1980 Valley City State Vikings football team
| 1980 Valley City State Vikings football | |
|---|---|
NDCAC champion | |
NAIA Division II Semifinal, L 0–32 at Pacific Lutheran | |
| Conference | North Dakota College Athletic Conference |
| Record | 10–1 (6–0 NDCAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Lokken Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Valley City State $^ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Dickinson State | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jamestown | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mayville State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minot State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Dakota Science | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bismarck JC | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1980 Valley City State Vikings football team represented Valley City State College—now known as Valley City State University—as a member of the North Dakota College Athletic Conference (NDCAC) during the 1980 NAIA Division II football season. Under seventh-year head coach Jim Dew, the Vikings posted an overall record of 10–1 and a perfect 6–0 mark in conference play, winning the NDCAC championship.[1] Valley City State advanced to the NAIA Division II football national championship playoffs, and became the first NDCAC program to win an NAIA playoff game, defeating McMurry, 16–7, in quarterfinals before falling to the eventual national champion, Pacific Lutheran, in the semifinals. The 1980 team was inducted into the Valley City State Vikings Hall of Fame in 1996.[2]
Valley City State opened the 1980 campaign with a non-conference win over Northern State, and rebounded from an early loss to Bemidji State to run the table the rest of the regular season. The Vikings went 6–0 in NDCAC play, including narrow victories over Jamestown, Dickinson State, and Minot State, and shutout wins against Bismarck JC and Westmar.[2]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 6 | Northern State* | Valley City, ND | W 20–6 | [3] | ||
| September 13 | at Bemidji State* | Bemidji, MN | W 6–21 (forfeit win) | |||
| September 20 | at Jamestown | Jamestown, ND (rivalry) | W 22–20 | |||
| September 27 | Dickinson State | Valley City, ND (rivalry) | W 9–7 | |||
| October 4 | at Bismarck JC | Bismarck, ND | W 40–0 | |||
| October 11 | Mayville State | Valley City, ND (rivalry) | W 42–14 | |||
| October 18 | at North Dakota Science | Wahpeton, ND | W 34–10 | |||
| October 25 | Minot State | Valley City, ND | W 14–10 | |||
| November 1 | at Westmar* | LeMars, IA | W 15–0 | |||
| November 22 | 11:00 a.m. | at McMurry* | W 16–7 | 1,200 | [4][5] | |
| December 6 | at Pacific Lutheran* |
| L 0–32 | [6] | ||
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Coaching staff
Head coach Jim Dew led a staff that included assistants Don Lemnus, Bob Bruhschwein, and Glen Schmalz. Student assistants were Jeff Leech, Brent Ham, and Kent Schweigert.[2]
Hall of Fame
The 1980 team was inducted into the Valley City State Vikings Hall of Fame in 1996 in recognition of its conference title, playoff success, and overall impact on the program.[2]
References
- ^ "NDCAC Final". The Bismarck Tribune. Bismarck, North Dakota. November 12, 1980. p. 24. Retrieved December 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ a b c d "1980 Football Team". VCSU Alumni Association. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ "Valley City 21[sic], Northern 6". The Sunday Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. September 7, 1980. p. E6. Retrieved November 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Lawler, Art (November 22, 1980). "Talented Tribe Meets Versatile Vikings". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas. p. 1C. Retrieved November 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Kopalak, Ed (November 23, 1980). "Valley City shoots down McMurry, 16-7". The Sunday Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. pp. E1, E8. Retrieved November 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Gonsorowsky, AL (December 7, 1980). "Pacific Lutheran blanks Valley City 32-0 in playoffs". The Sunday Forum. Fargo, North Dakota. pp. E1, E4. Retrieved November 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .