Pinstripe Bowl winner will be awarded George Steinbrenner Trophy, not the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy

The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy will not be up for grabs Saturday, Dec. 29, when the Syracuse Orange and West Virginia Mountaineers face off in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium (3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN).

The news was confirmed Wednesday at the bowl's official press conference by Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone.

"One of the things about playing in a bowl game that I think we should all be conscious of - right to the right of us right there - is the Steinbrenner Trophy," Marrone said. "That's why both teams are here. I think that it is very important that we all understand that - at least from my end, our university, our fans.

"The Steinbrenner Trophy is what we're here for and should be the award for the winning team."

Marrone referenced a conversation he had with former Syracuse University alum and long-time Oakland Raiders owner, Al Davis, who passed away in Oct. of 2011, that pertained to Steinbrenner's passion for working on the selection committee of college football's Academic All-American.

"(Davis) said Mr. Steinbrenner had spent more time on the committee going through the players and what they had done and how much of an appreciation he had for the game of college football," said Marrone.

Steinbrenner, who passed away at the age of 80 in July of 2010, a few months before the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl, served as a graduate assistant under former Ohio State Buckeyes Woody Hayes. Steinbrenner was also an assistant coach at Northwestern (1955-56) and Purdue (1956-57).

Currently, Syracuse owns both the George Steinbrenner and Ben Schwartzwalder trophies. The Orange defeated Kansas State, 36-34, in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl and retained the rights of the Schwartzwalder Trophy last season with a impressive 49-23 victory over West Virginia.

Ben Schwartzwalder was a head coach at Syracuse (1949-73) and a graduate of West Virginia University.