The 1976 Ball State Cardinals football team was an

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

team that represented

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

in the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

(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 ...

. 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 in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is a city in Delaware County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It is located in East Central Indiana about northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 c ...

. 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, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

. 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.

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References

{{Mid-American Conference football champions

Ball State Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. T ...

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. Ball State plays its home ga ...