1976 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team

{{short description|American college football season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1976

| team = South Carolina State Bulldogs

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

| short_conf = MEAC

| record = 10–1

| conf_record = 5–1

| head_coach = Willie Jeffries

| hc_year = 4th

| off_coach =

| oc_year =

| off_scheme =

| def_coach = James Carson

| dc_year = 2nd

| def_scheme =

| captain =

| stadium = Bulldog Stadium

| champion = Black college national champion
MEAC co-champion

| bowl = Bicentennial Bowl

| bowl_result = W 26–10 vs. {{cfb link|year=1976|team=Norfolk State Spartans|title=Norfolk State}}

}}

{{1976 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings}}

The 1976 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team represented South Carolina State University as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) during the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. In its fourth season under head coach Willie Jeffries, the team compiled a 10–1 record (5–1 against conference opponents), tied for the MEAC championship, defeated {{cfb link|year=1976|team=Norfolk State Spartans|title=Norfolk State}} in the Bicentennial Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 278 to 44. The team was recognized as the 1976 black college football national champion and was ranked No. 8 by the Associated Press in the final 1976 NCAA Division II football rankings.{{cite web|title=South Carolina State Yearly Results (1975-1979)|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse|accessdate=December 9, 2019|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/s/south_carolina_state/1975-1979_yearly_results.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905202121/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/s/south_carolina_state/1975-1979_yearly_results.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 5, 2015}}

Schedule

{{CFB schedule

| rankyear = 1976

| rankdivision = NCAA Division II

| poll = AP

| rank = y

| attend = y

| source = y

|September 11|at|Delaware State||Alumni Stadium|Dover, DE|W 30-0|2,700|{{cite news|title=Delaware State is 30-0 victim|newspaper=The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware)|date=September 12, 1976|page=Sports 3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40329761/delaware_state_is_300_victim/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|September 18|at|North Carolina A&T||World War Memorial Stadium|Greensboro, NC (rivalry)|L 14-15|20,000|{{cite news|title=A&T Upsets S.C. State, 15-14|newspaper=The Greenville News|date=September 19, 1976|page=5C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40330093/at_upsets_sc_state_1514/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|September 25|at|Howard||Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium|Washington, DC|W 40-0|8,500|{{cite news|title=S.C. State Rushing Destroys Howard|newspaper=The Greenville News|date=September 26, 1976|page=7C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40330305/sc_state_rushing_destroys_howard/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 2||Alcorn State||Bulldog Stadium|Orangeburg, SC|W 7-6|9,860–15,000|{{cite news|title=SCSC Bulldogs Derail Alcorn A&M|newspaper=The Times and Democrat|date=October 3, 1976|pages=14A, 15A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40330816/scsc_bulldogs_derail_alcorn_am/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite web |author= |title=Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/team/17/stats/13330 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=April 18, 2023 }}

|October 9||{{cfb link|year=1976|team=Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls|title=Johnson C. Smith}}||Bulldog Stadium|Orangeburg, SC|W 28-0|7,000|{{cite news|title=S.C. State Romps Over J.C. Smith, 28-0|newspaper=The Times and Democrat|date=October 10, 1976|pages=5B, 10B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40331116/sc_state_romps_over_jc_smith_280/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 16|at|Morgan State||Hughes Stadium|Baltimore, MD|W 17-0|6,500|{{cite news|title=Aerial duel bombs, S. C. State blanks Morgan|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=October 17, 1976|page=B11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40332541/aerial_duel_bombs_s_c_state_blanks/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 23||{{cfb link|year=1976|team=Newberry Indians|title=Newberry}}||Bulldog Stadium|Orangeburg, SC|W 25-7|5,128–5,129|{{cite news|title=Montgomery: 4 Field Goals; S.C. State Whips Newberry, 25-7|newspaper=The Times and Democrat|date=October 24, 1976|pages=13A, 14A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40331418/montgomery_4_field_goals_sc_state/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|October 30||North Carolina Central||Bulldog Stadium|Orangeburg, SC|W 30-0|4,320|{{cite news|title=S.C. State Bulldogs Romp Over N.C. Central: SCSC Gains First Place In The MEAC|newspaper=The Times and Democrat|date=October 31, 1976|pages=8A, 13A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40331658/sc_state_bulldogs_romp_over_nc/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 6||Maryland Eastern Shore|9|Bulldog Stadium|Orangeburg, SC|W 47-0|14,103|{{cite news|title=S.C. State Clinches MEAC Title|newspaper=The Times and Democrat|date=November 7, 1976|pages=7A, 8A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40331958/sc_state_clinches_meac_title/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|November 13|at|{{cfb link|year=1976|team=Wofford Terriers|title=Wofford}}|6|Synder Field|Spartanburg, SC|W 14-6|6,200|{{cite news|title=S. C. State defenders stymie Wofford, 14-6|newspaper=The Greenville News and Piedmont|date=November 14, 1976|page=2C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40332263/s_c_state_defenders_stymie_wofford/|via=Newspapers.com}}

|December 11|at|{{cfb link|year=1976|team=Norfolk State Spartans|title=Norfolk State}}|8|City Stadium|Richmond, VA (Bicentennial Bowl)|W 26-10|7,500|{{cite news|title=S.C. State Downs Norfolk State: Bicentennial Bowl Win End of Drought|newspaper=The Times and Democrat|date=December 12, 1976|pages=9B, 10B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40316746/sc_state_downs_norfolk_state/|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

{{cite web |author= |title=Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (South Carolina State) |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/team/647/stats/13330 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=April 18, 2023 }}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{South Carolina State Bulldogs football navbox}}

{{Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football champions}}

{{Black college football national champion navbox}}

South Carolina State

Category:South Carolina State Bulldogs football seasons

Category:Black college football national champions

Category:Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football champion seasons

South Carolina State Bulldogs football