Valley City State Vikings football

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Valley City State Vikings football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2025 Valley City State Vikings football team
Valley City State Vikings logo.png
First season1909;116 years ago (1909)
Athletic director Dennis McCulloch
Head coach Dennis McCulloch
28th season, 167–123 (.576)
Stadium Lokken Stadium
(capacity: 2,500)
FieldDacotah Bank Field
Year built1967
Location Valley City, North Dakota
Conference Frontier
Division Frontier East
All-time record491–383–28 (.560)
Playoff appearances
NAIA: 9
Conference titles
29
Rivalries University of Jamestown, Dickinson State University, Mayville State University
ColorsCardinal Red, Grey, and White
     
Mascot Viking
Outfitter Under Armour
Website https://vcsuvikings.com/sports/football

The Valley City State Vikings football team represents Valley City State University in college football as a member of the Frontier Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Vikings have fielded a team since 1909. The program plays home games at Lokken Stadium in Valley City, North Dakota. [1]

Contents

The program is led by head coach Dennis McCulloch, who began his tenure in 1997. Under McCulloch, the Vikings have captured multiple conference championships and made four NAIA playoff appearances. [1] [2]

History

Valley City State began varsity football in 1909. Over more than a century, the Vikings have won 29 conference championships and made nine NAIA playoff appearances. Their postseason win came in 1980 over McMurry College (TX). [1]

In 2025, the Vikings transitioned from the North Star Athletic Association to the Frontier Conference. [1]

Facilities

The Vikings play at Lokken Stadium (capacity ~2,500) on the VCSU campus. The school's athletics master plan has included the Tharaldson Family Athletic Center, an indoor facility under development adjacent to Dacotah Bank Field. [3]

Rivalries

Valley City State maintains long-standing rivalries with University of Jamestown, Dickinson State University, and Mayville State University.

Paint Bucket rivalry (Jamestown)

The Paint Bucket Rivalry is one of the oldest and most recognized small-college football rivalries in the Upper Midwest, contested annually between Valley City State University and the University of Jamestown. The winner receives the ceremonial Paint Bucket, a tradition created to help curb vandalism between the two campuses by giving fans a sanctioned way to “claim” the rivalry through the trophy rather than graffiti. The series dates back to the early 20th century and has been played nearly every season since its inception.

Jamestown controlled large stretches of the rivalry in its early years, while Valley City State gained momentum in the late 20th and early 21st centuries under longtime head coach Dennis McCulloch. The matchup has frequently carried conference-title or postseason implications during eras when both teams competed in the North Dakota College Athletic Conference and later the North Star Athletic Association.

The series has historically been competitive, with extended winning streaks on both sides and several games decided in the final moments. As of the most recent meeting, Valley City State leads the all-time series.

Dickinson State

Valley City State and Dickinson State share one of the oldest and most frequently played small-college football rivalries in the Upper Midwest. The teams have met regularly since at least 1930 across multiple conferences, including the North Dakota College Athletic Conference, Dakota Athletic Conference, North Star Athletic Association, and now the Frontier Conference.

The rivalry has historically favored Dickinson State, who leads the series 53–35–5. Many matchups between the Vikings and Blue Hawks have carried conference title implications, with Dickinson State emerging as one of the NAIA’s most nationally consistent programs over the past several decades. Despite the overall series deficit, VCSU has recorded notable wins throughout the rivalry’s history, and the annual meeting remains one of the Vikings’ most anticipated games each season.

Mayville State

Valley City State and Mayville State maintain one of North Dakota’s most traditional small-college football rivalries, dating back to at least 1930. The programs have competed as conference opponents for nearly their entire histories, meeting through the NDCAC, DAC, NSAA, and now the Frontier Conference.

The series has been strongly controlled by Valley City State, who leads 72–25–2 since 1930. While the Vikings have held the advantage overall, the rivalry has produced long stretches of competitive play and has often influenced conference standings, regional recruiting, and postseason qualification. The annual matchup with the Comets remains an important fixture on VCSU’s schedule.

