The most successful prank in the Rutgers-Princeton cannon rivalry occurred two days before the Centennial football game and involved the Little Cannon. The September 29, 1969 Targum told the tale of a dozen Princeton students who hatched a plan one year in the making. In the wee hours, four of the students started digging at the site of the Rutgers-Princeton cannon buried near Whig Hall. The others acted as look-outs. At 2:25 a.m., they chased away strangers they surmised were Rutgers students who have come to Princeton to paint the cannon. They proved to be correct as a second cannon nearby was painted scarlet. The diggers walked over and calmly put black paint over the red and returned to their digging. When they dug, they threw the excavated dirt on the cannon. By 4:30 a.m., all that was visible was a huge hole and a pile of dirt. Next to their handiwork was left a note, “Dear Princeton, Thanks. Love, Rutgers ’72” and a nearby cannon painted red and black. After 5:00 a.m., the Targum editor is called by Princeton students pretending to be the “Rutgers students” who stole the cannon. An “anonymous” call with similar news came into WPBR radio at 6:30 a.m. At 7:50 a.m. the pranksters were back in their dorm resuming their beer party to watch and listen to the havoc they had created. The Princeton police, administration, media and others never caught on that the cannon was still sitting where it’s always been. The real story was only known when the pranksters provided details to the Daily Princetonian. Brilliant!
