The North Dakota Fighting Hawks are the athletic teams that represent the University of North Dakota (UND), located in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level as a member of the Summit League. With 17 varsity teams, North Dakota is best known for its Ice Hockey team and American Football team. North Dakota's main rivalries are with the North Dakota State Bison and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
James John Langer was an American professional football player who was a center and guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings. BBC Sport reported him as one of the greatest centers in NFL history. Langer was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1987.
Washington High School is a public secondary school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with an enrollment of 1,910 students. The school is part of the Sioux Falls School District, and is one of four public high schools in Sioux Falls.
Joseph N. "Smokey Joe" Salem is an American former college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of South Dakota (1966–1974), Northern Arizona University (1975–1978), and the University of Minnesota (1979–1983), compiling a career head coaching record of 96–91–3. Salem was most recently the quarterbacks coach at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a position he held from 2006 to 2009.
Brian Dean Hansen is an American former professional football punter who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1984 while playing for the New Orleans Saints.
James Michael LeClair was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as a linebacker for 12 seasons, from 1972 to 1983, in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Bengals and two seasons, from 1984 to 1985, in the United States Football League (USFL) with the New Jersey Generals. LeClair played college football at University of Minnesota Crookston and the University of North Dakota. He served as the head football coach at Mayville State University in Mayville, North Dakota, from 1986 to 1988. LeClair was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1999.
O'Gorman High School is a Catholic high school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The school was founded in 1961 and named after Thomas O'Gorman. O'Gorman is located in the Diocese of Sioux Falls.
Frank G. McCormick was an American football player and coach. He was the first South Dakotan to play professional football. He played from 1920 to 1921 with the Akron Pros and the Cincinnati Celts of the American Professional Football Association (AFCA)—the league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) in 1922. Originally a guard, Frank was made a wingback by the Pros. He won an AFPA championship with Akron in 1920.
Ted Kessinger is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas from 1976 to 2003, compiling a record of 219–57–1 for a winning percentage of .792. He is among the college football coaches with the most wins and the highest winning percentage.
Robert "Bob" R. Young was an American football former player, coach, and Christian spiritual leader. A native of Beresford, South Dakota, he served as the head football coach at the University of Sioux Falls from 1983 to 2004, compiling a record of 172–69–3. His 1996 Sioux Falls Cougars team won the NAIA Football Championship. His football teams were also NAIA runners-up in 2001, semifinalists in 1997, 2002, 2003, and quarterfinalists in 1995, 1998, and 2004. Young won nine South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) titles and four Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) titles. His teams ran off conference winning streaks of 27 games from 1994 to 1999 and 34 games from 2001 to 2004. He is the winningest coach in Sioux Falls Cougars football history. Young was considered to be a spiritual leader within the lives of former players, often hosting virtual meetings with them to provide mentoring and spiritual guidance.
John James Martin was an American football, basketball, and track and field coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Southern State Teachers College—later known as Southern State College and the University of South Dakota–Springfield—from 1946 to 1966, compiling a record of 102–64–5. He also coached basketball and track at Southern State. As an athlete at Southern Normal, Martin earned varsity letters in three sports.
Chad M. McConnell is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the United States national baseball team in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Douglas Boyd Eggers is a former American football linebacker who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Baltimore Colts and Chicago Cardinals. He played college football at South Dakota State University and attended Wagner High School in Wagner, South Dakota.
Robert Geering Burns was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Augustana College—now known as Augustana University—in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from 1956 to 1961 and the University of South Dakota in 1962, compiling a career college football coaching record of 29–29–2. He died in November 2000 at the age of 80.
Stewart Ferguson was an American football and basketball coach. He served as the head football coach at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota from 1929 to 1933 and at Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College—now known as the University of Arkansas–Monticello—in 1934 and from 1938 to 1941, compiling a career college football coaching record of 20–69–2. As a college football coach, he was credited with inventing the Swinging gate formation. Ferguson was also the head basketball coach at Dakota Wesleyan from 1929 to 1934, tallying a mark of 65–17.
Howard Wood was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at North Dakota Agricultural College—now known as North Dakota State University—from 1913 to 1914, compiling a record of North Dakota Agricultural College. Wood was also as the head basketball coach at North Dakota Agricultural from 1913 to 1915, amassing a record of 22–4, and the school's head baseball coach in 1915, tallying a mark of 8–7.
The 1945 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota as an independent during the 1945 college football season. The team compiled a 0–4 record and was outscored by a total of 92 to 0.
The Flandreau Indians were a minor league baseball team based in Flandreau, South Dakota. In 1902, Flandreau played as member of the Class D level Iowa-South Dakota League, winning a split–season title before disbanding. The Indians hosted minor league home games at Flandreau Park.
Jim Glogowski is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for the University of Sioux Falls, a position he has held since 2023. He also was the head coach for the Simpson Storm football team from 2008 to 2015. He also coached for South Dakota, Augustana (SD), Allegheny, Clarion, and Minnesota State. He played college football for South Dakota as a strong safety and outside linebacker.
