 Starting in 1940, the 'conference champion' received the Little Brass Cannon.Following Lehigh's capture of the Little Brass Cannon in 1951, Rutgers became an independent team in 1952, though it still played Lafayette and also continued the Middle Three round-robin in 1953.John Bateman succeeded Stiegman and coached the Scarlet Knights for 13 seasons, compiling a record of 73–51.