The North Dakota State Bison are the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison.
Sports sponsored Baseball Basketball Basketball Cross country Cross country Golf Football Soccer Golf Softball Track and field† Track and field† Wrestling Volleyball A member of the Summit League, North Dakota State University sponsors teams in eight men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned intercollegiate sports: The football team competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The wrestling team competes as an affiliate member of the Pac-12 Conference.
In the past, North Dakota State has been a member of the North Central Conference, the Great West Football Conference, the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Big 12 Conference, and the United Soccer Conference. It has also been an independent.
National championships The Bison have won thirty NCAA national championships, both at the Division I and Division II levels.
Team Women's basketball (5) NCAA Division II1991Southeast Missouri State81–741993Delta State95–631994Cal State San Bernardino89–561995Portland State98–851996Shippensburg104–78 Men's cross country (1) NCAA College1972South Dakota State84–143 (-59) Football (18) NCAA Division II (poll)1965Middle Tennessee StateCal State Los Angeles—1968San Diego State—1969Montana— Division II (game)1983Central State (OH)41–211985North Alabama35–71986South Dakota27–71988Portland State35–211990IUP51–11 Division I FCS2011Sam Houston State17–62012Sam Houston State39–132013Towson35–72014Illinois State29–272015Jacksonville State37–102017James Madison17–132018Eastern Washington38–242019James Madison28–202021Montana State38–102024Montana State35–32 Softball (1) NCAA Division II2000Kennesaw State3–1 Women's indoor track and field (1) NCAA Division II2002Saint Augustine's67½–45 Wrestling (4) NCAA Division II1988Nebraska–Omaha88–811998South Dakota State112–782000Central Oklahoma91.5–752001South Dakota State98.5–91
Individual The Bison have won two individual event championships, all at the Division I level. Men's track and field (2) NCAA Division I 2019 Payton Otterdahl Indoor Shot Put Weight Throw Source:
Individual sports Football
The Bison football team, which since 1993 played their home games at the Fargodome, was a dominant force in Division II. Through January 2022, they have won 17 NCAA national titles. Eight were at the Division II level (1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1990) before moving up to Division I-AA (now FCS) in 2004 where they have won nine national championships (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021). NDSU is the only team at any level of NCAA football to have won five straight national championships. The program was the winningest in the history of the NCAA Division II North Central Conference, with 17 outright championships and 27 total league football titles. The program has also been quite successful since moving up to the D1 FCS classification. In 2006 the Bison posted a 10–1 record that included a win over FBS Ball State. During a 2006 game against FBS Minnesota, NDSU led for much of the game, but a last-second field goal attempt was blocked by Minnesota, resulting in a 10–9 loss. The following season, the Bison won their first Great West Football Conference championship and achieved the number 1 ranking in major FCS polls for a majority of the season. During this season the 2007 Bison football team defeated FBS members Central Michigan University and the University of Minnesota. In 2010 the Bison defeated the FBS Kansas Jayhawks, 6–3, for their first win over a Big 12 program. The Bison won the 2011 FCS national championship, defeating Sam Houston State University, 17–6. The 2011 title was their ninth overall. The Bison returned to the FCS championship game in 2012 and soundly defeated Sam Houston State University in a rematch of the 2011 title game, 39–13. Expectations were high entering the 2013 season. The season commenced with a game against the Kansas State Wildcats, the reigning Big 12 Champions. The Bison took a quick lead, but let a 7–7 halftime score get away from them; trailing 21–7 in the third quarter. The Bison finished the game with an 18-play 80-yard drive that used minutes, leaving 28 seconds on the clock for the Wildcats, trailing by 3. NDSU Linebacker Grant Olson intercepted the first pass attempt by the Wildcats, sealing their 7th win over FBS teams since their move to FCS. ESPN College GameDay broadcast an episode from Fargo. The Bison finished the season 15–0 with a victory over the Towson Tigers, 35–7. Despite a cast of new coaches, the 2014 Bison finished the season with a 15–1 record, including another win over Big 12 Iowa State and won their fourth consecutive national championship. ESPN College GameDay was broadcast from Fargo for the 2nd consecutive year.
