North Dakota State Bison football

North Dakota State Bison football
2024 North Dakota State Bison football team
First season	1894; 130 years ago
Head coach	Tim Polasek 1st season, 13–2 (.867)
Stadium	Fargodome (capacity: 18,700)
Field	Gate City Bank Field
Year built	1992
Field surface	AstroTurf Magic Carpet II (2022)
Location	Fargo, North Dakota
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Missouri Valley (2008–)
Past conferences	Great West (2004–2007) North Central (1922–2003)
All-time record	794–383–34 (.670)
Bowl record	5–1 (.833)
Playoff appearances	32
Playoff record	Div. I FCS: 47–5 Div. II: 30–12
Claimed national titles	17 (College Div.): 1965, 1968, 1969 (Div. II): 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990 (Div. I FCS): 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Unclaimed national titles	4
Conference titles	38 (11 MVFC, 1 GWFC, 26 NCC)
Rivalries	South Dakota State (Dakota Marker) North Dakota (Nickel Trophy) Northern Iowa
Current uniform
Colors	Green and yellow
Fight song	On Bison
Mascot	Thundar
Marching band	Gold Star Marching Band
Uniform outfitter	Nike
Website	gobison.com

The North Dakota State Bison football program represents North Dakota State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level and competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison play in the 19,000-seat Fargodome located in Fargo. The Bison have won 17 national championships and 37 conference championships. They have won nine NCAA Division I AA FCS National Championships between 2011 and 2021. The Bison hold the record for most overall NCAA national championships and the record for the most consecutive championships with five titles between 2011 and 2015 for Division I FCS.

Since 2011, the North Dakota State Bison have a record of 149–12 (.925) which included a record 22-game playoff win streak, making them the most successful college football program in Division I FCS this decade. The Bison are 202–39 (.838) since moving to Division I in 2004. Since 1964, the Bison have had only three losing seasons and an overall record of 551–136–4 (.800) through that 58-year span, one of the best in all of college football. Among FCS programs, North Dakota State has more all-time program wins than any non-Ivy League program, over 750. Of all teams established after 1894, only Oklahoma has won a higher percentage of its games than NDSU. The team also holds the record for the longest winning streak in the Football Championship Subdivision, which stands at 39 consecutive games spanning from 2017 to 2021.

In the final AP Football Poll of the 2013–14 season; after their third consecutive National Championship, North Dakota State finished with 17 votes which ranked them at #29 in all of D-I football, the highest end-of-season ranking of any team in the history of FCS football. After defeating 13th-ranked (FBS) Iowa in 2016, the Bison earned 74 votes and a #27 ranking in the entire D-I field, overtaking their previous record to become the highest-ranked FCS team of all time.

Collectively, the Bison have won 37 conference championships, and 17 national championships. They were selected as NCAA College Division II champions by polling three times (1965, 1968, 1969), won the NCAA Division II National Football Championship five times (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990), and have won the NCAA Division I Football Championship nine times in eleven seasons (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021). The 2019 Bison are the first of any Division I team since 1894 Yale to finish 16–0. From 2012 to 2014, the Bison had a formerly FCS record of 33 straight wins (which is tied for the third longest in modern NCAA history). They subsequently had a 39-game winning streak that ran from 2017 to 2020.

History

For year-by-year results, see List of North Dakota State Bison football seasons.

Early history (1894–1921)

NDSU's first football team, 1894

The Bison fielded their first team in 1894 and were originally known as the NDAC Farmers. From the early 1900s to 1921, the nickname of the school then known as North Dakota Agricultural College was the Aggies. The first coach for the new NDAC football team was Henry Bolley, who also fielded the first football program at Purdue University in 1887 and was their first Quarterback. He challenged the University of North Dakota to a football match in 1890, but did not have enough players until 1894, the first official year of football at NDSU. In 1902, Eddie Cochems, known as the father of the forward pass was hired as head coach of the Bison where he experimented building an offense around his new technique; which subsequently became legal in the 1906 college football season; Cochems went 9–1 in his two-year stint as head coach. The college hired famed Michigan halfback Paul Magoffin, the first player to ever catch a forward pass in 1907, as head coach, but he left for the head coaching position offered to him by George Washington University a year later. The 1918 season was canceled due to the outbreak of the Spanish Flu in conjunction with the first World War. The 1943 and 1944 seasons were also canceled due to World War II and the shortage of eligible players. Keeping with their Michigan favoritism, the NDAC hired Stanley Borleske in 1919 to coach the football, basketball, and baseball teams. After six years of on and off coaching. and a 36–36–7 record, Borleske left for Fresno State but is largely credited with developing the Bison mascot. It was well known he was not a fan of the "Aggies" mascot, wanting something 'strong and fierce' he came up with the 'Bison' which remains the mascot today. He also coined the term "Thundering Herd" which is still a common reference to the NDSU Bison Football fanbase.

Division II (1922–2003)

Oct 20th, 1928 – NDAC (NDSU) vs. St. Thomas (view looking SE with Ceres Hall in the distance). Courtesy: NDSU Institute for Regional Studies

In 1921, NDSU became a charter member of the now-defunct North Central Conference, which they remained affiliated with for 82 years until 2003. Their primary rival during this time were the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (now the Fighting Hawks) whom they competed with to win the Nickel Trophy. As members of Division II, they won 8 national championships with an overall record of 347–94–4 having only two losing seasons from 1964 to 2003.

