Amid a sea of laptops, cell phones and iPods in the University Union lobby sits a black carriage ?” minus its horse drawn counterpart ?” newly restored and shining.

The carriage, which is part of Homecoming Week, has been on display in the University Union since Monday. The carriage will carry the Homecoming king and queen into Hornet Stadium prior to Saturday’s homecoming game against Northern Arizona.

And though few students seem to notice the tall, black four-wheeled look into the past, it has a history with Sacramento State.

A gift from real estate developer and Sac State alum Jeri Striezik, the 19th century Victorian carriage has been a part of the university since 1960, said Laurie Hall with public affairs. Its purpose has been to serve as a trophy that can be passed between Sac State and UC Davis, given to the winner of the Causeway Classic.

“The intent was that once the game was decided, the winning school was to be presented with the trophy by the student body president of the losing college’s team,” Hall said.

Transportation costs to the winning college also had to be covered by the losing school.

After several years in retirement, the carriage returned in 2003 for the 50th Causeway Classic.

Senior Tim Jang, a graphic design major, was surprised to see the carriage in the union.

A driver with Services to Students with Disabilities, Jang has noticed the carriage in storage when picking up the golf carts in the morning.

“I’ve seen it in storage at Facilities Management,” Jang said. “But they should have had more information in the union to catch people’s attention.

“I wasn’t really drawn to it, but I recognized it.”

Though small, the display in the union includes photos from past events including a shot of the 1960 homecoming queen being carried down J Street, past football teams and newspaper articles from the ’60s.

The carriage will be featured in a traditional homecoming parade that will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, starting at Glen Hall Park and continuing down Carlson Drive to Hornet Stadium.