The 1976 Ball State Cardinals football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team that represented

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

in the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

(MAC) during the

1976 NCAA Division I football season The 1976 NCAA Division I football season ended with a championship for the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh. Led by head coach Johnny Majors (voted the AFCA Coach of the Year), the Pitt Panthers brought a college football championship to t ...

. In its sixth season under head coach Dave McClain, the team compiled an 8–3 record (4–1 against conference opponents) and won the school's first MAC championship. The team played its home games at

Ball State Stadium Scheumann Stadium (officially, the "John B. and June M. Scheumann Stadium"), formerly known as Ball State Stadium, is in Muncie, Indiana. It is primarily used for football, and it is the home field of the Ball State University Cardinals. The st ...

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

. The team set a school record with 2,704 rushing yards, a total that was later eclipsed by the 1987 team. Running back Earl Taylor set the school's single-game record with 260 rushing yards against

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

. He led the team with 1,017 rushing yards for the season. Other statistical leaders included Mike Andress with 551 receiving yards and quarterback Art Yaroch with 1,088 passing yards. Yaroch received the John Magnabosco Award as the team's most valuable player. Five players received first-team honors on the 1976 All-MAC team: quarterback Art Yaroch; offensive guard Mitch Hoban; split end Rick Morrison; defensive back Maurice Harvey; and punter Mark O'Connell. Art Yaroch and Mike Lecklider were the team captains.Media Guide, p. 89.

Schedule

References

{{Mid-American Conference football champions Ball State Ball State Cardinals football seasons Mid-American Conference football champion seasons

Ball State Cardinals football The Ball State Cardinals football team is a college football program representing Ball State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football. Mike Neu is the head coach. ...