Division I-FCS (2004–present)

In 2004, all North Dakota State athletic teams moved to Division I. From 2004 to 2007, the Bison were members of the Great West Football Conference.

Since 2008 they have been affiliated with the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Since moving to Division I, their primary rival are the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits whom they compete with each year for the Dakota Marker. The team's former head coach was Craig Bohl, who led the Bison from 2003 to 2013, holds the school record for most wins by a head coach, going 104–32 in his tenure at NDSU.

Bohl's successor Chris Klieman went 69–6 in his five seasons (2014–2018). During the Bison's successful run to the 2018 FCS title, Klieman was named as the successor to the retiring Bill Snyder as head coach at Kansas State, though both schools agreed that Klieman would remain at NDSU while the Bison were involved in the FCS playoffs. Bison defensive coordinator Matt Entz took over as head coach following that season's championship game.

The NDSU Bison are the only FCS program to ever be ranked higher than #34 in the AP National Football Poll. After the 2011 championship game, the Bison became only the third team in FCS history to receive votes in the final AP Top 25 with 2, putting them at #32 overall (FCS Record); the others being Appalachian State who receive 5 votes after their third consecutive FCS Championship in 2007 and ended at #34 and James Madison University after their 2010 upset of then #13 Virginia Tech.

After the 2012 season, the Bison again broke the barrier and became the first-ever FCS team to breach the poll twice by receiving 1 vote and ending at #36 in the nation. Due to the overwhelming support and attention NDSU got during this run, ESPN announced that it would host its ESPN College GameDay program in downtown Fargo on September 21, 2013. The Bison ended up beating Delaware State 51–0 later that day.

2013 season

The Bison finished the 2013 regular season with an undefeated 11–0 record, their first perfect season since 1990. The Bison became the first FCS team to ever finish the regular season ranked on the AP Poll at #34 with 1 vote.

The 2013 team also had a perfect 15–0 season, becoming the first program to do that since Marshall in 1996. They won their third consecutive national championship, tying an FCS record. A majority of the starters played in all 3 national championship games and went 43–2 in their three-year stint, a number unrivaled in Division I FCS football. The Bison only lost 2 games in the three-year span by a combined 6 points.

After the 2013 season, the Bison were ranked #29 in the National Division I AP Poll, tallying a massive 17 votes, far beyond what any other FCS team had ever received. They later outdid themselves when they defeated Iowa in 2016, putting the Bison 27th in the AP Poll with 74 votes, the highest ranking of any team in FCS history.

Through 2013, the Bison outscored their opponents by a combined 581–169 (+412) on the season. Only two other teams in FCS history have had a larger point spread through a season, 1996 Marshall (+448) and 1999 Georgia Southern (+485). Unlike the Marshall and Georgia Southern teams, NDSU's defense held their opponents to just 127 points in the regular season (11.5 ppg) and just 11 points on average through the playoffs that year. NDSU won its playoff games with an average margin of victory of 32.75 points, which just falls behind the 1996 Marshall team, which averaged a 34-point spread.

In 2013, the Bison tallied three shutouts, and held nine teams to 10 points or less, including a streak of nine consecutive quarters without allowing a point. The offense was known for a ground-and-pound strategy, which wore opponents down and controlled the time of possession. The team averaged over 34 minutes of possession per game, while allowing an average of just 250 yards of opposing offense.

In the 12 playoff games they played from 2011 to 2013, they allowed an average of 9.3 points per game, an FCS record. The only playoff loss the seniors experienced in their four-year career was the 38–31 overtime loss at eventual champion Eastern Washington in 2010 in the FCS quarterfinals. The span of seasons that followed for NDSU in the years after that overtime loss are easily the best and most dominant years Division I football has seen from a single team.

After the 2013 season, following three consecutive national titles Head Coach Craig Bohl was hired away to lead the Mountain West's Wyoming Cowboys. Bohl finished his time at NDSU having successfully transitioned the program from Division II to Division I and built into the premier FCS powerhouse in the nation that continues today. He finished at NDSU with a career record of 104–32.

Chris Klieman era (2014–2018)

Following Bohl's departure, defensive coordinator Chris Klieman was promoted to head coach.

2014 season

In 2014, after beating their 5th consecutive FBS team, Iowa State, and their subsequent game against Weber State; which was their 26th straight victory, ESPN again announced they would bring College GameDay back to downtown Fargo on September 13, 2014 to cover the Bison's amazing run for the second straight year. The visit marked first time the show has ever visited the same FCS school twice and only the sixth time they have visited a non-FBS school since 1993.

The Bison won an FCS record 33 straight games from 2012 to 2014, which is also the third longest in the history of Division I NCAA football. From 2010 to 2014, the Bison did not lose a single road game, a span of 22 games. They also had a winning streak of 26 home games (2012–2015) and have a record streak of 22 wins in the FCS playoffs. The Bison have won 16 straight home openers since their 1999 loss to Ferris State and are 21–1 in home openers since the Fargodome opened in 1992.

2015 season

2015 would start with a surprise loss to #13 Montana broadcast nationally on ESPN; however, the season would extend both the MVFC run and National Championship run to five consecutive titles culminating in a 37–10 national title game against Jacksonville State. After this season, quarterback Carson Wentz was selected second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL draft.

