Nickel Trophy

The Nickel Trophy is presented to the winner of the currently annual football game between the rival University of North Dakota (UND) Fighting Hawks and the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison. The two universities are approximately 76 miles apart on the eastern border of North Dakota. The two schools suspended play in 2003 and resumed play in 2015. In the entire history of the rivalry, the game has never been contested anywhere beside Grand Forks or Fargo.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks
North Dakota State Bison
SportFootball
First meetingNovember 3, 1894
North Dakota Agricultural 20, North Dakota 4
Latest meetingOctober 14, 2023
North Dakota 49, North Dakota State 24
Next meetingOctober 5, 2024
TrophyNickel Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total116
All-time seriesNorth Dakota leads 63–50–3
Largest victoryNorth Dakota State, 64–14 (1969)
Longest win streakNorth Dakota, 12 (1953–1964)
North Dakota State, 12 (1981–1992)
Current win streakNorth Dakota, 1 (2023–present)
🌍
Locations of North Dakota and North Dakota State

The Trophy

Robert Kunkel, a UND alumnus and Chicago advertising executive, was the originator of the trophy, and Blue Key, an honorary service fraternity at NDSU, and the UND Blue Key (Student Government after their Blue Key Chapter dissolved) administered the annual awarding. It is an oversized 75-pound replica[1] of the James Earle Fraser-designed U.S. buffalo nickel with a buffalo on one side representing NDSU Bison and a Native American head on the other side representing UND, who were known as the Fighting Sioux until 2012. Fraser, best known for his sculpture, "The End of The Trail", was born in Winona, MN and lived for a time in Dakota Territory. The coin-shaped trophy's "mint" date is 1937, the year the trophy was created. Jack Sather, a native of New England, ND, was commissioned to design and act a sculpture of the award. It took six weeks to complete the job and he was paid $1,650 for his work. Those funds were raised by both NDSU and UND Blue Key chapters from members and friends. The Nickel, at 250 times larger than a regular five-cent piece, weighs 75 pounds and is 2 inches thick and 22 inches in diameter. Both sides were 3/4" relief and, from the original models, plaster casts were poured. The casts were hauled to a St. Paul, MN foundry where plaster copies were recast in an aluminum alloy. The halves were welded together to make the finished piece. It was first awarded in 1938 when NDSU won 17–13. It has been the object of many theft and "kidnapping" attempts by students from both universities. Governor William Langer was asked to participate in the unveiling of the new award in Grand Forks. Moments after the unveiling an unidentified student stepped up to Governor Langer, told him "I'll take care of this for you", and disappeared with the nickel trophy. It turned up 36 hours later on the front lawn of then UND President John C. West (The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, October 21, 1967) and a new tradition of "kidnapping" or "borrowing" the trophy had begun. The Trophy retired after the 2003 season. Upon renewal of the "rivalry" games being played in 2015, the trophy remains retired and is currently displayed at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck.

History
Nickel Trophy
The Nickel Trophy – NDSU side
Awarded forWinning the regular season NDSU/UND football game
Sponsored byNDSU Blue Key & UND Student Government
Date1938–2003
LocationFargo, ND or Grand Forks, ND
CountryUnited States
Currently held byState Historical Society of North Dakota

Prior to 2004, the game was one of the most played college football contests, with 110 meetings spanning several decades with the first official game in 1894. UND leads the all-time series 62–50, with 3 ties. In games where the Nickel Trophy has been contested (since 1938), UND leads the series 35-30.[2] The last NDSU win in a game in which the trophy was at stake was in 2000, 16–13. The two playoff games between the teams (1994 and 1995) are not considered part of the Nickel series, and it has been agreed on by both schools that only the regular season scheduled game would determine the Nickel's rightful owner according to former Blue Key member and chapter adviser Tim Flakoll. The Nickel Trophy was not at stake in 2015 (a game won 34–9 by the Bison) due to the now-abandoned Sioux logo remaining on one side.[3]

Both teams have had long winning streaks in the series. The most recent streaks of significant length were in 1981–1992, where the Bison won 12 straight games in the series, including two shutout wins (1985 and 1989)- and in 1993–1996, where the then-Fighting Sioux snapped the losing streak by winning four straight regular-season games. (As mentioned, the two teams did play playoff games in 1994 and 1995 respectively—the Sioux winning in 1994 and the Bison in 1995). Of more historical relevance, UND had won 12 straight from 1953-1964 before the Bison snapped that streak with a 6-3 victory at Fargo in 1965.[4]

Since 1921, NDSU and UND competed as charter members in the NCAA Division II North Central Conference. In 2002, NDSU announced their intention to move their football program to the Division I-AA level (and athletic program as a whole to Division I). Following NDSU's reclassification, agreement for the schools to continue competing on the field could not be reached between the two universities due to UND's athletic department. Thus the series went on indefinite hiatus after the 2003 season. In mid-2006, UND announced their intention to move their athletic programs to Division I as well and the 2008 season was their first in Division I, opening the door for the rivalry to restart. However, while North Dakota State were members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in football, and the Summit League in non-football sports. North Dakota joined the Big Sky Conference, complicating the matter for scheduling future games.