In 2016, the Bison upset AP-ranked 13 Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. This still stands as NDSU's most notable win, and one of the highest profile upsets in Division I football history. Despite the impressive win, the remainder of the season would not be like the previous years for the Bison. NDSU would give up the Dakota Marker for the first time since the 2009 season. They would also see their national title streak end at five after a loss to James Madison in the semifinals at the Fargodome, who would eventually win the National Championship that season. In the 2017 season, NDSU would return to the title game and avenge their loss the previous season, defeating James Madison in Frisco 17-13. The 2018 season would see one of the Bison's most dominant seasons, especially since 2013, when the team went 15-0 for the second time in program history. The team only played one team in a one score game (the Dakota Marker game against #3 South Dakota State), and accomplished a score differential of 28.9 points). Before the team's eventual victory over South Dakota State in the FCS semifinals, coach Chris Klieman was announced as the next head coach at Kansas State. Klieman was allowed to finish out his season at NDSU, beating SDSU in the semis and then Eastern Washington in the National Championship game.
The 2019 season started a new leaf for NDSU, with Matt Entz being announced as the next head coach for the Bison after previously serving as the team's defensive coordinator the last several seasons. As far as the on-field product was concerned, it was one of the best in program history again. With Trey Lance at the helm for the Bison in his redshirt freshman season, NDSU achieved a 16-0 record for the first time in program history and for only the second time in Division I football history (1894 Yale being the only other program to reach the mark). This was highlighted by the National Championship game win against James Madison in which NDSU won on a game-sealing interception in the redzone with under five seconds remaining. Unfortunately after the season ended, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the 2020 FCS season was postponed to the Spring of 2021. This wouldn't be the first unfortunate thing to happen to the school in that academic year, as the football team would have a very rare year in the team's history, going 7-3 in the shortened season. The Bison also ended their national championship streak of 3 titles (between 2018 and 2020) after they lost to eventual champion Sam Houston in the FCS quarterfinals. The 2021 season could be categorized as a "return to their roots" type season for NDSU, after the team went 14-1. The team's only loss being in the Dakota Marker game in Brookings to 4th ranked SDSU. The Bison dominated their way to their ninth national championship, beating playoff rival James Madison in the semifinals in a close game, and then beating Montana State in the title game 38-10.
However, in the 2022 season the Bison would stumble again. The team went 12-3, losing more than 1 game in a season for only the second time since 2011. NDSU lost their first game to an FBS opponent since losing to Minnesota in 2009, after they lost a three-point game at Arizona. The blows would continue as the team not only did not reclaim the Dakota Marker (losing 23-21 at home to 2nd ranked South Dakota State), but would fall to the Jackrabbits again in the National Championship game. The 2023 edition of North Dakota State would also have their struggles, losing three games again, this time in the regular season and did not receive a seed heading into the FCS playoffs. The Bison would manage to beat Drake, Montana State in walk-off fashion, avenging their loss to South Dakota earlier in the season, before being bested by Montana in the FCS semifinals. It was also announced earlier that same week that fifth year head coach Matt Entz would be leaving Fargo to join the USC staff as the linebackers coach and assistant head coach. Tim Polasek was soon named as the next head coach for the Bison.
The 2024 season was a return to form for the program, with Polasek at the helm. The Bison would post a 14–2 record, defeating Montana State in the 2025 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game to claim the program's 10th FCS title and 18th overall title. In the process, NDSU would reclaim the Dakota Marker trophy for the first time since 2019. They would defeat South Dakota State again in the FCS semifinals, starting their first winning streak over their archrivals for the first time since they won 3 in a row in 2018 and 2019. Following the win over the Jacks, NDSU would rise to number 1 in both the FCS STATS and coaches polls for the first time since October 2022. NDSU would fall to a FBS opponent for the second time since 2016, losing a 5 point game to Deion Sanders' Colorado in the season opener. The Bison would also claim a share of the 2024 MVFC title, their first since 2021. In 2025, NDSU went 12–1, including an undefeated regular season. That also meant that the Bison defeated the Jacks to keep the Dakota Marker for the second year in a row and increased their winning streak to 3 over their rivals to the South. They also defeated UND in Grand Forks after falling to them to the last time NDSU visited. NDSU would also win their first outright MVFC title since 2021. However, this year would land in the Bison history books, just not in the best way. NDSU drew the number one seed in the FCS playoffs and would faceoff against Illinois State in the second round. The Bison would fall to the Redbirds, having given up a 13 point lead with 2 minutes left, to be eliminated before the quarterfinal round for the first time in their history.
Then, on February 9, 2026, North Dakota State announced they would be leaving the MVFC and the FCS to join the Mountain West Conference of the FBS on July 1, 2026.
Men's Basketball
The Bison basketball program includes a men's and a women's team. The teams play at the Scheels Center inside the Sanford Health Athletic Complex (SHAC). They won five NCAA National Championships during the decade (1991, 1993–1996). The men's basketball team won an upset victory over the University of Wisconsin on January 21, 2006, potentially increasing its chances of being accepted into a conference. The Bison also upset Marquette University on their home court at their tournament, 64–60, on December 2, 2006.