2016 season

2016 brought about one of the high points in Bison football history when, in week three, NDSU defeated #13 ranked Iowa on the road. Despite the impressive win, 2016 would be the worst season for the team since 2010. Not only would the team have the fewest wins since 2010 (12), they also lost the Dakota Marker for the first time since 2009. Ultimately the season would bring about the end of the Bison's historic title run with a semifinal loss against the eventual champion James Madison Dukes.

2017 season

2017 would be a return to form for NDSU, only two games all season were decided by one possession, the best mark since the 2013 season. On December 15, NDSU became the only team in FCS history to make 7 consecutive semifinal appearances in the playoffs. In the title match the Bison would get revenge for the previous season defeating James Madison 17–13 in Frisco.

2018 season

NDS players with President Donald Trump at the White House in 2019

The 2018 season would arguably top the 2013 season as the best in school history. NDSU went 15–0 for the second time in school history and had only one game all season decided by less than one touchdown (the Dakota Marker match up against #3 South Dakota State). NDSU captured their seventh title in eight years, defeating Eastern Washington 38-24 on January 9, 2019. It was also Chris Klieman's fourth title in five years.

The 2018 Bison defeated opponents by an average score of 41.5 – 12.6, good for a score differential of 28.9 points. The season saw quarterback Easton Stick finish his college career with a record of 49–3, the highest win total for any quarterback in FCS history. Right before the semifinal matchup against South Dakota State Klieman was hired by former Bison athletic director Gene Taylor to lead the Kansas State Wildcats, he was allowed to finish the season with NDSU.

On March 4, 2019, President Donald Trump hosted the NDSU football team at the White House. They were served fast food, as was FBS champion Clemson. Easton Stick presented a number 45 NDSU football jersey to Trump. The visit was orchestrated by Senator John Hoeven.

Matt Entz era (2019–2023)

On December 13, 2018, NDSU announced defensive coordinator Matt Entz would replace Chris Klieman as head coach.

2019 season

The Bison started the 2019 season with 57–10 victory over Butler in front of record-breaking "home" crowd of 34,544 at Minneapolis's Target Field. 2019 saw the first game against in-state rival North Dakota since 2015. The Bison were victorious over the Fighting Hawks 38–7 in front of the largest Fargodome crowd (18,923) since NDSU hosted Northern Iowa for Homecoming in 2015 (18,954).

On October 20, 2019, it was announced that ESPN would be bringing their College GameDay program to Brookings, South Dakota to cover the Dakota Marker featuring #3 South Dakota State and #1 North Dakota State. The Bison defeated SDSU 23–16. On January 11, 2020, NDSU won another FCS title after defeating James Madison University 28–20, and also became the first Division I team since 1894 Yale to finish 16–0, their second undefeated season in a row.

2020 season

On May 2, 2021, the NDSU Bison, under Entz, ended a three-championship win streak by losing 24–20 to Sam Houston State University in the quarterfinals of the 2020 FCS playoffs. This is the first time since 2010 that the NDSU Bison did not make the semifinals.

On May 13, 2021, former Bison QB Trey Lance was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers after leaving the team before the Spring season began.

2021 season

On October 2, 2021, the NDSU Bison played in-state rival North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks for the first time since 2003, with NDSU and UND, respectively, ranked 5th and 10th at the time. The Bison won this matchup, 16–10. On November 6, 2021, the 22nd edition of the battle for the Dakota Marker ended with a SDSU victory, 27–19. NDSU was ranked 2nd at the time and SDSU ranked 9th. This marked the first time SDSU had won multiple games in a row in the Marker series since 2016–17 when the Jacks won back-to-back marker games against the Bison.

On January 8, 2022, the Bison played the Montana State Bobcats for the FCS championship. They ended up winning, 38–10, as FB Hunter Luepke ran for three touchdowns in the first half.

2022 season

On January 8, 2023, the Bison lost the 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game to rival South Dakota State, 21–45. This was NDSU's first loss in a Division I championship game, and only their third at any level.

2023 season

On September 2, 2023, the Bison hosted Eastern Washington in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the first ever college football game to be played at US Bank Stadium. NDSU would go on to win the game, 35–10.

On October 15, 2023, the Bison fell to their in-state rival UND for the first time in over two decades.

The 2023 season was the first fall season since 2010 that the Bison were unseeded heading in to the playoffs. They then became just the fourth unseeded team to reach the FCS semifinals since the playoffs added byes.

On December 10, 2023, North Dakota State announced that Entz would be leaving Fargo for the vacant USC linebackers position coach job. He was allowed to finish the 2023 playoff run at NDSU. The Bison would fall at Montana later in the week in double overtime.

Tim Polasek era (2024–present)

On December 17, 2023, North Dakota State announced that Wyoming offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Polasek would take over as the next head coach of the Bison. Polasek had previously coached for the team from 2006–12 and 2014–16.

On October 19, 2024, the Bison defeated the top-ranked, arch-rival, South Dakota State Jackrabbits to reclaim the Dakota Marker for the first time since 2019. This ended NDSU's losing streak to SDSU, as well as protected their Missouri Valley Football Conference league game winning streak record at 19.

On November 23, 2024, the Bison fell to fellow Dakota school, South Dakota, in consecutive regular seasons for the first time in the Division I era.

