1976 Idaho Vandals football team

Coordinates: 46°43′34″N 117°01′05″W / 46.726°N 117.018°W

1976 Idaho Vandals football
Conference	Big Sky Conference
1976 record	7–4 (5–1 Big Sky)
Head coach	Ed Troxel (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator	John McMahon (1st year)
Offensive scheme	Veer
Defensive coordinator	Andy Christoff (3rd year)
Base defense	5–2 [1]
Home stadium	Kibbie Dome

1976 Big Sky football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Montana State $^	6	–	0	–	0			12	–	1	–	0
Idaho	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Northern Arizona	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Montana	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Boise State	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Weber State	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Idaho State	0	–	6	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – Division II playoff participant Montana State won Div. II championship.

The 1976 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach Ed Troxel and were members of the Big Sky Conference, then in Division II. They played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

Season

With quarterbacks Rocky Tuttle and Craig Juntunen running the veer offense,^[2][3] the Vandals were 7–4 overall and 5–1 in the Big Sky in 1976.^[4] The only conference loss was to Montana State in Bozeman;^[5] the Bobcats went undefeated in the Big Sky and won the Division II national championship.^[6]

The season opened with a road win over Boise State,^[7][8] the three-time defending conference champions, in the debut of Jim Criner as head coach of the Broncos.^[9] In the Battle of the Palouse, the Vandals suffered a ninth straight loss to neighbor Washington State of the Pac-8, falling 45–6 at Martin Stadium in Pullman on October 2. The Cougars were led by quarterback Jack Thompson and fullback Dan Doornink.^[10]

Outside of the 1971 season (8–3), the Vandals' 7–4 record in 1976 was the best since 1938 (6–3–1).^[4]

Center John Yarno was selected to the AP All-American team,^[11] which included a prime-time appearance on Bob Hope's Christmas show on NBC on Monday, December 13.^[12][13][14] The All-America team was headlined by Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett of Pittsburgh.^[15] Yarno was also selected to play in the East–West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl.^[16] His number 56 was retired the following year.^[17][18]

Division I

Through 1977, the Big Sky was a Division II conference for football, except for Division I member Idaho, which moved down to I-AA in 1978. Idaho maintained its upper division status in the NCAA by playing Division I non-conference opponents (and was ineligible for the Division II postseason).

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
Sep 11	6:30 pm	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID - (BSU-UI rivalry)	W 16–9	20,549
Sep 18	7:30 pm	at Pacific*	Pacific Memorial Stadium • Stockton, CA	W 31–28	11,769
Sep 25	11:30 am	at Ohio*	Peden Stadium • Athens, OH [19]	L   0–35	13,710
Oct 02	1:30 pm	at Washington State*	Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA - (Battle of the Palouse)	L   6–45	20,000
Oct 09	8:00 pm	New Mexico State*	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	W 33–6	10,166
Oct 16	8:00 pm	Weber State	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	W 45–17	15,607
Oct 23	12:30 pm	at Montana State	Reno H. Sales Stadium • Bozeman, MT [5]	L 14–29	5,400
Oct 30	7:00 pm	at Idaho State	ISU Minidome • Pocatello, ID	W  6–3	9,625
Nov 06	12:00 pm	at Colorado State*	Hughes Stadium • Fort Collins, CO	L 14–31	17,535
Nov 13	8:00 pm	Montana	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID - (Little Brown Stein)	W 28–19	9,396
Nov 20	8:00 pm	Northern Arizona	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	W 31–14	7,160
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Pacific Time.

References

1. "Troxel claims defense key at Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. September 7, 1977. p. 42.
2. "Vandals vs. Cougars: probable starters". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). October 2, 1976. p. 13.
3. "Aggies vs. Vandals: probable starters". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). October 9, 1976. p. 13.
4. Payne, Bob (November 21, 1976). "Vandals clobber Northern Arizona". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 1D.
5. Payne, Bob (October 24, 1976). "Dennehy inspires Bobcats". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
6. "Montana State wins title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 12, 1976. p. 4B.
7. Payne, Bob (September 12, 1976). "Vandals win opener". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
8. English, Sue (September 13, 1976). "Vandals tame Broncos". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 17.
9. "Idaho team underdog against Boise squad". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). September 10, 1976. p. 23.
10. Payne, Bob (October 3, 1976). "Thompson unloads on Idaho". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington).
11. Brown, Butch (July 29, 1977). "John Yarno learns enthusiastically". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 17.
12. "Yarno named All-American". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 2, 1976. p. 39.
13. "Contracts please Yarno". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 26, 1977. p. 44.
14. Payne, Bob (December 3, 1976). "John Yarno:'Hard to believe'". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 33.
15. "Dorsett heads AP's All-America team". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 3, 1976. p. 1B.
16. "Selection shocks Yarno". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). December 3, 1976. p. 1B.
17. "Hall of Famers arrive on campus". University of Idaho Athletics. September 6, 2007.
18. "John Yarno named first team All-American". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1977. p. 44.
19. "Leaky Vandals yield again; Hawaii rolls to 46-25 win". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 26, 1977. p. 15.

External links

• Gem of the Mountains: 1977 University of Idaho yearbook – 1976 football season
• College Football Data Warehouse – Idaho Vandals (1975–79)