1976 Akron Zips football team

Akron Zips football
	1976 Akron Zips football
Pioneer Bowl, L 13–24 vs. Montana State
Conference	Independent
1976 record	10–3
Head coach	Jim Dennison (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Wally Neal
Home stadium	Rubber Bowl
	Seasons ← 1975 1977 →

The 1976 Akron Zips football team was an American football team that represented the University of Akron during the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. In their fourth season under head coach Jim Dennison, the Zips compiled a 10–3 record and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 282 to 144. In post-season play, they defeated UNLV, 27–6, in a Division II quarterfinal, and defeated [[{{{school}}}|Northern Michigan]], 29–26, in the Knute Rockne Bowl. In the championship game in Wichita Falls, Texas, Akron lost to Montana State in the Pioneer Bowl.^[1]^[2]^[3] The 1976 season was the first and only ten-win season in Akron's program history.

Schedule[]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 11	Temple	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	L 13–23
September 18	Morehead State	Rubber Bowl Akron, H	W 26–6
September 25	at [[{{{school}}}\|Youngstown State]]	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH (Steel Tire)	W 24–3
October 2	at Indiana State	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	W 34–7
October 9	Dayton	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	W 27–6
October 16	at Ball State	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	W 3–0
October 23	Eastern Michigan	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	W 36–0
October 30	at Marshall	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 0–13
November 6	at Western Illinois	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 21–14
November 13	at Western Kentucky	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 29–16
November 27	UNLV	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)	W 27–6
December 4	[[{{{school}}}\|Northern Michigan]]	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH (Knute Rockne Bowl—NCAA Division II Semifinal)	W 29–26
December 11	vs. Montana State	Lake Wichita Park Wichita Falls, TX (Pioneer Bowl—NCAA Division II Championship)	L 13–24

^[4]

References[]

↑ "1976 Akron Zips". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151130160400/http://www.databasefootball.com/College/teams/teamyear.htm?TeamID=2&Season=1976. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
↑ "Montana State wins title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press ((Idaho)): p. 4B. December 12, 1976. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JKhfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XzIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2817%2C4171751.
↑ "Dennehy leads Montana State's bowl win". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press ((Spokane, Washington)): p. D1. December 12, 1976. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kSFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6476%2C5442864.
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151130160400/http://www.databasefootball.com/College/teams/teamyear.htm?TeamID=2&Season=1976. Retrieved December 30, 2015. Akron Team Schedule 1976

[1] "1976 Akron Zips". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151130160400/http://www.databasefootball.com/College/teams/teamyear.htm?TeamID=2&Season=1976. Retrieved December 30, 2015.

[mswti-2] "Montana State wins title". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press ((Idaho)): p. 4B. December 12, 1976. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JKhfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XzIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2817%2C4171751.

[dlmsbw-3] "Dennehy leads Montana State's bowl win". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press ((Spokane, Washington)): p. D1. December 12, 1976. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kSFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6476%2C5442864.

[4] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151130160400/http://www.databasefootball.com/College/teams/teamyear.htm?TeamID=2&Season=1976. Retrieved December 30, 2015. Akron Team Schedule 1976

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