Head coaches

Over more than a century of competition, Valley City State has been led by numerous head coaches. Records below reflect the program’s official totals (latest totals for McCulloch per 2025 infor mation). [1]

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list
GeneralOverallConferencePostseason [A 1]
No.Order of coaches [A 2] GCGames coachedCWConference winsPWPostseason wins
DCDivision championshipsOWOverall winsCLConference lossesPLPostseason losses
CCConference championshipsOLOverall lossesCTConference tiesPTPostseason ties
NCNational championshipsOTOverall ties [A 3] C%Conference winning percentage
†Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame O%Overall winning percentage [A 4]

All head coaches (1909–present)

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, and NAIA playoff years
No.NameSeason(s)GCOWOLOTO%NAIA playoffs
1 Henry W. Lever 190953200.600—
2 John W. Redewald 1911–191273400.429—
3 Leonard J. Call 1916155730.433—
4 Lawrence H. Purdy 191763210.583—
5 Louis D. Rhodess 1919–1921105500.500—
6 Laurence G. Hurst 1922–1924143740.357—
7 James Morrison 1925–193679334240.443—
8 Roy McLeod 1937–194240142150.413—
9 Bill May 194441120.500—
10 Roy DeGreef 194665100.833—
11 Howard Bliss 194776100.857—
12 Bill Richter 1948–195345351000.778—
13 Robert Nicholls 195174300.571—
14 Vernon Gale 1954–195943231640.581—
15 Al Evans 1960–19611541100.267—
16 Dick Koppenhaver 1962–19642417610.729—
17 Millard Jurovich 196583500.375—
18 Harold Drescher 1966–197038112520.316—
19 Pete Nyhus 1971–197326131300.500—
20 Jim Dew 1974–19931831166520.6391976, 1980, 1988
21 Steve LeGrand 1994–199630171300.5671996
22 Dennis McCulloch 1997–present28916812300.5782000, 2001, 2011, 2014

Year-by-year results

National championsConference championsPlayoff berth (no league title)
SeasonHead coachAssociationDivisionConferenceRecordPostseasonFinal ranking
OverallConference
WinLossTieFinishWinLossTie
Valley City State Vikings
1926James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 210—
1927James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 220—
1928James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 120—
1929James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 010—
1930 James Morrison NAIA — North Dakota College Athletic Conference 330—
1931 James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 061—
1932 James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 150—
1933 James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 150—
1934 James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 221—
1935 James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 421—
1936 James MorrisonNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 260—
1937 Roy McLeod NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 223—
1938 Roy McLeodNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 520—
1939 Roy McLeodNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 250—
1940 Roy McLeodNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 142—
1941 Roy McLeodNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 430—
1942 Roy McLeodNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 050—
1943 No teamNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 000—
1944 Bill May NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 112—
1945 No teamNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 000—
1946 Roy DeGreef NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 510—
1947 Howard Bliss NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 610—
1948 Bill Richter NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 530—
1949 Bill RichterNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 810—
1950 Bill RichterNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 710—
1951 Robert Nicholls NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 330—
1952 Bill RichterNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 530—
1953 Bill RichterNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 720—
1954 Vern Gale NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 710—
1955 Vern GaleNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 150—
1956 Vern GaleNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 143—
1957 Vern GaleNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 421—
1958 Vern GaleNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 510—
1959 Vern GaleNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 430—
1960 Al Evans NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 440—
1961 Al EvansNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 170—
1962 Dick Koppenhaver NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 440—
1963 Dick KoppenhaverNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 611—
1964 Dick KoppenhaverNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 710—
1965 Millard Jurovich NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 350—
1966 Harold Drescher NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 530—
1967 Harold DrescherNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 440—
1968 Harold DrescherNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 232—
1969 Harold DrescherNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 070—
1970 Harold DrescherNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 080—
1971 Pete Nyhus NAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 260—
1972 Pete NyhusNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 540—
1973 Pete NyhusNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 630—
1974 Jim Dew NAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 540—
1975 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 720—
1976 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 820 NAIA D-II First Round 5
1977 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 900—5
1978 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 801—10
1979 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 630—
1980 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 920 NAIA D-II First Round – def. McMurry 6
1981 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 540—
1982 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 620—
1983 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 630—
1984 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 540—
1985 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 440—
1986 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 630—
1987 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 630—19
1988 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 730 NAIA D-II First Round 17
1989 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 630—
1990 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 630—
1991 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 270—
1992 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 270—
1993 Jim DewNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 081—
1994 Steve LeGrandNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 360—
1995 Steve LeGrandNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 550—
1996 Steve LeGrandNAIAII North Dakota College Athletic Conference 920 NAIA D-II First Round 16
1997 Dennis McCulloch NAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 550—
1998 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 0100—
1999 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Dakota College Athletic Conference 720—23
2000 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 920 NAIA First Round 10
2001 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 920 NAIA First Round 13
2002 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 730—
2003 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 550—
2004 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 550—
2005 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 730—22
2006 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 640—
2007 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 460—
2008 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 550—
2009 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 370—
2010 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 460—
2011 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Dakota Athletic Conference 920 NAIA First Round 16
2012 Dennis McCullochNAIA— NAIA Independent (AII) 730—24
2013 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 550—
2014 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 920 NAIA First Round 17
2015 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 730—
2016 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 640—
2017 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 550—
2018 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 640—
2019 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 730—
2020 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 520—
2021 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 8202nd620—
2022 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 5503rd420—
2023 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 7302nd620—
2024 Dennis McCullochNAIA— North Star Athletic Association 3705th260—
2025 Dennis McCullochNAIA— Frontier Conference 6404th - East330—

