The trophy is named for Alvin York, a leading American war hero of World War I and a native of Tennessee.

[1] The Nashville Sports Council and the Ohio Valley Conference announced the creation of the trophy in July 2007.

In 2014, Delta Dental of Tennessee became the presenting sponsor of the Trophy.

In 2022, Austin Peay left the Ohio Valley Conference and moved to the ASUN Conference, with this move and no future matchups scheduled, Austin Peay is currently no longer competing for the Sgt.

In subsequent years, the previous winner will retain the trophy if they are part of the tie.