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South Dakota Coyotes football
2024 South Dakota Coyotes football team
First season1889; 136 years ago
Athletic directorDavid Herbster
Head coachTravis Johansen
1st season, 0–0 (–)
StadiumDakotaDome
(capacity: 9,100)
LocationVermillion, South Dakota
NCAA divisionDivision I FCS
ConferenceMissouri Valley
All-time record524–500–36 (.511)
Playoff appearances8
(Div. II): 1973, 1985, 1986, 2006
(Div. I FCS): 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024
Playoff recordDiv. II: 4–4 (.500)
Div. I FCS: 3–3 (.500)
National finalist1
(Div. II): 1985
Conference titles11
(1 MVFC, 10 NCC)
RivalriesNorth Dakota State
South Dakota State (rivalry)
North Dakota (Sitting Bull Trophy)
ColorsRed and white[1]
   
Fight songHail, South Dakota!
MascotCharlie Coyote
Marching bandThe Sound of USD
Websitegoyotes.com

The South Dakota Coyotes football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of South Dakota located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). South Dakota's first football team was fielded in 1889. The team plays its home games at the 9,100-seat DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota.

History

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Classifications

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  • 1952–1959: NAIA
  • 1956–1972: NCAA College Division
  • 1973–2007: NCAA Division II
  • 2008–present: NCAA Division I FCS

Conference memberships

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Head coaching history

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The Coyotes have had at least 26 head coaches throughout the program's history. It is not known who coached the team between 1889–1900. South Dakota did not field teams in 1943 and 1944 due to World War II.

Coach Seasons Term Wins Losses Ties Win% Conference titles Playoff appearances
No coach 5 1889–1890, 1894–1895, 1900 11 5 3 .657 N/A N/A
Bert H. Morrison (manager) 2 1898–1899 5 2 2 .666 N/A N/A
Ralph Norton 1 1901 6 1 1 .812 N/A N/A
Arthur H. Whittemore 10 1902–1909, 1920–1921 37 21 6 .625 N/A N/A
Joseph Pipal 1 1910 5 2 0 .714 N/A N/A
James Henderson 3 1911–1913 15 5 0 .750 N/A N/A
Ion Cortright 2 1914–1915 9 4 3 .656 N/A N/A
Blaine McKusick 2 1916–1917 3 8 2 .307 N/A N/A
John W. Stewart 2 1918–1919 3 8 0 .272 N/A N/A
Stub Allison 5 1922–1926 20 19 3 .512 0 N/A
Vincent E. Montgomery 4 1927–1930 15 16 3 .485 1 N/A
Stanley G. Backman 3 1931–1933 11 16 1 .410 0 N/A
Harry Gamage 18 1934–1941, 1946–1955 82 67 7 .548 4 N/A
Cletus Clinker 1 1942 5 3 0 .625 0 N/A
Grant Heckenlively 1 1945 0 4 0 .000 0 N/A
Ralph Stewart 6 1956–1961 19 33 2 .370 0 N/A
Bob Burns 1 1962 1 9 0 .100 0 N/A
Marv Rist 3 1963–1965 6 21 0 .222 0 N/A
Joe Salem 9 1966–1974 51 39 2 .565 3 1
Beanie Cooper 4 1975–1978 18 24 1 .430 1 0
Dave Triplett 10 1979–1988 70 45 0 .608 0 2
John Fritsch 3 1989–1991 10 21 0 .322 0 0
Dennis Creehan 5 1992–1996 28 27 0 .509 0 0
Ron Rankin 2 1997–1998 8 14 0 .364 0 0
John Austin 5 1999–2003 22 32 0 .407 0 0
Ed Meierkort 8 2004–2011 54 35 0 .606 1 1
Joe Glenn 4 2012–2015 12 34 0 .260 0 0
Bob Nielson 9 2016–2024 53 48 0 .525 1 4

Championships

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Conference championships

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The Coyotes have won 11 conference championships.

Year Conference Coach Overall record Conference record
1927† North Central Conference Vincent E. Montgomery 7–2 5–0
1938 Harry Gamage 7–1 5–0
1939† 4–5 4–1
1947† 7–2 4–0
1951 7–1 6–0
1972† Joe Salem 9–1 6–1
1973† 8–3 6–1
1974† 8–3 5–2
1978 Beanie Cooper 7–4 5–0–1^
2005† Ed Meierkort 9–2 4–2
2024† Missouri Valley Football Conference Bob Nielson TBD 7–1

† Co-champions

^ South Dakota and Nebraska–Omaha split games in 1978, which counted as a tie in the NCC standings.[2]

Playoff appearances

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NCAA Division II

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The Coyotes appeared in the Division II playoffs four times. Their record was 4–4.

Year Round Opponent Result
1973 Quarterfinals Boise State L 10–53
1985 Quarterfinals
Semifinals 		Central State (OH)
North Dakota State 		W 13–10 2OT
L 7–16
1986 Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship 		UC Davis
Troy State
North Dakota State 		W 26–23
W 42–28
L 7–27
2006 First Round
Second Round 		Northwood
Grand Valley State 		W 31–28
L 17–35

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

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The Coyotes have appeared in the FCS playoffs four times, with a combined record of 4–4.

Year Round Opponent Result
2017 First Round
Second Round		 Nicholls State
Sam Houston State		 W 38–31
L 42–54
2021 First Round Southern Illinois L 10–22
2023 Second Round
Quarterfinals		 Sacramento State
North Dakota State		 W 34–24
L 17–45
2024 Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		 Tarleton State
UC Davis
Montana State		 W 42–31
W 35–21
L 17–31

Record versus Missouri Valley Football Conference

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  • Records through the end of the 2016–2017 school year.

[3]

Opponent Win % Wins Losses Ties Last meeting
Illinois State .167 1 5 – Won 27–24 on 10/22/16
Indiana State .667 2 1 – Won 33–30 on 10/15/2016
Missouri State .500 2 2 – Won 40–10 on 10/24/2015
North Dakota State .335 26 53 3 Lost 21–28 on 11/19/2016
Northern Iowa .415 19 27 1 Won 28–25 on 10/8/2016
South Dakota State .496 52 53 7 Lost 28–3
Southern Illinois .333 1 2 – Lost 28–35 11/5/2016
Western Illinois .286 2 5 – Lost 34–35 10/29/2016
Youngstown State .000 0 5 – Lost 20–30 on 10/1/2016

Notable former players

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Notable alumni include:

Future non-conference opponents

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Announced schedules as of January 7, 2025.[4]

2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
at Iowa State at Northern Colorado at Kansas State at McNeese Idaho at Iowa State
at Lamar Eastern Washington McNeese Portland State
Northern Colorado at Boise State at Eastern Washington at Idaho
Drake

References

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  1. ^ University of South Dakota Graphic Standards and Editorial Guide. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  2. ^ "2023 Media Supplement (PDF)" (PDF). University of South Dakota Athletics. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  3. ^ "South Dakota Historical Data (Football)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  4. ^ "South Dakota Coyotes Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
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