1976 Grantland Rice Bowl

The 1976 Grantland Rice Bowl was an NCAA Division II game following the 1976 season, between the Montana State Bobcats and the North Dakota State Bison. This was the first time that the game was hosted by one of the participants – in prior years the game had been played at a fixed location; first Murfreesboro, Tennessee and later Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Notable participants

Montana State guard Lee Washburn was the last player selected in the 1978 NFL Draft, and tackle Jon Borchardt was selected in the 1979 NFL Draft. Quarterback Paul Dennehy and head coach Sonny Holland are inductees of the university's hall of fame.[2]

North Dakota State defensive back Chuck Rodgers was selected in the 1977 NFL Draft. Wide receiver / kicker Mike McTague was selected in the 1979 CFL Draft. McTague and linebacker Rick Budde are inductees of the university's athletic hall of fame.[3]

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MSU	NDS
1	5:43				NDS	26-yard field goal by Mike McTague	0	3
3	9:49	11	52		MSU	Butch Damberger 5-yard touchdown reception from Paul Dennehy, Jeff Muri kick good	7	3
4	11:30				MSU	34-yard field goal by Jeff Muri	10	3
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							10	3

Monson, Curt (December 5, 1976). "Holland: We played our kind of game". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. Retrieved February 19, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
"Hall of Fame". msubobcats.com. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
"Bison Athletic Hall of Fame". gobison.com. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
"Win puts Cats in Pioneer Bowl". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. AP. December 5, 1976. Retrieved February 4, 2017 – via newspapers.com.

Montana State Bobcats football
Venues	Gatton Field (1930–1971) Van Winkle Stadium (1972) Reno H. Sales Stadium (1973–1997) Bobcat Stadium (1998–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games 1947 1956 1964 1966 1976 Brawl of the Wild (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 1943 1944 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
National championship seasons in bold

North Dakota State Bison football
Venues	Dacotah Field (1910–1992) Fargodome (1993–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Dakota Marker (South Dakota State) Nickel Trophy (North Dakota)
Culture & lore	Thundar "On Bison" Gold Star Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1894 1895 1896 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 1943 1944 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
National championship seasons in bold