# Sitting Bull Trophy

The Sitting Bull Trophy is the name of the rivalry trophy that was awarded to the winner of the annual football game between the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks (formerly the North Dakota Fighting Sioux) and the University of South Dakota Coyotes. The rivalry stems from the time the two teams spent competing together in the North Central Conference (1922–2007) and later in the Great West Conference (2008–2011).

## The Trophy

The oak bust, displaying a picture of Sitting Bull, designed in 1953 after a suggestion by newspaperman Al Neuharth. The inspiration for the trophy was a minor 1953 dispute over which state was home to the final resting place of the famed chief, after it revealed that Sitting Bull's family members had exhumed and reinterred what they believed to be his remains, moving them from Fort Yates, North Dakota to Mobridge, South Dakota. In 2000, the Sitting Bull Trophy retired, amid the ongoing NCAA controversy over the use of Native American names and symbols by its member institutions.

## Future

Previously, the two teams were not currently competing in the same conference, with North Dakota joining the Big Sky Conference and South Dakota joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference following the demise of Great West Conference football in 2011. 2012 marked the first year the two teams did not play each other since the 1940s, when World War II interrupted the rivalry; however, they both played each other in 2016 and 2017 in non-conference play. The two teams have met 101 times on the football field, with North Dakota currently holding a 63–33–5 edge in the all-time series. North Dakota joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2020, renewing the annual rivalry.

## Game results

| North Dakota victories | South Dakota victories | Tie games |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 1 | November 7, 1903 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 6–0 |
| 2 | November 11, 1908 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 10–4 |
| 3 | November 9, 1912 | Sioux Falls, SD | South Dakota | 44–0 |
| 4 | October 31, 1914 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 30–3 |
| 5 | November 13, 1915 | Sioux Falls, SD | Tie | 0–0 |
| 6 | October 28, 1916 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 20–0 |
| 7 | October 13, 1917 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 19–0 |
| 8 | October 18, 1919 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 13–0 |
| 9 | November 6, 1920 | Vermillion, SD | Tie | 7–7 |
| 10 | October 22, 1921 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 21–0 |
| 11 | October 14, 1922 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 7–0 |
| 12 | October 13, 1923 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 13–6 |
| 13 | October 11, 1924 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 6–0 |
| 14 | October 17, 1925 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 3–0 |
| 15 | October 16, 1926 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 12–0 |
| 16 | October 15, 1927 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 6–0 |
| 17 | November 10, 1928 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 6–0 |
| 18 | October 12, 1929 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 13–7 |
| 19 | November 15, 1930 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 21–0 |
| 20 | October 9, 1931 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 52–6 |
| 21 | October 13, 1933 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 41–0 |
| 22 | October 6, 1934 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 21–0 |
| 23 | October 11, 1935 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 25–0 |
| 24 | November 13, 1936 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 6–0 |
| 25 | October 1, 1937 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 13–7 |
| 26 | November 9, 1940 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 13–0 |
| 27 | October 11, 1941 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 14–7 |
| 28 | November 13, 1942 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 26–0 |
| 29 | October 5, 1946 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 21–6 |
| 30 | November 1, 1947 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 20–7 |
| 31 | October 16, 1948 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 13–7 |
| 32 | October 1, 1949 | Vermillion, SD | Tie | 7–7 |
| 33 | October 14, 1950 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 28–7 |
| 34 | November 10, 1951 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 35–13 |
| 35 | October 4, 1952 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 21–14 |
| 36 | November 14, 1953 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 18–14 |
| 37 | October 9, 1954 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 27–21 |
| 38 | November 12, 1955 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 18–14 |
| 39 | October 6, 1956 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 32–14 |
| 40 | October 5, 1957 | Vermillion, SD | Tie | 27–27 |
| 41 | October 4, 1958 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 28–14 |
| 42 | October 3, 1959 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 31–14 |
| 43 | October 1, 1960 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 27–7 |
| 44 | October 7, 1961 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 21–7 |
| 45 | November 10, 1962 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 31–0 |
| 46 | November 9, 1963 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 55–0 |
| 47 | October 24, 1964 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 21–14 |
| 48 | October 23, 1965 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 33–7 |
| 49 | October 8, 1966 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 31–17 |
| 50 | October 7, 1967 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 9–6 |
| 51 | September 28, 1968 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 17–16 |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 52 | September 27, 1969 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 35–26 |
| 53 | September 19, 1970 | Grand Forks, ND | Tie | 14–14 |
| 54 | November 6, 1971 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 29–21 |
| 55 | September 23, 1972 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 33–3 |
| 56 | November 3, 1973 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 54–21 |
| 57 | October 26, 1974 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 27–24 |
| 58 | October 25, 1975 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 27–17 |
| 59 | October 9, 1976 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 14–7 |
| 60 | October 8, 1977 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 20–0 |
| 61 | October 28, 1978 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 24–7 |
| 62 | October 20, 1979 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 23–22 |
| 63 | October 11, 1980 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 32–24 |
| 64 | October 3, 1981 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 27–0 |
| 65 | September 25, 1982 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 10–9 |
| 66 | November 5, 1983 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 26–16 |
| 67 | November 3, 1984 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 16–14 |
| 68 | September 21, 1985 | Grand Forks, ND | South Dakota | 45–3 |
| 69 | September 20, 1986 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 28–12 |
| 70 | November 7, 1987 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 30–29 |
| 71 | November 5, 1988 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 24–9 |
| 72 | September 23, 1989 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 17–14 |
| 73 | September 22, 1990 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 46–12 |
| 74 | September 28, 1991 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 21–6 |
| 75 | September 26, 1992 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 52–3 |
| 76 | November 6, 1993 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 42–7 |
| 77 | November 5, 1994 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 23–20 |
| 78 | October 21, 1995 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 35–0 |
| 79 | October 26, 1996 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 29–6 |
| 80 | November 1, 1997 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 20–19 |
| 81 | October 31, 1998 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 33–14 |
| 82 | September 18, 1999 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 17–10 |
| 83 | September 16, 2000 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 42–14 |
| 84 | November 10, 2001 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 48–7 |
| 85 | November 16, 2002 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 20–0 |
| 86 | November 8, 2003 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 37–3 |
| 87 | November 6, 2004 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 41–21 |
| 88 | November 5, 2005 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 42–30 |
| 89 | November 11, 2006 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 33–26 |
| 90 | November 10, 2007 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 31–27 |
| 91 | November 22, 2008 | Vermillion, SD | North Dakota | 34–31 |
| 92 | October 3, 2009 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 27–12 |
| 93 | October 2, 2010 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 27–17 |
| 94 | November 19, 2011 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 38–37 |
| 95 | September 17, 2016 | Grand Forks, ND | North Dakota | 47–44 |
| 96 | September 16, 2017 | Vermillion, SD | #23 South Dakota | 45–7 |
| 97 | March 4, 2021 | Grand Forks, ND | #4 North Dakota | 21–10 |
| 98 | October 9, 2021 | Vermillion, SD | South Dakota | 20–13 |
| 99 | November 12, 2022 | Grand Forks, ND | #19 North Dakota | 28–19 |
| 100 | November 11, 2023 | Vermillion, SD | #6 South Dakota | 14–10 |
| 101 | November 16, 2024 | Grand Forks, ND | #5 South Dakota | 42–36 |
| Series: North Dakota leads 63–33–5 |||||