1976 Montana State Bobcats football team

American college football season

1976 Montana State Bobcats football

NCAA Division II champion
Big Sky champion

NCAA Division II Championship—Pioneer Bowl, W 23–13 vs. Akron

Conference| Big Sky Conference
Record| 12–1 (6–0 Big Sky)
Head coach|

* Sonny Holland (6th season)

Offensive coordinator| Don Christensen (6th season)
Defensive coordinator| Sonny Lubick (6th season)
Home stadium| Reno H. Sales Stadium

Seasons

<- 1975

1977 ->

1976 Big Sky Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 1 Montana State $^  | 6  | - | 0  | - | 0 |  |  | 12  | - | 1  | - | 0
Idaho | 5  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 4  | - | 0
Northern Arizona | 4  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 8  | - | 3  | - | 0
Montana | 3  | - | 3  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
Boise State | 2  | - | 4  | - | 0 |  |  | 5  | - | 5  | - | 1
Weber State | 1  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 2  | - | 9  | - | 0
Idaho State | 0  | - | 6  | - | 0 |  |  | 0  | - | 9  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion
* ^ - NCAA Division II playoff participant

Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll

The 1976 Montana State Bobcats football team represented the Montana State University in the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Sonny Holland and won the Division II national championship.[1] The Bobcats played their home games on campus in Bozeman at Reno H. Sales Stadium.

Entering August practices, the Bobcats were expected to finish in the middle of the conference standings.[2] Led on the field by southpaw sophomore quarterback Paul Dennehy,[3][4] Montana State went undefeated in the Big Sky and against all Division II opponents, falling only to Fresno State of Division I. Montana State finished their schedule with a 28–7 victory at Hawaii to end the regular season at 9–1.[5]

## Division II playoffs[edit]

In the Division II playoffs, the Bobcats hosted New Hampshire in Bozeman in the quarterfinals and won by a point, 17–16.[6] In the semifinals at Fargo, MSU defeated North Dakota State for a second time in 1976, by a much closer 10–3 score in the Grantland Rice Bowl.[7][8]

In the Pioneer Bowl for the Division II title in Wichita Falls, Texas, the Bobcats defeated Akron 24–13 and became the first Big Sky team to win a national title in football.[9] the Bobcats went undefeated in the Big Sky and won the Division II national championship.[9]

## Schedule[edit]

Date| Opponent| Rank| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|
|

September 11| at North Dakota*| |

* Memorial Stadium
* Grand Forks, ND

| W 18–14| 12,800|
September 18| North Dakota State*| |

* Reno H. Sales Stadium
* Bozeman, MT

| W 34–7| 2,300| [10]
September 25| at Fresno State*| No. 3|

* Ratcliffe Stadium
* Fresno, CA

| L 10–24| 11,500|
October 2| Boise State| |

* Reno H. Sales Stadium
* Bozeman, MT

| W 24–20| 7,800| [11][12]
October 9| at Weber State| |

* Wildcat Stadium
* Ogden, UT

| W 44–0| 7,422| [13][14]
October 16| Idaho State| No. 8|

* Reno H. Sales Stadium
* Bozeman, MT

| W 28–7| 9,600| [15]
October 23| Idaho| No. 7|

* Reno H. Sales Stadium
* Bozeman, MT

| W 29–14| 5,400| [3][4][16]
October 30| at Montana| No. 4|

* Dornblaser Field
* Missoula, MT (rivalry)

| W 21–12| 12,500| [17]
November 6| No. 6 Northern Arizona| No. 3|

* Reno H. Sales Stadium
* Bozeman, MT

| W 33–0| 9,400| [18]
November 13| at Hawaii*| No. 3|

* Aloha Stadium
* Halawa, HI

| W 28–7| 20,515| [19]
November 27| No. T–8 New Hampshire*| No. 1|

* Reno H. Sales Stadium
* Bozeman, MT (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)

| W 17–16| 6,900| [20]
December 4| at No. T–8 North Dakota State*| No. 1|

* Dacotah Field
* Fargo, ND (NCAA Division II Semifinal—Grantland Rice Bowl)

| W 10–3| 6,100| [21][22]
December 11| vs. No. 3 Akron*| No. 1|

* Memorial Stadium
* Wichita Falls, TX (NCAA Division II Championship—Pioneer Bowl)

| W 24–13| 13,200| [9]

* *Non-conference game
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[23][24]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Dennehy leads Montana State's bowl win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 12, 1976. p. D1.
2. ^ Emerson, Paul (August 1, 1976). "ISU picked as Big Sky grid favorite". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
3. ^ a b "Idaho, Montana (State) fight for lead". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). October 22, 1976. p. 16.
4. ^ a b Payne, Bob (October 24, 1976). "Dennehy inspires Bobcats". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
5. ^ Clemens, Dave (November 15, 1976). "Montana State looks for postseason berth". Prescott Courier. (Arizona). Associated Press. p. 7.
6. ^ "Bobcats survive UNH aerials". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 28, 1976. p. D1.
7. ^ "Bobcat defense keys victory". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 5, 1976. p. 4B.
8. ^ "Montana St., 10-3". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. December 5, 1976. p. 9E.
9. ^ a b c "Montana State wins title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 12, 1976. p. 4B.
10. ^ "MSU's Dennehy no robot". The Billings Gazette. September 19, 1976. Retrieved October 5, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Bobcats hold off Broncos". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. October 3, 1976. p. D3.
12. ^ English, Sue (October 4, 1976). "Big Sky race has surprise". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 17.
13. ^ Ewer, Bill (October 11, 1976). "No hope for Weber". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B6.
14. ^ English, Sue (October 11, 1976). "Big Sky test due for Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 19.
15. ^ English, Sue (October 18, 1976). "No surprises likely in next Vandal game". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 15.
16. ^ English, Sue (October 25, 1976). "Vandals play Bengals next". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 13.
17. ^ "Idaho on road again after slim triumph". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). November 1, 1976. p. 27.
18. ^ "Idaho goes up despite loss". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). November 8, 1976. p. 15.
19. ^ English, Sue (November 15, 1976). "Undisputed 2nd goal for Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 19.
20. ^ "Bobcats survive UNH aerials". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 28, 1976. p. D1.
21. ^ "Bobcats advance to title game". The Independent-Record. December 5, 1976. Retrieved October 5, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
22. ^ "Bobcat defense keys victory". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 5, 1976. p. 4B.
23. ^ "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
24. ^ "2015 football media guide" (PDF). Montana State University Athletics. 2015.

