Nickel Trophy

North Dakota Fighting Hawks

North Dakota State Bison

Sport

Football

First meeting

November 3, 1894
North Dakota State 20, North Dakota 4

Latest meeting

September 19, 2015
North Dakota State 34, North Dakota 9

Next meeting

2019

Trophy

Yes (Nickel Trophy)

Statistics

Meetings total

111

All-time series

North Dakota leads 62–46–3

Current win streak

North Dakota State, 1 (2015–present)

North Dakota

North Dakota State

Locations in North Dakota

The Nickel Trophy was presented to the winner of the formerly 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.

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 $65 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 Rivalry

Nickel Trophy
The Nickel Trophy – NDSU side
Awarded for	Winning the regular season NDSU/UND football game
Sponsored by	NDSU Blue Key & UND Student Government
Date	1938-2003
Location	Fargo, ND or Grand Forks, ND
Country	United States
Currently held by	UND

Prior to 2004, the game was one of the longest-running college football contests, with 110 meetings spanning several decades with the first official game in 1894. The Fighting Hawks lead the all-time series 62–46, with 3 ties. In games where the Nickel Trophy has been contested (since 1938), the Hawks lead the series 35–30 and won the last three games in the series. 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.^[2]

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 note, the Sioux won 12 straight also from 1953–1964 before the Bison stopped the streak with a 6–3 win in 1965.^[3]

Future

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). An agreement for the schools to continue competing on the field could not be reached between the two universities and was the subject of much controversy following NDSU's reclassification. Thus, the Sioux have held the trophy since October 18, 2003, when they defeated NDSU in the last Nickel Trophy game by a 28–21 score in Grand Forks.

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. Today, NDSU is an all-sports member of The Summit League, a non-football conference, and a member of the football-only Missouri Valley Football Conference, while UND is a full member of the football-sponsoring Big Sky Conference.

Scheduling logistics with their respective conferences and the yearly frequency of the potential resumption of the series are the stated reasons for not resuming. Several high-profile alumni and sports figures have called for a resumption of the series, and there is a grassroots movement for the legislature to require an annual game by law.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

On May 16, 2012, UND athletic director Brian Faison announced that UND and NDSU are planning a contract for two more games between each other, first in 2015 in Fargo (NDSU) and then 2017 in Grand Forks (UND).^[8] On August 22, 2014, UND athletics announced the signing of a contract for two games against NDSU to be played in Fargo on September 19, 2015 and September 7, 2019.^[9]

Game results

North Dakota victories	North Dakota State victories	Tie games

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	1894	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	20–4
2	1894	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	24–4
3	1895	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	42–0
4	1895	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	12–4
5	1896	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	58–12
6	1897	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	39–0
7	1897	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	20–0
8	1898	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	39–6
9	1899	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	46–0
10	1900	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	16–0
11	1901	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	17–11
12	1902	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	47–0
13	1904	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	22–0
14	1904	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	17–0
15	1905	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	23–5
16	1905	Fargo, ND	Tie	11–11
17	1906	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	32–4
18	1910	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	18–0
19	1912	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	3–0
20	1913	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	20–14
21	1914	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	7–6
22	1915	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	20–0
23	1916	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	10–0
24	1917	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	20–6
25	1919	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	7–6
26	1920	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	14–7
27	1921	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	38–3
28	1922	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	7–0
29	1923	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	10–3
30	1924	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	20–7
31	1925	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	19–10
32	1926	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	7–6
33	1927	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	13–0
34	1928	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	18–0
35	1929	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	14–0
36	1930	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	14–7
37	1931	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	20–12
38	1932	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	7–6
39	1933	Grand Forks, ND	Tie	7–7
40	1934	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	7–0
41	1935	Grand Forks, ND	Tie	20–20
42	1936	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	14–0
43	1937	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	27–0
44	1938	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	17–13
45	1939	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	18–0
46	1940	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	24–0
47	1941	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	20–6
48	1942	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	26–14
49	1945	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	20–12
50	1945	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	26–7
51	1946	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	31–0
52	1947	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	25–20
53	1948	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	19–7
54	1949	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	13–6
55	1950	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	33–0
56	1951	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	33–14