Scheduling logistics with their respective conferences and the yearly frequency of the potential resumption of the series were the stated reasons for not resuming. Several high-profile alumni and sports figures had called for a resumption of the series, and a grassroots movement form for the legislature to require an annual game by law.[5][6][7]

On December 12, 2010, The Bison hosted North Dakota in men's basketball at the Fargodome in front of an NDSU basketball record crowd of 10,709 for the first athletic meeting between the two schools as Division I opponents.[8]

On May 16, 2012, UND athletic director Brian Faison announced that UND and NDSU had been planning a contract for two more games between each other, both in Fargo in 2015 and 2019.[9] On August 22, 2014, UND athletics announced the signing of the contract for two games against NDSU to be played in Fargo on September 19, 2015 and September 7, 2019.[10] On September 9, 2015 #2 ranked NDSU hosted the newly rebranded Fighting Hawks in the first Nickel Trophy matchup in 12 years. The game, which the Bison won 34-9, received ample media attention as the long-running series returned.[11][12] On January 26, 2017 North Dakota announced that they would move to the Summit League for non-football for the 2018 season, and football-only Missouri Valley Football Conference for the 2020 season. The UND–NDSU matchup became a conference rivalry in non-football sports once again in 2018 when the Fighting Hawks joined the Summit League,[13] and became a conference football rivalry in 2020 when UND and NDSU were reunited in the MVFC.[14]