Championships

National championships

North Dakota State have won 17 national championships: three as a member of the College Division (precursor of Division II), five as a member of Division II, and nine as a member of Division I FCS. The Bison have been the runner-up four times (1967, 1981, 1984, and 2022) and have appeared in a total of 20 national championship games.

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Score	Opponent
1965	Darrell Mudra	NCAA College Division by Polling	11–0	20–7	Grambling
1968	Ron Erhardt		10–0	23–14	Arkansas State
1969	Ron Erhardt		10–0	30–3	Montana
1983	Don Morton	NCAA Division II Playoffs	12–1	41–21	Central State
1985	Earle Solomonson		11–2–1	35–7	North Alabama
1986	Earle Solomonson		13–0	27–7	South Dakota
1988	Rocky Hager		14–0	35–21	Portland State
1990	Rocky Hager		14–0	51–11	IUP
2011	Craig Bohl	NCAA Division I (FCS) Playoffs	14–1	17–6	Sam Houston State
2012	Craig Bohl		14–1	39–13	Sam Houston State
2013	Craig Bohl		15–0	35–7	Towson
2014	Chris Klieman		15–1	29–27	Illinois State
2015	Chris Klieman		13–2	37–10	Jacksonville State
2017	Chris Klieman		14–1	17–13	James Madison
2018	Chris Klieman		15–0	38–24	Eastern Washington
2019	Matt Entz		16–0	28–20	James Madison
2021	Matt Entz		14–1	38–10	Montana State

Conference championships

North Dakota State has won 35 conference championships, 24 outright and 13 shared; North Central Conference (26), Great West (1), Missouri Valley (11)

Season	Conference	Overall Record	Conference Record	Coach
1925†	North Central Conference	13–8–2	4–0–2	Ion Cortright
1932	North Central Conference	7–1–1	4–0	Casey Finnegan
1935	North Central Conference	7–1–1	4–0–1	Casey Finnegan
1964†	North Central Conference	10–1	5–1	Darrell Mudra
1965	North Central Conference	11–0	6–0	Darrell Mudra
1966†	North Central Conference	8–2–0	5–1	Ron Erhardt
1967	North Central Conference	9–1	6–0	Ron Erhardt
1968	North Central Conference	10–0	6–0	Ron Erhardt
1969	North Central Conference	10–0	6–0	Ron Erhardt
1970	North Central Conference	9–0–1	6–0	Ron Erhardt
1972†	North Central Conference	8–2	6–1	Ron Erhardt
1973†	North Central Conference	8–2	6–1	Ev Kjelbertson
1974†	North Central Conference	7–4	5–2	Ev Kjelbertson
1976	North Central Conference	9–3	6–0	Jim Wacker
1977	North Central Conference	9–2–1	6–0	Jim Wacker
1981	North Central Conference	10–3	7–0	Don Morton
1982	North Central Conference	12–1	7–0	Don Morton
1983	North Central Conference	12–1	8–1	Don Morton
1984†	North Central Conference	11–2	8–1	Don Morton
1985	North Central Conference	11–2–1	7–1	Earle Solomonson
1986	North Central Conference	13–0	9–0	Earle Solomonson
1988	North Central Conference	14–0	9–0	Rocky Hager
1990	North Central Conference	14–0	9–0	Rocky Hager
1991	North Central Conference	7–3	7–1	Rocky Hager
1992	North Central Conference	10–2	8–1	Rocky Hager
1994†	North Central Conference	9–3	7–2	Rocky Hager
2006	Great West Conference	10–1	4–0	Craig Bohl
2011†	Missouri Valley Football Conference	14–1	7–1	Craig Bohl
2012	Missouri Valley Football Conference	14–1	7–1	Craig Bohl
2013	Missouri Valley Football Conference	15–0	8–0	Craig Bohl
2014†	Missouri Valley Football Conference	15–1	7–1	Chris Klieman
2015†	Missouri Valley Football Conference	13–2	7–1	Chris Klieman
2016†	Missouri Valley Football Conference	12–2	7–1	Chris Klieman
2017	Missouri Valley Football Conference	14–1	7–1	Chris Klieman
2018	Missouri Valley Football Conference	15–0	8–0	Chris Klieman
2019	Missouri Valley Football Conference	16–0	8–0	Matt Entz
2021	Missouri Valley Football Conference	14–1	7–1	Matt Entz
2024†	Missouri Valley Football Conference		7–1	Tim Polasek

† Co-champions

Playoff history

Division I FCS

(2004–present)

North Dakota State has appeared in a total of 15 NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, all of which have been consecutive. The Bison have an overall record of 49–5 in postseason play since becoming eligible in 2008, including a record streak of 22 consecutive playoff wins from 2011 to 2016. The Bison have won more Division I FCS playoff games than any other program (past or present). NDSU has won 9 national championship games, lost 1 and have advanced to the quarterfinal round in every playoff they have appeared in. Every playoff game NDSU has lost (5) has been to the eventual national champion that year, excluding 2023 in which Montana went on to fall to South Dakota State in the title game.

Year	Results	Opponents	Scores
2010	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Robert Morris Montana State Eastern Washington	W 43–17 W 42–17 L 31–38 OT
2011	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	James Madison Lehigh Georgia Southern Sam Houston State	W 26–14 W 24–0 W 35–7 W 17–6
2012	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	South Dakota State Wofford Georgia Southern Sam Houston State	W 28–3 W 14–7 W 23–20 W 39–13
2013	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	Furman Coastal Carolina New Hampshire Towson	W 38–7 W 48–14 W 52–14 W 35–7
2014	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	South Dakota State Coastal Carolina Sam Houston State Illinois State	W 27–24 W 39–32 W 35–3 W 29–27
2015	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	Montana Northern Iowa Richmond Jacksonville State	W 37–6 W 23–13 W 33–7 W 37–10
2016	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	San Diego South Dakota State James Madison	W 45–7 W 36–10 L 17–27
2017	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	San Diego Wofford Sam Houston State James Madison	W 38–3 W 42–10 W 55–13 W 17–13
2018	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	Montana State Colgate South Dakota State Eastern Washington	W 52–10 W 35–0 W 44–21 W 38–24
2019	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	Nicholls State Illinois State Montana State James Madison	W 37–13 W 9–3 W 42–14 W 28–20
2020	First Round Quarterfinals	Eastern Washington Sam Houston State	W 42–20 L 20–24
2021	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Champions	Southern Illinois East Tennessee State James Madison Montana State	W 38–7 W 27–3 W 20–14 W 38–10
2022	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship	Montana Samford Incarnate Word South Dakota State	W 49–26 W 27–9 W 35–32 L 21–45
2023	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Drake Montana State South Dakota Montana	W 66–3 W 35–34 OT W 45–17 L 29–31 2OT
2024	Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship	Abilene Christian Mercer South Dakota State TBD	W 51–31 W 31–7 W 28–21 TBD

Division II

(1964–2003)

North Dakota State appeared in 23 NCAA Division II playoffs from 1964 to 2003. During this stretch NDSU compiled a 347–94–4 record winning almost 80% of their games for four decades and claiming eight championships along the way. NDSU appeared in seven out of ten championship games from 1981 to 1990; including appearing in four straight championship games, an unrivaled number in D-II as they posted a 111–16–2 (.875) mark from 1981 to 1990. While this is a startling record, from 1964 to 1973 the Bison went 90–12–1 (.887) which included a 35-game unbeaten streak.

Year	Result	Game	Opponent	Score
College Division (rankings via AP writers poll)
1964	unranked	Mineral Water Bowl	Western State	W 14–13
1965	AP No. 1	Pecan Bowl	Grambling State	W 20–7
1967	AP No. 2	Pecan Bowl	Texas–Arlington	L 10–13
1968	AP No. 1	Pecan Bowl	Arkansas State	W 23–14
1969	AP No. 1	Camellia Bowl	Montana	W 30–3
1970	AP No. 3	Camellia Bowl	Montana	W 31–16
Division II (postseason playoffs with 8-team bracket)
1976	3rd Place	First round Grantland Rice Bowl	Eastern Kentucky Montana State	W 10–7 L 3–10
1977	3rd Place	First round Grantland Rice Bowl	Northern Michigan Jacksonville State	W 20–6 L 7–31
1981	Runner Up	First round Semifinals Championship	Puget Sound Shippensburg State Southwest Texas State	W 24–10 W 18–6 L 13–42
1982	3rd Place	First round Semifinals	Virginia Union UC Davis	W 21–20 L 14–19
1983	Champions	First round Semifinals Championship	Towson State UC Davis Central State	W 24–17 W 26–17 W 41–21
1984	Runner Up*	First round Semifinals Championship	UC Davis Nebraska–Omaha Troy State	W 31–25 W 25–14 L 17–18
1985	Champions	First round Semifinals Championship	UC Davis South Dakota North Alabama	W 31–12 W 16–7 W 35–7
1986	Champions	First round Semifinals Championship	Ashland Central State South Dakota	W 50–0 W 35–12 W 27–7
Division II (postseason playoffs with 16-team bracket)
1988	Champions	First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship	Augustana (SD) Millersville Sacramento State Portland State	W 41–7 W 36–26 W 42–20 W 35–21
1989		First round Quarterfinals	Edinboro Jacksonville State	W 45–32 L 17–21
1990	Champions	First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship	Northern Colorado Cal Poly–SLO Pittsburg State IUP	W 17–7 W 47–0 W 39–29 W 51–11
1991		First round	Mankato State	L 7–27
1992		First round Quarterfinals	Northeast Missouri State Pittsburg State	W 42–7 L 37–38 OT
1994		First round Quarterfinals	Pittsburg State North Dakota	W 18–12 3OT L 7–14
1995		First round Quarterfinals	North Dakota Pittsburg State	W 41–10 L 7–9
1997		First round	Northwest Missouri State	L 28–39
2000		First round Quarterfinals Semifinals	No. 1 Northwest Missouri State No. 5 Nebraska–Omaha No. 11 Delta State	W 31–17 W 43–21 L 16–34
Totals	(.729)			1,238 - 762

• At the end of the 1984 championship game NDSU took the lead on a field goal making it 17–15 with 1:36 left; after being on the Troy State 2-yard line and settling for 3 points. Troy State subsequently drove down the field with no timeouts to the Bison's 33 yard line with 15 seconds remaining. With apparent confusion on the field Troy State (known since 2005 as Troy) rushed the field goal team out on the field and freshman kicker Ted Clem kicked the longest field goal in Troy history at 50 yards as time expired to give the Trojans the victory.