#	Date	Location	Winner	Score
57	1952	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	14–13
58	1953	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	26–6
59	1954	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	40–7
60	1955	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	21–0
61	1956	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	14–7
62	1957	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	9–0
63	1958	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	36–0
64	1959	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	20–15
65	1960	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	16–7
66	1961	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	26–6
67	1962	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	30–7
68	1963	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	21–7
69	1964	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	20–13
70	1965	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	6–3
71	1966	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	18–15
72	1967	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	34–10
73	1968	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	14–8
74	1969	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	64–14
75	1970	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	20–3
76	1971	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	23–7
77	1972	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	22–17
78	1973	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	21–14
79	1974	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	31–20
80	1975	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	34–17
81	1976	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	22–15
82	1977	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	45–20
83	1978	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	24–21
84	1979	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	14–7
85	1980	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	38–20
86	1981	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	31–7
87	1982	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	10–3
88	1983	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	23–6
89	1984	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	14–3
90	1985	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	49–0
91	1986	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	62–13
92	1987	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	42–10
93	1988	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	34–27
94	1989	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	21–0
95	1990	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	42–14
96	1991	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	35–28
97	1992	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	20–19
98	1993	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	22–21
99	1994	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	34–13
100	1994	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	17–7
101	1995	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	21–7
102	1995	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	41–10
103	1996	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	33–19
104	1997	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota State	31–10
105	1998	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	39–25
106	1999	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	13–10
107	2000	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	16–13
108	2001	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	19–7
109	2002	Fargo, ND	North Dakota	12–6
110	2003	Grand Forks, ND	North Dakota	28–21
111	2015	Fargo, ND	North Dakota State	34–9
Series: North Dakota leads 62–46–3

References

↑ Rappoport & Wilner; Ken Rappoport; Barry Wilner (2007). Football Feuds: The Greatest College Football Rivalries. Globe Pequot. p. 193. ISBN 1-59921-014-2.
↑ "The story behind the Nickel Trophy and its multiple thefts".
↑ "UND vs. NDSU – The Nickel Trophy".
↑ http://www.wdaz.com/event/article/id/19821/
↑ PETER, DAVE ST. "ST. PETER: UND, NDSU must meet in football".
↑ http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/64603/
↑ http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/19/3636657/holtz-lobbies-for-und-ndsu-football.html
↑ 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.
↑ "UND-NDSU to resume football rivalry". University of North Dakota Athletics. August 22, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks football

Venues	Memorial Stadium (1927–2000) Alerus Center (2001–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Nickel Trophy (North Dakota State) Sitting Bull Trophy (South Dakota)

Culture & lore	"Fight On Sioux" "It's for You, North Dakota U" Pride of the North

People	Head coaches

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

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

National championship seasons in bold

Big Sky Conference football rivalries

Conference	Battle for the Golden Horseshoe (Cal Poly–UC Davis) Causeway Classic (Sacramento State–UC Davis) EWU–UM Governors Cup (Eastern Washington–Montana) Montana–Montana State Grand Canyon Rivalry (Northern Arizona–Southern Utah) The Dam Cup (Eastern Washington-Portland State) Beehive Bowl (Southern Utah-Weber State)

Non-conference	Beehive Boot (BYU–Utah–Utah State–Weber State) Little Brown Stein (Idaho–Montana) Nickel Trophy (North Dakota–North Dakota State) Sitting Bull Trophy (North Dakota–South Dakota)

Missouri Valley Football Conference rivalries

Conference	Dakota Marker (North Dakota State–South Dakota State) South Dakota–South Dakota State

Non-conference	Blue Key Victory Bell (Ball State–Indiana State) Mid-America Classic (Eastern Illinois–Illinois State) Nickel Trophy (North Dakota–North Dakota State) Sitting Bull Trophy (North Dakota–South Dakota) Steel Tire (Akron–Youngstown State)

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