Game results
North Dakota victoriesNorth Dakota State victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 November 3, 1894 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 20–4
2 November 12, 1894 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 24–4
3 November 4, 1895 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 42–0
4 November 9, 1895 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 12–4
5 October 28, 1896 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 58–12
6 October 30, 1897 Fargo, ND North Dakota 39–0
7 November 15, 1897 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 20–0
8 November 8, 1898 Fargo, ND North Dakota 39–6
9 November 11, 1899 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 46–0
10 November 19, 1900 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 16–0
11 November 2, 1901 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 17–11
12 November 8, 1902 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 47–0
13 November 5, 1904 Fargo, ND North Dakota 22–0
14 November 7, 1904 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 17–0
15 October 21, 1905 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 23–5
16 November 18, 1905 Fargo, ND Tie11–11
17 October 27, 1906 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 32–4
18 November 5, 1910 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 18–0
19 November 2, 1912 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 3–0
20 November 1, 1913 Fargo, ND North Dakota 20–14
21 November 7, 1914 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 7–6
22 November 6, 1915 Fargo, ND North Dakota 20–0
23 November 4, 1916 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 10–0
24 November 3, 1917 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 20–6
25 November 1, 1919 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 7–6
26 October 30, 1920 Fargo, ND North Dakota 14–7
27 October 29, 1921 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 38–3
28 November 4, 1922 Fargo, ND North Dakota 7–0
29 October 27, 1923 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 10–3
30 November 1, 1924 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 20–7
31 October 31, 1925 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 19–10
32 November 6, 1926 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 7–6
33 October 29, 1927 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 13–0
34 October 27, 1928 Fargo, ND North Dakota 18–0
35 October 25, 1929 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 14–0
36 October 25, 1930 Fargo, ND North Dakota 14–7
37 October 31, 1931 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 20–12
38 October 22, 1932 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 7–6
39 October 28, 1933 Grand Forks, ND Tie7–7
40 October 27, 1934 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 7–0
41 October 26, 1935 Grand Forks, ND Tie20–20
42 October 31, 1936 Fargo, ND North Dakota 14–0
43 October 30, 1937 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 27–0
44 October 29, 1938 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 17–13
45 October 28, 1939 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 18–0
46 October 26, 1940 Fargo, ND North Dakota 24–0
47 October 25, 1941 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 20–6
48 October 24, 1942 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 26–14
49 October 20, 1945 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 20–12
50 October 27, 1945 Fargo, ND North Dakota Agricultural 26–7
51 October 19, 1946 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 31–0
52 October 18, 1947 Fargo, ND North Dakota 25–20
53 October 30, 1948 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 19–7
54 October 29, 1949 Fargo, ND North Dakota 13–6
55 October 28, 1950 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 33–0
56 October 27, 1951 Fargo, ND North Dakota 33–14
57 October 25, 1952 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota Agricultural 14–13
58 October 31, 1953 Fargo, ND North Dakota 26–6
59 October 30, 1954 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 40–7
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
60 October 29, 1955 Fargo, ND North Dakota 21–0
61 October 20, 1956 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 14–7
62 October 19, 1957 Fargo, ND North Dakota 9–0
63 October 18, 1958 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 36–0
64 October 17, 1959 Fargo, ND North Dakota 20–15
65 October 15, 1960 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 16–7
66 October 21, 1961 Fargo, ND North Dakota 26–6
67 October 20, 1962 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 30–7
68 October 19, 1963 Fargo, ND North Dakota 21–7
69 October 17, 1964 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 20–13
70 October 16, 1965 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 6–3
71 October 22, 1966 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 18–15
72 October 21, 1967 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 34–10
73 October 19, 1968 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 14–8
74 October 18, 1969 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 64–14
75 October 17, 1970 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 20–3
76 October 16, 1971 Fargo, ND North Dakota 23–7
77 October 21, 1972 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 22–17
78 October 20, 1973 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 21–14
79 October 19, 1974 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 31–20
80 October 18, 1975 Fargo, ND North Dakota 34–17
81 October 23, 1976 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 22–15
82 October 22, 1977 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 45–20
83 October 21, 1978 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 24–21
84 October 13, 1979 Fargo, ND North Dakota 14–7
85 October 4, 1980 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 38–20
86 September 26, 1981 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 31–7
87 September 18, 1982 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 10–3
88 October 29, 1983 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 23–6
89 October 27, 1984 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 14–3
90 November 16, 1985 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 49–0
91 November 15, 1986 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 62–13
92 November 14, 1987 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 42–10
93 November 12, 1988 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 34–27
94 November 11, 1989 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 21–0
95 November 10, 1990 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 42–14
96 November 16, 1991 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 35–28
97 November 14, 1992 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 20–19
98 October 30, 1993 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 22–21
99 October 29, 1994 Fargo, ND North Dakota 34–13
100 November 26, 1994 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 17–7
101 November 4, 1995 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 21–7
102 November 18, 1995 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 41–10
103 November 9, 1996 Fargo, ND North Dakota 33–19
104 October 18, 1997 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 31–10
105 October 17, 1998 Fargo, ND North Dakota 39–25
106 October 2, 1999 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 13–10
107 September 30, 2000 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 16–13
108 October 6, 2001 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 19–7
109 October 12, 2002 Fargo, ND North Dakota 12–6
110 October 18, 2003 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 28–21
111 September 19, 2015 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 34–9
112 September 7, 2019 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 38–7
113 March 20, 2021[lower-alpha 1] Fargo, ND North Dakota State 34–13
114 October 2, 2021 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota State 16–10
115 November 19, 2022 Fargo, ND North Dakota State 42–21
116 October 14, 2023 Grand Forks, ND North Dakota49–24
Series: North Dakota leads 63–50–3
  1. Played in the 2020–21 school year. Due to COVID-19, the MVFC moved its conference season from fall 2020 to spring 2021.

See also

References
  1. Rappoport & Wilner; Ken Rappoport; Barry Wilner (2007). Football Feuds: The Greatest College Football Rivalries. Globe Pequot. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-59921-014-8.
  2. "NDSU-UND Football History". GoBison.com. North Dakota State University. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  3. "News". InForum. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  4. "UND vs. NDSU - The Nickel Trophy". siouxsports.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  5. "Nothing found for Event Article Id 19821". WDAY | WDAZ. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  6. PETER, DAVE ST. (September 4, 2013). "ST. PETER: UND, NDSU must meet in football".
  7. "NDSU down a football game in 2013, but UND won't fill void | The Dickinson Press | Dickinson, North Dakota". www.thedickinsonpress.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013.
  8. UND Athletics Media Relations (December 11, 2010). "NDSU sinks Sioux with strong second half". fightinghawks.com. University of North Dakota. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  9. Kolpack, Jeff & Miller, Tom (May 17, 2012). "UND AD says Sioux-Bison football dates set, but Taylor says details remain". Grand Forks Herald. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  10. "UND-NDSU to resume football rivalry". University of North Dakota Athletics. August 22, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  11. AP. "UND vs NDSU football game Sept 2015". CSINews. CSi News Now. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  12. Bonham, Kevin. "North Dakota, North Dakota St. renew rivalry after 12 years". NCAA.com. NCAA. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  13. "The Summit League Adds The University of North Dakota" (Press release). The Summit League. January 26, 2017. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  14. "UND to Join Missouri Valley Football Conference" (Press release). Missouri Valley Football Conference. January 26, 2017. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
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