South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Hardrockers football
| South Dakota Mines Hardrockers football | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First season | 1895 |
| Athletic director | Joel Lueken |
| Head coach | Zach Tinker 1st year, 5–6 (.455) |
| Stadium | O'Harra Stadium |
| Seating capacity | 4,000 |
| Field surface | Artificial |
| Location | Rapid City, South Dakota |
| Conference | RMAC |
| Past conferences |
GNAC (2013–2015) NCAA DII Ind.(2011–2012) DAC (NAIA) (2000–2010) SDIC (NAIA) (1917–1999) |
| All-time record | 366–476–35 (.437) |
| Conference titles | 14 |
| Colors | Navy Blue and Vegas Gold |
| Fight song | Ramblin' Wreck from Rapid Tech |
| Mascot | Grubby the Miner |
| Marching band | Hardrocker Pep Band |
| Website | www.gorockers.com |
The South Dakota Mines Hardrockers football program represents the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) in college football. In 2010, South Dakota Mines announced that it would end the school's affiliation with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to join the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II beginning with the 2011 season as a probationary member and becoming a full member in 2013.
The Hardrockers also went by the "Longhairs" early in their history. They have played football since 1895 with hiatuses taken in 1896–1899, 1907, 1915, and 1942–1945.
SDSM&T's first ever game was an 18–0 loss to Black Hills College (now Black Hills State University) on Nov. 28, 1895. This would prove to be long-standing rivalry.
SDSM&T's main athletic rival is Black Hills State University. The rivalry is generated from proximity, with BHSU located less than 50 miles to the west in Spearfish, South Dakota. Educational differences between the schools also help fuel the rivalry, with BHSU being mainly a liberal arts college and SDSM&T an engineering/STEM-only research university. The football rivalry is the fourth most-frequently played series in the US, behind the Harvard–Yale football rivalry (131), Princeton–Yale (138), and The Rivalry (Lehigh–Lafayette) (151 games). It is also the oldest football series west of the Mississippi River and the most played between current NCAA Div. II teams. Generally, the last game of each season is reserved for the two schools to play, however the two schools may play twice in the same season (early in their history have played three times in a season) or earlier in the year. The teams battle for the Homestake Trophy, named for a mine in the Black Hills area and adorned with a prospector's pan. The rivalry is called the Black Hills Brawl, due to the location of the schools and ferocity in which the teams play each other, or the West River Rivalry, named for the area of South Dakota that both school's inhabit.
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