ football teams.
And then there’s the Bottle of Milk that goes to the winner of theIndianapolis 500. According to si.com – the Sports Illustrated web site – the Bottle of Milk tops ‘em all as the “Sport’s World’s Coolest Prize.”
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 According to si.com – the Sports Illustrated web site – the Bottle of Milk tops ‘em all as the “Sport’s World’s Coolest Prize.”
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The honor was bestowed by writer Pete McEntegart in his si.com column, “The 10 Spot” in December 2005. According to McEntegart, his list reflected the sports awards that possess the most character or uniqueness – in other words, “the cool factor.”
In order, McEntegart’s top 10 included:
1. Milk for the Indy 500 winner
2. Stanley Cup
3. Heisman Trophy
4. The Masters’ Green Jacket
5. Old Oaken Bucket (IU-Purdue football)
6. Venus Rosewater Dish at Wimbledon
7. Kentucky Derby’s Blanket of Roses
8. Gibson Guitar at Nashville Speedway
9. Floyd of Rosedale pig sculpture (Minnesota-Iowa football)
10. Olympic Gold Medal.
The legendary Louis Meyer, Indy’s first three-time winner, launched the milk tradition in 1933 when he pulled into Victory Lane and asked for a glass of his favorite beverage, buttermilk. Three years later, he was photographed drinking buttermilk in Victory Lane. Milk was presented off and on during the next several years until, in 1956, the Bottle of Milk was made a permanent part of the post-race celebration.
2010 marks the 55th consecutive year for the beloved tradition, and the 74th year since that photo of Meyer and his buttermilk was snapped in
Victory Lane.
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