South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State met in the 138th Black Hills Brawl on Saturday, Sept. 30. That makes it the oldest rivalry in DII football. South Dakota Mines ended Black Hills State's run in the matchup and improved its winning record in the all-time series with a 49-14 win.
Let's take a look at the 11 most-played rivalries between current DII football programs.
That rivalry from the Mount Rushmore State is the oldest on the list, dating back to 1895. The Hardrockers were shutout by their now-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foes 18-0 that late November day. South Dakota Mines took it to heart, and when the teams next met in 1900, the Hardrockers dominated the Yellow Jackets 27-0 to start a 14-game unbeaten stretch in the rivalry.
Tuskegee holds the most lopsided advantage on our list, leading the all-time series 71-30-8 despite Morehouse's 31-15 victory on Oct. 9, 2021. Tuskegee avenged that loss in 2022, with an eerily similar 31-14 victory.
The Turnpike Tussle and Battle of the Ravine — perhaps two of the better know rivalries in all of college football — are famous because of their proximity. Emporia State and Washburn travel the 58-mile trek down the Kansas Turnpike each year for some exciting MIAA football while Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist literally walk across the street to each other's stadium to see who will claim the rights to the Ravine.
Washburn cut into Emporia State's lead in 2019 with a 37-17 victory, but Emporia State struck back in 2021 and 2022, most recently defeating Washburn 42-35 in a thriller.
Below is a list of the 11 most played rivalries in DII football along with their series records and the most recent matchup between the two.
| GAMES | TEAMS (SERIES LEADER LISTED FIRST) | SERIES RECORD | FIRST GAME | LAST MEETING |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 138 | South Dakota Mines, Black Hills State | 64-62-11 | 1895 | SD Mines, 49-14 |
| 119 | Emporia State, Washburn | 60-53-6 | 1899 | Emporia State, 38-23 |
| 113 | Virginia State, Virginia Union | 57-47-9 | 1900 | VUU, 30-20 |
| 111 | Tuskegee, Morehouse | 73-30-8 | 1902 | Tuskeegee, 40-28 |
| 107 | Southeastern Oklahoma St., East Central | 50-49-8 | 1909 | East Central, 42-38 |
| 102 | Catawba, Lenoir-Rhyne | 49-48-4 | 1907 | Lenoir-Rhyne, 28-7 |
| 101 | Pittsburg State, Emporia State | 65-34-2 | 1915 | Pitt St, 33-25 |
| 97 | Truman, Central Missouri | 52-40-5 | 1905 | N/A* |
| 95 | Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State | 46-43-6 | 1907 | OBU, 24-21 |
| 92 | Pittsburg State, Washburn | 64-27-1 | 1921 | Pitt St., 34-7 |
| 91 | Truman, Northwest Missouri State | 54-33-4 | 1908 | N/A+ |
Notes: *Have not played since 2013 | + Have not played since 2011. Truman left the MIAA for the Great Lakes Valley Conference, annual games no longer scheduled. All records via the official NCAA DII football record book on NCAA.org.)