Rivalries

North Dakota

Main article: Nickel Trophy

South Dakota State

Main article: Dakota Marker

Northern Iowa

The Bison are 25–16 against Northern Iowa (UNI) all time. Both Chris Klieman and Matt Entz spend time on the UNI defensive staff before getting hired away to NDSU. Kleiman, in particular, played football at Northern Iowa and spent two separate stints on the Panther coaching staff. The two schools played every season from 1954 to 1979 as members of the North Central Conference. The schools were reunited in 2008 when NDSU moved to the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Northern Iowa won the first three battles, with the 2009 edition marked by a sideline fight between the two sides.

In the early 2010s North Dakota State–UNI was regularly one of the highest-profile games of the season, and the two considered each other to be top rivals. In 2011 the #3 ranked Bison hosted #2 UNI in front of a near-capacity crowd of 18,886. The herd won the matchup 27–19 in a game sometimes regarded as the start of the NDSU dynasty. Two seasons later NDSU would again host UNI in a top-five matchup, the Herd won the game by a narrow margin of 24–23, by far the closest matchup of the 2013 season. The following year the Panthers would be the team to end NDSU's record-breaking 33-game winning streak, thoroughly thrashing the three-time defending champions 23–3.

The 2015 edition of the rivalry was one of the most interesting in the series, and is considered one of the greatest games in NDSU history. The game was announced as homecoming before the season, the day started with SportsCenter's "On the Road Show" broadcasting live from the Fargodome. The #3 Bison trailed nearly all game before Carson Wentz hit future Green Bay Packers receiver Darrius Shepherd (who didn't play most of the first half due to injury) in the endzone for the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining. Recently the rivalry has cooled as the Bison have won six straight in the series, with the 2018 and 2019 edition being won by a combined score of 102–45.

Head coaches

Tim Polasek is the 32nd and current head coach of the Bison, and he takes over after the team lost to Montana in the semifinals of the 2023 FCS playoffs. He succeeded Matt Entz, who was named to the open Linebackers/Assistant Coach position at USC. Entz concluded his five seasons as head coach (2019–2023) with a 60–11 record and two FCS national championships, as well as two MVFC titles. Craig Bohl holds the record for most wins in school history with 104 in his 11-year career averaging over 9.5 wins per season. Ron Erhardt holds the record for most conference titles won with 6, followed by Rocky Hager and Chris Klieman with 5 each.

#	Coach	Years active	Record	Conference titles	National championships
1	Henry Luke Bolley	1894–1899	7–8–1	No affiliation
2	Jack Harrison	1900–1901	15–1–1	No affiliation
3	Eddie Cochems	1902–1903	9–1–0	No affiliation
4	A. L. Marshall	1904–1905	4–7–1	No affiliation
5	Gil Dobie	1906–1907	7–0–0	No affiliation
6	Paul Magoffin	1908	2–3–0	No affiliation
7	Arthur Rueber	1909–1912	12–7–1	No affiliation
8	Howard Wood	1913–1914	5–5–2	No affiliation
9	Paul J. Davis	1915–1917	10–7–1	No affiliation
10	Stanley Borleske	1919–1921, 1923–1924, 1928	17–14–4
11	Joe Cutting	1922	6–2–0
12	Ion Cortright	1925–1927	13–8–2	1925
13	Casey Finnegan	1928–1940	57–49–11	1932, 1935
14	Stan Kostka	1941, 1946–1947	8–17–0
15	Robert A. Lowe	1942–1945	3–9–2
16	Howard Bliss	1948–1949	3–16–0
17	Mac Wenskunas	1950–1953	11–21–1
18	Del Anderson	1954–1955	1–16–1
19	Les Luymes	1956	5–4–0
20	Bob Danielson	1957–1962	13–39–2
21	Darrell Mudra	1963–1965	24–6–0	1964, 1965	1965
22	Ron Erhardt	1966–1972	61–7–1	1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972	1968, 1969
23	Ev Kjelbertson	1973–1975	17–13–0	1973, 1974
24	Jim Wacker	1976–1978	24–9–1	1976, 1977
25	Don Morton	1979–1984	57–15–0	1981, 1982, 1983, 1984	1983
26	Earle Solomonson	1985–1986	24–2–1	1985, 1986	1985, 1986
27	Rocky Hager	1987–1996	91–25–1	1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994	1988, 1990
28	Bob Babich	1997–2002	46–22
29	Craig Bohl	2003–2013	104–32	2006, 2011, 2012, 2013	2011, 2012, 2013
30	Chris Klieman	2014–2018	69–6	2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018	2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
31	Matt Entz	2019–2023	60–11	2019, 2021	2019, 2021
32	Tim Polasek	2024–present	10–2	2024

Facilities

The Fargodome during a North Dakota State Bison Football Game

The Bison have played in the Fargodome since it opened in 1993. It holds 18,700 for football games and over 19,000 including standing room only tickets, making it the largest stadium in Fargo. The record attendance at the Fargodome is 19,108 when the Bison played Missouri State on October 12, 2013. The Bison have only lost one playoff game in the history of the Fargodome. The tremendous crowd noise caused by the Fargodome's steel roof disrupts many opposing offenses and creates one of the best home field advantages in college football

Football records in the Fargodome

• Playoffs: 38–1 (.974)
• Home openers: 28–1 (.966)
• Overall record: 183–28 (.867)
• Record attendance: 19,108 on 10-12-2013 vs. Missouri State

In 2011, the Fargodome was ranked as the 49th-best stadium in all of college football. The article cites, "There aren't many indoor venues in college football, but the few that do exist at the non-FBS level are very unfriendly to any visiting team. That effect is only amplified in a playoff atmosphere." The Fargodome is routinely ranked as one of the loudest college football stadiums in the country. In 2016, Stadium Journey ranked the Fargodome as the #2 Best FCS stadium to experience a game in On December 10, 2011 in a game against Lehigh, the crowd noise was measured at 111 decibels, comparable to when the New Orleans Saints play in the Superdome. During the 2011 playoffs, the decibel level spiked past 130 decibels several times but was not an official measurement. On December 14, 2012 in an FCS semifinal game against Georgia Southern, the crowd noise exceeded the 115-decibel mark and was known to be one of the loudest games in NDSU history. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead conducted an informal study of Fargodome crowd noise from the press box during a playoff semifinal game, December 2013. The readings showed a high of 111 decibels following a late touchdown by quarterback Brock Jensen. The decibel meter consistently read 102–106 throughout that game, according to The Forum. NDSU to study decibel levels at playoff football game During the 2013 Furman playoff game, the crowd noise was measured at 115 decibels. During the 2015 playoffs against Montana, the crowd noise measured 120 decibels, the Bison beat the Grizzlies 37–6, avenging their season-opening loss in Missoula. The record for the loudest indoor stadium crowd was set in 2013 at the Sacramento Kings' former home of Sleep Train Arena at 126 decibels. Due to the notorious noise, the Fargodome is sometimes referred to as the "Thunderdome". An example of this loudness can be found when the Bison offense advances the ball and gets a "first down". The announcer says over the loud speaker, "With that carry/pass, thats another Bison", in which the crowd loudly responds in unison "FIRST DOWN...AH MOVE THE CHAINS". Although an announcer declaring a "first down" is not unique to the Fargodome, the audience's response along with the prompt to move the chains is fairly unique to the Fargodome. This tradition was started back in the days when the team played in Dacotah Field. The crowd would do the traditional chant after every Bison first down and it was carried over to the FargoDome when the team played its first game in the new facility.

Prior to the Fargodome, the team played at Dacotah Field from 1910 to 1992, an outdoor stadium dealing with the very harsh winters in Fargo.

Records and streaks

FCS records

• 39 Consecutive Wins (2017–2021)
• 30 Straight Weeks at #1 in the FCS Coaches Poll (2012–2014)
• 20 Straight Weeks at #1 in the STATS Poll (2012-2013) (30 weeks at #1 out of 31)

FCS Top 25 streaks

• 181 Straight Weeks in the STATS Poll (2011–Present)
• 173 Straight Weeks in the Top 10 of the STATS Poll (2011–2023)

Games against the FBS

The following is table of all the games North Dakota State has played against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school since they began reclassification to become a FCS school.

Season	Game Date	Location	Opponent	Conference	Result	Reference
2006	October 21, 2006	Metrodome Minneapolis, MN	Minnesota	Big Ten	L 9–10
2007	October 20, 2007	Metrodome Minneapolis, MN	Minnesota	Big Ten	W 27–21
2008	September 13, 2008	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	Wyoming	Mountain West	L 13–16
2009	September 3, 2009	Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA	Iowa State	Big 12	L 17–34
2010	September 4, 2010	David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	Kansas	Big 12	W 6–3
2011	September 24, 2011	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	Minnesota	Big Ten	W 37–24
2012	September 8, 2012	Canvas Stadium Fort Collins, CO	Colorado State	Mountain West	W 22–7
2013	August 30, 2013	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	Kansas State	Big 12	W 24–21
2014	August 30, 2014	Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA	Iowa State	Big 12	W 34–14
2016	September 17, 2016	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	Iowa	Big Ten	W 23–21
2022	September 17, 2022	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	Arizona	Pac-12	L 28–31
2024	August 29, 2024	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	Colorado	Big 12	L 26–31

All-Americans

The list below covers North Dakota State All-Americans since the 2004 season when the program joined the FCS. This list uses six total selectors, the Associated Press (AP), STATS FCS (once they began coverage in 2015), HERO sports (once they began coverage in 2016 and stopped in 2023), TSN (who began FCS coverage in 2006 and stopped in 2014), the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), and the Athletic Directors Association (ADA).

This list is in progress.