Championships

The Vikings have won 29 conference championships: 1926, 1927, 1928, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. [1]

NAIA playoff appearances

The Vikings have appeared in the NAIA playoffs eight times: 1976, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2011, and 2014, with an overall postseason record of 1–8 (win in 1980). [1]

YearOpponentResult
1976 @ California–Redlands L, 39–40
1980 @ McMurry College (TX)
@ Pacific Lutheran 		W, 16–7
L, 0–32
1988 @ Wisconsin–La Crosse L, 6–31
1996 @ Northwestern (IA) L, 7–15
2000 Carroll (MT) L, 21–24
2001 @ Carroll (MT) L, 27–45
2011 @ Carroll (MT) L, 0–47
2014 @ Carroll (MT) L, 0–49

Conference affiliations

National awards

Gregg Horner – 2012 NAIA

All-Americans

The following is a chronological list of Valley City State University football players recognized as NAIA All-Americans. [7]

YearPlayerPositionTeam
1952Marlow GudmundsonRB—
1958Jim BockE—
1976Dave RauschLB—
1976Jim UkestadOL1st Team
1977Dave OlsonOL—
1977Dave RauschLB1st Team
1977Jon AchterRB—
1977Jim UkestadOL1st Team
1978Eric JorgensonDL1st Team
1980Jon BolstadDB2nd Team
1980Mark SmetanaQB—
1980Pete HughesDB—
1981Jon BolstadDB1st Team
1983Jim TheisDE1st Team
1983Jed KleinDL—
1983Jeff VolkDB—
1984Pat O’BrienDT—
1984Pat HornerTE—
1985Doug SchindeleLB—
1985Rod SkytlandRB—
1986Dave SchrammWR—
1987Tyler SchlechtWR—
1987Darin LoeQB—
1988Lloyd JosephDL—
1988Darin LoeQB—
1989Lloyd JosephDL—
1989Andy WilliamsLB—
1990Lloyd JosephDL—
1990Andrew WarckenDB—
1991Tony FastDL—
1995Trevor BakalarKR—
1996Trevor BakalarRB—
1996Sarge TruesdellDB—
1997Trevor BakalarRB—
1997Sarge TruesdellDB—
1999Ben KingRB—
2000Jeremy PeschelQB—
2000Darin WaltersOL—
2000Steve BattleWR—
2001Steve BattleWR—
2001Brent MillerDL—
2001Ben AarestadLB—
2002Steve BattleWR—
2004Josh KasowskiLB1st Team
2005Joe MareshDE—
2006Joe MareshDE1st Team [8]
2006Chauncey CalhounDB— [8]
2008Chauncey CalhounWR— [9]
2013Derek ElliottRB1st Team [10]
2016Nicholas McBeainLB2nd Team [11]
2019Louis QuinonesRB— [12]
2020Marshaun JonesDL2nd Team [13]
2020Sal AvilaLB— [13]
2021Marshaun JonesDL— [14]
2021Riley GerhardtDL— [14]
2022Riley GerhardtDL2nd Team [15]
2023Riley GerhardtDL2nd Team [16]

Key: 1st Team = NAIA First Team All-American; 2nd Team = NAIA Second Team All-American; (—) = Honorable Mention or unspecified level.

Notable players and alumni

Retired numbers

Valley City State Vikings retired numbers
No.PlayerPos.TenureRef.
None officially retired

Honored jerseys

Numbers honored, but not retired and available for any player:

Valley City State Vikings honored jerseys
No.PlayerPos.Tenure
64Dave Rausch LB 1974–1978

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played. [4]
  2. ↑ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
  3. ↑ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since. [5]
  4. ↑ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Viking Football Tradition". VCSU Vikings. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Dennis McCulloch - VCSU Bio". VCSU Vikings. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Tharaldson Family Athletic Center Progress". VCSU Vikings. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  4. ↑ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  6. ↑ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Valley City State Football – All-Americans (program page)". VCSU Athletics. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "2006 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. December 15, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  9. ↑ "2008 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. December 15, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ "2013 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. December 18, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ "2016 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. December 13, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ "2019 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. December 5, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  13. 1 2 "2020–21 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. May 4, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  14. 1 2 "2021 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. December 13, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ "2022 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. December 15, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  16. ↑ "2023 NAIA Football All-America Teams". NAIA.org. December 12, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
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