North Dakota State Bison football

History

Early history (1894–1921)

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)

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 (2004–2026)

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. Bohl 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, an FCS record at the time; 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.

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.

Division I-FBS (2026–present)

On February 9, 2026, North Dakota State announced they would be leaving for the Mountain West Conference of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision effective July 1, 2026, and in time for the 2026 college football season.

On June 24, 2026, the NCAA Division I cabinet enacted legislation recommended by the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision subcommittee that allowed all current and future programs reclassifying to the FBS to be immediately eligible for postseason events. This meant that the Bison would not have to wait until the end of the NCAA-mandated two year probation period to play in events such as bowl games, the Mountain West championship game, and the College Football Playoff. NDSU officially joined the Mountain West Conference on July 1, 2026.

Championships

National championships

North Dakota State have won eighteen national championships: three as a member of the College Division (precursor of Division II), five as a member of Division II, and ten 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 twenty national championship games.

Conference championships

North Dakota State has won 39 conference championships, 26 outright and 13 shared: North Central Conference (26), Great West (1), Missouri Valley (12)

† Co-champions

Playoff history

Division I FCS

(2004–2025)

North Dakota State appeared in a total of 16 NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, all of which were consecutive. The Bison hold an overall record of 51–6 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 10 national championship games, lost 1 and have advanced to the quarterfinal round in every playoff they have appeared in except one. From 2011 to 2022, every playoff game NDSU had lost was to the eventual champion.

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.

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

Northern Iowa

The Bison are 25–16 against Northern Iowa (UNI) all time. Both Chris Klieman and Matt Entz spent 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 Bison 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, and 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. The rivalry has cooled, as the Bison have won 10 straight in the series. Since 2016, just one contest has been decided by less than 14 points. With NDSU's move to the FBS and the Mountain West - the rivalry has effectively been paused.

Head coaches

Tim Polasek is the 32nd and current head coach of the Bison, and he took 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.

Facilities

The Bison have played in the Fargodome since it opened in 1993. In 2012, Gate City Bank Field was installed, advancing the playing surface. 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 two playoff games 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: 38–2 (.950)

Home openers: 28–1 (.966)

Overall record: 183–29 (.863)

Record attendance: 19,108 on October 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, and 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.

Records and streaks

FCS records

39 consecutive wins (2017–2021)

30 straight weeks at No. 1 in the FCS Coaches Poll (2012–2014)

20 straight weeks at No. 1 in the STATS Poll (2012–2013) (30 weeks at #1 out of 31)

FCS top 25 streaks

217 straight weeks in the STATS Poll (2011–2025)

173 straight weeks in the top 10 of the STATS Poll (2011–2023)

Winning streaks

Only streaks of 10 or more games are highlighted.

* FCS Record

** The tie broke the winning streak of 20 games, but was part of a larger un-beaten streak of 34 games between 1968 and 1971, with another 14 game win streak after the tie game.

Games against the FBS

The Bison held a record of 9–5 against FBS schools since they moved up from Division II to Division I FCS in 2004 until they moved from FCS to FBS in 2026, including a winning streak of 6 games from 2010 to 2016. The following table lists all of the games North Dakota State has played against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school since they began reclassification to become a FCS school until they left FCS in 2026.

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.

Bison in the NFL

First round draft picks

Active NFL

As of August 2026

Jake Kubas, New York Giants

Trey Lance, Los Angeles Chargers

Bryce Lance, New Orleans Saints

Hunter Luepke, Dallas Cowboys

Cody Mauch, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Barika Kpeenu, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cam Miller, Miami Dolphins

Mason Miller, Detroit Lions

Cole Payton, Philadelphia Eagles

Jayden Price, New Orleans Saints

Dillon Radunz, New Orleans Saints

Jalen Sundell, Seattle Seahawks

Cordell Volson, Tennessee Titans

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings

Grey Zabel, Seattle Seahawks

Future non-conference opponents

The Mountain West plays 8 conference games, which leaves 4 games for non-conference opponents. When Hawaii is on the schedule, a team is allowed to play in Week 0 or play 13 games.