American college football season
The 1979 North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team , also known as the Nodaks , was an American football team that represented the University of North Dakota as a member of the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1979 NCAA Division II football season . Led by Gene Murphy in his second and final season as head coach, the Fighting Sioux compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, winning the NCC title. North Dakota advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, losing in the quarterfinals to Mississippi College . The team played home games at Memorial Stadium in Grand Forks, North Dakota .
Date Time Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 1 Moorhead State * W 17–06,300 September 8 at Montana State * W 20–167,070 September 15 at Sacramento State * Memorial Stadium Grand Forks, ND W 31–013,200 September 22 at South Dakota State W 13–04,380 September 29 Illinois State * No. T–4 Memorial Stadium Grand Forks, ND W 13–05,700 [1] October 6 at Augustana (SD) No. 3 Sioux Falls, SD W 30–241,157 October 13 at North Dakota State No. 2 W 14–712,800 [2] October 20 South Dakota No. 3 W 23–2211,050 October 27 Morningside No. 3 Memorial Stadium Grand Forks, ND W 32–75,700 November 3 at Nebraska–Omaha No. 3 L 13–245,300 November 10 at Western Illinois * No. 3 W 28–78,300 November 24 7:30 p.m. at No. 5 Mississippi College * No. 3 L 15–35[3] [4] *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time
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1979 North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team roster Players Coaches Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 33 Kirk Anderson Jr QB 15 Chris Sorensen So OT 74 Todd Thomas Jr
Defense Special teams Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt
^ "Undefeated Sioux post fourth shutout of year" . Sioux City Journal . Associated Press . September 30, 1979. p. C10. Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "North Dakota defeats North Dakota St. 14–7" . Star Tribune . October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ Nance, Roscoe (November 24, 1979). "MC's loss to be motivator for today, says Williams" . The Clarion-Ledger . Jackson, Mississippi . p. 3C. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com . ^ Gough, Norman (November 25, 1979). "Mississippi overpowers N. Dakota" . The Morning News . Wilmington, Delaware . p. D3. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Final 1979 Cumulative Football Statistics Report" . National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 30, 2022 . ^ "2019 North Dakota Football Media Guide" (PDF) . University of North Dakota. 2019. p. 176.
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold