BISON PLAYOFF HISTORY - North Dakota State University Athletics

2009 BISON FOOTBALL
110
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Bison Have Won Eight National
Championships Since 1965
North Dakota State had one of the
most successful and envious football records
in all of America over four decades.
The list includes eight national championships,
22 years in the top 20 of the
national polls, and an awesome 352-94-4
record over a 40-year period.
North Dakota Stat appeared in seven
of the 23 national championship games
in NCAA Division II football including four
straight appearances from 1983 through
1986. NDSU won fi ve of those title affairs
(1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990) with
only a 50-yard fi eld goal by a freshman
kicker with no time on the clock remaining
in the 1984 championship game stopping
the Bison from winning four straight
NCAA championships.
North Dakota State made 18 appearances
in the NCAA national rankings since
the playoff system began in 1973 and the
Bison appeared in the national playoffs
during 17 of those seasons.
Interestingly enough, the fi nal poll
position and the actual playoff fi nish
have gone like this: 1976 (10th in the
poll, semifi nalist in playoff); 1977 (1st,
semifi nalist); 1981 (6th, 2nd); 1982 (2nd,
semifi nalist); 1983 (5th, 1st); 1984 (1st,
2nd); 1985 (7th, 1st); 1986 (1st, 1st);
1988 (1st, 1st); 1989 (17th, quarterfi nalist);
1990 (1st, 1st); 1991 (7th, opening
round); 1992 (2nd, quarterfi nalist); 1993
(20th, not selected); 1994 (15th, quarterfi
nalist); 1995 (13th, quarterfi nalist); 1997
(unranked, opening round); 2000 (4th or
5th, semifi nalist).
The Bison claimed three national
championships via the wire service polls
in the 1960s -- 1965, 1968 and 1969. The
Associated Press accorded the Bison those
honors all three years while the United
Press International selected the Bison
in 1965 and 1969. The Herd was second
to San Diego State in 1967 in both wire
service polls.
The 1983 Bison, led by All-American center Greg Hagfors (64), celebrate a national title.
From 1965 through 1970, the Bison
were in every AP or UPI poll. The UPI
discontinued its poll after 1970 but the
NDSU team reappeared in the AP poll
again in 1973 with a 14th position. The
AP poll also died out and was replaced
the following year by the NCAA's national
rankings.