The Presentation Saints football team represented Presentation College in college football from 2011 through 2022. The program competed initially at the NCAA Division III level before transitioning to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), where it was a charter member of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA). The Saints played home games at Clark Swisher Field (renamed Golden Eagle Field in 2022) in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Presentation College announced in January 2023 that it would cease educational operations after the summer 2023 term, following its final football season in fall 2022.

History Establishment and early seasons (2010–2012) Presentation College established its football program in preparation for the 2011 season. In April 2010, the college hired Andy Carr as its first head coach. Carr arrived from Southwest Minnesota State, where he had served as assistant head coach. His previous coaching experience included positions at Saint Anselm and Northern State. Presentation initially competed at the NCAA Division III level as a member of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC).

The Saints earned their first victory on October 1, 2011, defeating Martin Luther 28–6. By the following season, Presentation had left the UMAC and was competing as an independent. A September 2012 game report from Northwestern (Minnesota) described Presentation as a former conference member.

NAIA transition and North Star membership (2013–2016) Presentation was admitted to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) on April 22, 2013. The college then became a charter member of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA), alongside Dakota State, Jamestown, Mayville State, and Valley City State. The new conference began competition during the 2013–14 academic year, providing Presentation with a conference affiliation following its season as an NCAA Division III independent.

The Saints recorded their first NSAA football victory on September 20, 2014, defeating Dakota State 40–37. Presentation's strongest season came in 2016, when the team finished 7–3 and established the program record for victories in a season. The college's commemorative history also highlighted the team's defensive performance and the All-American recognition earned by defensive end Jeff Branch.

Branch scored on both an interception return and a fumble return during a 29–0 victory over Briar Cliff in September 2016. He became Presentation's first NAIA Defensive Player of the Week. That season also included a 34–25 victory over Jamestown, in which Logan Weisser caught four touchdown passes from Austin Eggl.

Chuck Miesbauer era (2017–2018) Carr resigned in July 2017 to accept development positions with the University of South Dakota and its foundation. He had led Presentation from its inaugural season through its transition to the NAIA. Defensive coordinator Chuck Miesbauer was appointed interim head coach following Carr's departure.

Miesbauer earned his first victory as head coach with a 40–10 win at Lawrence on September 2, 2017. Later that month, Presentation overcame a 21–3 deficit to defeat Dakota State 22–21, with kicker Jaiden Machuca making five field goals.

On September 29, 2018, Presentation defeated Valley City State 37–30. Eggl threw five touchdown passes as the teams combined for 796 yards of offense. The victory was Presentation's only win over Valley City State during the program's history.

Steve Heimann era and final seasons (2019–2022) Presentation appointed Steve Heimann as its third head coach in June 2019. Heimann had previously been the offensive coordinator at Tabor College and brought more than thirteen years of coaching experience to the position. His first victory came on November 2, 2019, when the Saints defeated Mayville State 51–35.

Presentation endured a 23-game losing streak before defeating Luther 29–6 on September 3, 2022. The Saints' final victory came on October 29, 2022, with a 21–0 shutout of Mayville State.

College closure In January 2023, Presentation College announced that it would cease operations after its summer term. The announcement followed years of financial difficulties and declining enrollment. The college arranged transfer opportunities for students, while its nursing programs were to continue through a partnership with St. Ambrose University. The closure ended the football program after twelve seasons, with the fall 2022 campaign serving as its last.

Stadium Home games were played at Clark Swisher Field (capacity ~6,000) in Aberdeen, shared with Northern State University and local high schools. The venue was officially renamed Golden Eagle Field by the Aberdeen School Board in 2022.

Conference affiliations Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA Division III) (2011) NCAA Division III independent (2012) North Star Athletic Association (NAIA) (2013–2022)

Head coaches Over its 12 seasons of competition, Presentation College was led by three head coaches. The table summarizes the coaching tenures and records listed in the season results below.

Key

All head coaches (2011–2022) + List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached and overall records No. Name Season(s) GC OW OL OT O% 1 Andy Carr 2011–2016 59 26 33 0 2 Chuck Miesbauer 2017–2018 20 8 12 0 3 Steve Heimann 2019–2022 42 4 38 0

Year-by-year results

Program discontinuedNon-losing season (≥ .500)

Season Head coach Association Conference W L T Pct Presentation Saints football 2011 Andy Carr NCAA Division III UMAC 3 7 0 .300 2012 Andy Carr NCAA Division III Independent 2 8 0 .200 2013 Andy Carr NAIA NSAA 4 5 0 .444 2014 Andy Carr NAIA NSAA 6 4 0 .600 2015 Andy Carr NAIA NSAA 4 6 0 .400 2016 Andy Carr NAIA NSAA 7 3 0 .700 2017 Chuck Miesbauer NAIA NSAA 4 6 0 .400 2018 Chuck Miesbauer NAIA NSAA 4 6 0 .400 2019 Steve Heimann NAIA NSAA 1 9 0 .100 2020 Steve Heimann NAIA NSAA 0 10 0 .000 2021 Steve Heimann NAIA NSAA 0 11 0 .000 2022 Steve Heimann NAIA NSAA 3 8 0 .273 Program totals (2011–2022): 39–83 (.320)

Individual honors All-Americans Year Player Position Honor 2016 Jeff Branch Defensive Line 1st Team NAIA All-American

Notable former coaches Mike Budziszewski, former assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Presentation; head football coach at Carroll University (Wisconsin). Levi Bullerman, linebackers and special teams coach at Presentation from 2011 to 2012; interim head football coach at Southwest Minnesota State University. Andy Carr, Presentation's founding head football coach; vice president of advancement at Mount Marty University. Neil Linhart, former offensive assistant and offensive coordinator at Presentation; co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Colorado Mesa University.

All-time record by opponent

North Star Athletic Association opponents NSAA opponents Opponent Games W–L–T Win % Dakota State 14 3–11 .214 Mayville State 14 6–8 .429 Valley City State 13 1–12 .077 Waldorf 13 4–9 .308 Dickinson State 12 0–12 .000 Jamestown 5 2–3 .400

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference opponents UMAC opponents Opponent Games W–L–T Win % Greenville 1 0–1 .000 Westminster (MO) 1 0–1 .000 Northwestern (MN) 2 0–2 .000 Minnesota–Morris 2 0–2 .000 Martin Luther 2 1–1 .500 Crown 3 2–1 .667

Other opponents Other Opponents Opponent Games W–L–T Win % Trinity Bible College 7 6–1 .857 Haskell Indian Nations 3 3–0 1.000 Luther 3 2–1 .667 Briar Cliff 2 2–0 1.000 Concordia–Moorhead 2 0–2 .000 Dakota Wesleyan 2 0–2 .000 Finlandia 2 2–0 1.000 Iowa Wesleyan 2 0–2 .000 Lawrence 2 2–0 1.000 Trinity International 2 0–2 .000 Cole College 1 1–0 1.000 Eureka 1 0–1 .000 MacMurray 1 1–0 1.000 Maranatha Baptist 1 1–0 1.000 Menlo 1 0–1 .000 Mount Marty 1 0–1 .000 Northwestern (IA) 1 0–1 .000 South Dakota Mines 1 0–1 .000 St. John's (MN) 1 0–1 .000 Wisconsin–Stout 1 0–1 .000

Notes

References

External links Presentation College commemorative book