Year	Player	Position	First team	Second team	Third team
2013	Colton Heagle	SS	—	—	AP
2013	Marcus Williams	CB	CONSENSUS	—	—
2013	Brock Jensen	QB	—	—	AP
2013	Grant Olson	LB	—	—	AP
2013	Ryan Drevlow	DT	—	AP	—
2013	Billy Turner	OT	CONSENSUS	—	—
2014	Colton Heagle	SS	AP, AFCA	TSN	—
2014	Ben LeCompte	P	—	TSN	—
2014	Adam Keller	K	—	—	AP
2014	Kyle Emanuel	DE	CONSENSUS	—	—
2014	John Crockett	RB	—	TSN	—
2014	Andrew Bonnet	FB	—	—	TSN
2014	Joe Haeg	OL	CONSENSUS	—	—
2015	Greg Menard	DE	—	—	STATS
2015	Ben LeCompte	P	STATS	AP	—
2015	Joe Haeg	OL	AP, STATS	—	—
2015	Andrew Bonnet	FB	—	STATS	—
2015	Zack W. Johnson	G	—	—	AP
2016	Greg Menard	DL	—	HERO	AP
2016	MJ Stumpf	LB	—	—	HERO
2016	Chase Morlock	FB	—	—	STATS
2016	James Fisher	LS	—	STATS	—
2016	Tre Dempsey	DB	AFCA	STATS, HERO	—
2016	Landon Lechler	OL	AP	—	—
2016	Zack Johnson	OL	CONSENSUS	—	—
2017	Robbie Grimsley	DB	—	STATS	—
2017	James Fisher	LS	STATS	—	—
2017	Nick DeLuca	LB	CONSENSUS	—	—
2017	Bruce Anderson	RB	—	HERO	—
2017	Tre Dempsey	FS	AFCA	HERO	—
2017	Austin Kuhnhart	G	CONSENSUS	—	—
2018	Darrius Shepherd	RS	—	—	STATS
2018	Garret Wegner	P	—	—	AP, STATS
2018	Zack Johnson	OT	—	STATS, HERO	AP
2018	Jabril Cox	LB	HERO	AP, STATS	—
2018	Greg Menard	DL	AFCA	AP	STATS
2018	Robbie Grimsley	DB	AP, STATS	HERO	—
2018	Tanner Volson	C	CONSENSUS	—	—
2018	Easton Stick	QB	AP, HERO	AFCA	STATS
2019	Dillon Radunz	OT	CONSENSUS
	Derrek Tuszka	DE	AP, HERO, STATS	AFCA
	Zack Johnson	G	HERO	AP	STATS
	Trey Lance	QB	HERO, STATS	AFCA, AP
	Jabril Cox	LB	HERO	STATS	AP
	Cordell Volson	OT		HERO
	James Hendricks	S		HERO
	Ben Ellefson	TE		AFCA	HERO, STATS
2020^	Christian Watson	WR/KR	AP, STATS, HERO	—	—
	Cordell Volson	OL	AP, STATS, HERO	—	—
	Garrett Wegner	P	AP, STATS, HERO	—	—
	Hunter Luepke	FB	STATS	—	—
	James Kazcor	LB	—	AFCA, STATS	—
	Ross Kennelly	LS	—	STATS	—
	Spencer Waege	DL	—	AFCA	—
2021	Brayden Thomas	DL	—	—	AP, HERO
	Christian Watson	WR	HERO	AP, STATS	—
	Cody Mauch	OL	—	AP	HERO
	Cordell Volson	OL	CONSENSUS	—	—
	Hunter Luepke	FB	STATS, HERO	—	—
	Jayden Price	KR	—	—	STATS
	Michael Tutsie	DB	HERO	—	STATS
	Noah Gindorff	TE	—	—	HERO
2022	Cody Mauch	OL	CONSENSUS	—	—
	Hunter Luepke	FB	STATS, HERO	AP	—
	Michael Tutsie	DB	—	AFCA	AP
	Nash Jensen	OL	AP	AFCA, STATS	—
	Spencer Waege	DE	AP, STATS, HERO	AFCA	—
2023	Cam Miller	QB	—	STATS	—
	Cole Wisniewski	DB	AP, AFCA, STATS, ADA	—	—
	Hunter Brozio	LS	AFCA	STATS	—
	Jake Kubas	OL	STATS	—	AP
	Jalen Sundell	OL	AFCA	—	STATS
Key:   * First team;   † Second team;   ‡ Third team. For expansions of abbreviations see the glossary. ^-Played in Spring 2021

NFL players

• Chris Board, Baltimore Ravens
• Jabril Cox, Minnesota Vikings
• Ben Ellefson, retired
• Kyle Emanuel, retired
• Noah Gindorff, free agent
• Joe Haeg, retired
• Phil Hansen (American football) , retired
• Nash Jensen, Carolina Panthers
• Zack Johnson, Cleveland Browns
• Jake Kubas, New York Giants
• Trey Lance, Dallas Cowboys
• Hunter Luepke, Dallas Cowboys
• Cody Mauch, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Jayden Price, Atlanta Falcons
• Dillon Radunz, Tennessee Titans
• Easton Stick, Los Angeles Chargers
• Jalen Sundell, Seattle Seahawks
• Billy Turner, free agent
• Derrek Tuszka, free agent
• Cordell Volson, Cincinnati Bengals
• Spencer Waege, free agent
• Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
• Carson Wentz, Kansas City Chiefs
• TaMerik Williams, free agent

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of August 8, 2023.

2025	2026	2027	2028
at The Citadel (SoCon - FCS)	vs East Tennessee State (SoCon - FCS)	vs The Citadel (SoCon - FCS)	at Oregon (Big Ten - FBS, Rescheduled from 2020)
at Tennessee State (Big South–OVC - FCS)	at Central Arkansas (UAC - FCS) (Rescheduled from 2025)
vs Southeast Missouri State (Big South–OVC - FCS)	vs Austin Peay (UAC - FCS)
vs St. Thomas (PFL - FCS)

See also

• American football in the United States

External links

• Official website