Sitting Bull Trophy

The Sitting Bull Trophy is the name of the rivalry trophy that was awarded to the winner of the annual football game between the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks (formerly the North Dakota Fighting Sioux) and the University of South Dakota Coyotes. The rivalry stems from the time the two teams spent competing together in the North Central Conference (1922–2007)[1] and later in the Great West Conference (2008–2011).

Sitting Bull Trophy

North Dakota Fighting Hawks South Dakota Coyotes
Sport	Football
First meeting	November 7, 1903 North Dakota 6, South Dakota 0
Latest meeting	September 16, 2017 South Dakota 45, North Dakota 7
Next meeting	March 4, 2021
Trophy	Sitting Bull Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total	95
All-time series	North Dakota leads, 61–29–5
Largest victory	North Dakota, 55–0 (1963)
Longest win streak	North Dakota, 11 (1928–1941)
Current win streak	South Dakota, 1 (2017)

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Locations of North Dakota and South Dakota

The Trophy

The oak bust, displaying a picture of Sitting Bull, designed in 1953 after a suggestion by newspaperman Al Neuharth.[2] The inspiration for the trophy was a minor 1953 dispute over which state was home to the final resting place of the famed chief, after it revealed that Sitting Bull's family members had exhumed and reinterred what they believed to be his remains, moving them from Fort Yates, North Dakota to Mobridge, South Dakota.[2] In 2000, the Sitting Bull Trophy retired, amid the ongoing NCAA controversy over the use of Native American names and symbols by its member institutions.[3]

Future

As of 2017, the two teams are currently not competing in the same conference, with North Dakota joining the Big Sky Conference and South Dakota joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference following the demise of Great West Conference football in 2011. 2012 also marked the first year the two teams did not play each other since the 1940s, when World War II interrupted the rivalry; however, they both played each other in 2016 and 2017 in non-conference play. The two teams have met 96 times on the football field, with North Dakota currently holding a 61–30–5 edge in the all-time series. North Dakota joins the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2020, renewing the annual rivalry.

Game results

North Dakota victories

South Dakota victories

Tie games

No. Date Location Winner Score 1 1903 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 6–0 2 1908 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 10–4 3 1912 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 44–0 4 1914 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 30–3 5 1915 Sioux Falls, SD Tie 0–0 6 1916 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 20–0 7 1917 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 19–0 8 1919 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 13–0 9 1920 Vermillion, SD Tie 7–7 10 1921 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 21–0 11 1922 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 7–0 12 1923 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 13–6 13 1924 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 6–0 14 1925 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 3–0 15 1926 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 12–0 16 1927 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 6–0 17 1928 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 6–0 18 1929 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 13–7 19 1930 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 21–0 20 1931 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 52–6 21 1933 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 41–0 22 1934 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 21–0 23 1935 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 25–0 24 1936 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 6–0 25 1937 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 13–7 26 1940 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 13–0 27 1941 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 14–7 28 1942 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 26–0 29 1946 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 21–6 30 1947 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 20–7 31 1948 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 13–7 32 1949 Vermillion, SD Tie 7–7 33 1950 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 28–7 34 1951 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 35–13 35 1952 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 21–14 36 1953 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 18–14 37 1954 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 27–21 38 1955 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 18–14 39 1956 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 32–14 40 1957 Vermillion, SD Tie 27–27 41 1958 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 28–14 42 1959 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 31–14 43 1960 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 27–7 44 1961 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 21–7 45 1962 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 31–0 46 1963 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 55–0 47 1964 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 21–14 48 1965 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 33–7 49 1966 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 31–17 No. Date Location Winner Score 50 1967 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 9–6 51 1968 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 17–16 52 1969 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 35–26 53 1970 Grand Forks, ND Tie 14–14 54 1971 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 29–21 55 1972 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 33–3 56 1973 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 54–21 57 1974 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 27–24 58 1975 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 27–17 59 1976 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 14–7 60 1977 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 20–0 61 1978 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 24–7 62 1979 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 23–22 63 1980 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 32–24 64 1981 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 27–0 65 1982 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 10–9 66 1983 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 26–16 67 1984 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 16–14 68 1985 Grand Forks, ND South Dakota 45–3 69 1986 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 28–12 70 1987 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 30–29 71 1988 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 24–9 72 1989 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 17–14 73 1990 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 46–12 74 1991 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 21–6 75 1992 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 52–3 76 1993 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 42–7 77 1994 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 23–20 78 1995 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 35–0 79 1996 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 29–6 80 1997 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 20–19 81 1998 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 33–14 82 1999 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 17–10 83 2000 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 42–14 84 2001 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 48–7 85 2002 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 20–0 86 2003 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 37–3 87 2004 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 41–21 88 2005 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 42–30 89 2006 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 33–26 90 2007 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 31–27 91 2008 Vermillion, SD North Dakota 34–31 92 2009 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 27–12 93 2010 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 27–17 94 2011 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 38–37 95 2016 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 47–44 96 2017 Vermillion, SD South Dakota 45–7 Series: North Dakota leads 61–30–5

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

1. "The Little Big Horn with pads". Sports Illustrated. November 4, 1974. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
2. "This week's feature football game involving a trophy..." Chicago Tribune. September 19, 1986. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
3. "Sitting Bull Trophy will be retired; North Dakota, South Dakota go to battle today in Grand Rapids". Star Tribune. September 16, 2000. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved 2013-02-28.