* v
* t
* e

1976 Montana State Bobcats football—NCAA Division II national champions

* Jon Borchardt
* Mark McGrath
* Mike McLeod

Head coach
Sonny Holland

* Assistant coaches: Cliff Hysell
* Sonny Lubick

* v
* t
* e

Montana State Bobcats football

Venues|

* Gatton Field (1930–1971)
* Van Winkle Stadium (1972)
* Bobcat Stadium (1973–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Montana

Culture & lore|

* Spirit of the West Marching Band

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906–1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942–1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

National championship seasons in bold

* v
* t
* e

Big Sky Conference football champions

College Division / Division II|

* Idaho State (1963)
* Montana State (1964)
* Weber State & Idaho (1965)
* Montana State (1966)
* Montana State (1967)
* Idaho, Montana State, & Weber State (1968)
* Montana (1969)
* Montana (1970)
* Idaho (1971)
* Montana State (1972)
* Boise State (1973)
* Boise State (1974)
* Boise State (1975)
* Montana State (1976)
* Boise State (1977)

I-AA/FCS|

* Northern Arizona (1978)
* Montana State (1979)
* Boise State (1980)
* Idaho State (1981)
* Montana, Idaho, & Montana State (1982)
* Nevada (1983)
* Montana State (1984)
* Idaho (1985)
* Nevada (1986)
* Idaho (1987)
* Idaho (1988)
* Idaho (1989)
* Nevada (1990)
* Nevada (1991)
* Idaho & Eastern Washington (1992)
* Montana (1993)
* Boise State (1994)
* Montana (1995)
* Montana (1996)
* Eastern Washington (1997)
* Montana (1998)
* Montana (1999)
* Montana (2000)
* Montana (2001)
* Montana, Montana State, & Idaho State (2002)
* Montana State, Montana, & Northern Arizona (2003)
* Montana & Eastern Washington (2004)
* Eastern Washington, Montana State, & Montana (2005)
* Montana (2006)
* Montana (2007)
* Weber State & Montana (2008)
* Montana (2009)
* Montana State & Eastern Washington (2010)
* Montana State & Montana (2011)
* Eastern Washington, Montana State, & Cal Poly (2012)
* Eastern Washington (2013)
* Eastern Washington (2014)
* Southern Utah (2015)
* Eastern Washington & North Dakota (2016)
* Southern Utah & Weber State (2017)
* Eastern Washington, UC Davis, & Weber State (2018)
* Sacramento State & Weber State (2019)
* Weber State (2020)
* Sacramento State (2021)
* Montana State & Sacramento State (2022)
* Montana (2023)

National championships in bold

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* t
* e

NCAA Division II football champions

1970s|

* 1973: Louisiana Tech
* 1974: Central Michigan
* 1975: Northern Michigan
* 1976: Montana State
* 1977: Lehigh
* 1978: Eastern Illinois
* 1979: Delaware

1980s|

* 1980: Cal Poly
* 1981: Southwest Texas State
* 1982: Southwest Texas State
* 1983: North Dakota State
* 1984: Troy State
* 1985: North Dakota State
* 1986: North Dakota State
* 1987: Troy State
* 1988: North Dakota State
* 1989: Mississippi College (vacated)

1990s|

* 1990: North Dakota State
* 1991: Pittsburg State
* 1992: Jacksonville State
* 1993: North Alabama
* 1994: North Alabama
* 1995: North Alabama
* 1996: Northern Colorado
* 1997: Northern Colorado
* 1998: Northwest Missouri State
* 1999: Northwest Missouri State

2000s|

* 2000: Delta State
* 2001: North Dakota
* 2002: Grand Valley State
* 2003: Grand Valley State
* 2004: Valdosta State
* 2005: Grand Valley State
* 2006: Grand Valley State
* 2007: Valdosta State
* 2008: Minnesota–Duluth
* 2009: Northwest Missouri State

2010s|

* 2010: Minnesota–Duluth
* 2011: Pittsburg State
* 2012: Valdosta State
* 2013: Northwest Missouri State
* 2014: CSU–Pueblo
* 2015: Northwest Missouri State
* 2016: Northwest Missouri State
* 2017: Texas A&M–Commerce
* 2018: Valdosta State
* 2019: West Florida

2020s|

* 2020: No champion
* 2021: Ferris State
* 2022: Ferris State
* 2023: Harding

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number