INDIANAPOLIS -- Each May for 30 years, the fate of the Borg-Warner Trophy was placed in the hands of just one man, Jack Mackenzie.
Mackenzie was a student at Butler University when he became the caretaker of the trophy in 1953.
Earning just $75 his first year on the job, Mackenzie was responsible for transporting the trophy to various events throughout the month of May.
Mackenzie stored the 80-pound sterling silver trophy in his dorm room at Butler University. He hauled it around town in the backseat of his car, often covering it with an army blanket for added security.
Despite his best efforts, the trophy once vanished from his room in the fraternity house. Mackenzie said when he returned home from a date, the Borg-Warner Trophy was missing.
He eventually found it in the basement of the fraternity house where it was being used as an impromptu drinking vessel.
"They were drinking something out of it, and they wouldn't tell me what it was, but I think we know, being a bunch of college students," Mackenzie said in a 1983 RTV6 story.
Mackenzie shared memories of his numerous trips to victory lane with former Channel 6 anchor Howard Caldwell. He saw everything from a dog in victory lane to a driver announcing his retirement.
Mackenzie relinquished his trophy duties following the 1983 Indianapolis 500 saying, "I've had my fun, I've enjoyed going to the all the different activities associated with the speedway. It's time to let somebody else have some fun."
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has maintained control of the Borg-Warner Trophy ever since.
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