1976 New Hampshire Wildcats football team

The 1976 New Hampshire Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Hampshire as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. In its fifth year under head coach Bill Bowes, the team compiled an 8–3 record (4–1 against conference opponents), won the Yankee Conference championship, and lost to eventual national champion Montana State in the quarterfinal of the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs.^[1]

1976 New Hampshire Wildcats football
Yankee Conference champion
NCAA Division II Quarterfinal, L 16–17 at Montana State
Conference	Yankee Conference
Record	8–3 (4–1 Yankee)
Head coach	Bill Bowes (5th season)
Home stadium	Cowell Stadium
Seasons ← 1975 1977 →

1976 Yankee Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. T–8 New Hampshire $^	4	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
UMass	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Maine	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Rhode Island	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Boston University	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Connecticut	2	–	3	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	at Holy Cross*		Fitton Field Worcester, MA	W 17–3	12,551	[2]
September 18	Boston University		Cowell Stadium Durham, NH	W 13–0	11,570
September 25	at Dartmouth*	No. 4	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	L 14–24	13,650	[3]
October 2	Connecticut		Cowell Stadium Durham, NH	W 24–21	10,450
October 9	Maine		Cowell Stadium Durham, NH (Battle for the Brice–Cowell Musket)	L 0–10	8,200–8,250	[4]
October 16	at Central Connecticut*		New Britain, CT	W 34–21	5,300
October 23	at Northeastern*		Brookline, MA	W 35–21	5,039
October 30	at West Chester		West Chester, PA	W 27–10	4,000
November 6	Rhode Island		Cowell Stadium Durham, NH	W 31–6	11,200–11,500	[5]
November 13	at UMass		Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)	W 23–0	10,900
November 27	at No. 1 Montana State*	No. T–8	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)	L 16–17	6,900	[6]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[7]

Roster

1976 New Hampshire Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB Bruce Huther Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Bill Bowes Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "2017 New Hampshire Media Guide". University of New Hampshire. 2017. p. 67. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
2. Shaughnessy, Dan (September 12, 1976). "UNH, Burnham Feast on Holy Cross Wishbone, 17-3". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 102 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Powers, John (September 26, 1976). "Dartmouth Closets UNH, 24-13". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 99 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
5. "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
6. Warren Rogers (November 28, 1976). "Bobcats nip UNH, 17-16". The Billings Gazette. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Final 1976 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 26, 2022.