List of North Dakota State Bison football seasons

North Dakota State Bison Logo

North Dakota State University first fielded a football team in 1894, among the first 70 universities in the nation to do so. The first game North Dakota State Farmers (until they adopted the Aggies mascot in 1902) played was against future rival, University of North Dakota Flickertails (until they adopted the Fighting Sioux mascot in 1930), North Dakota State won the game 20–4.

North Dakota State officially joined the North Central Conference in 1922 as a founding member. They stayed a member of this conference until 2004 when they moved to Division I (FCS).

The Bison have amassed a 774–378–34 (.667) record since 1894 and have won 17 National Championships, 9 as a member of Division I FCS, and 8 as a member of Division II. NDSU has won 35 Conference Championships, and only have 3 losing seasons since 1964. They have won 9 out of the last 12 FCS National Championships, the most in FCS history.

North Dakota State has won more games than any other FCS school founded after 1876.

Eddie Cochems, known as the 'father of the forward pass', coached North Dakota State from 1902 to 1903, leading them to a 9–1 record and outscoring their opponents 499–49 in two seasons. It is said he experimented with the forward pass at NDSU, but it was not officially legal until 1906.

Seasons

Year	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	Coaches#	AP°
Henry Luke Bolley (Independent) (1894–1899)
1894	North Dakota Agricultural	2–0
1895	North Dakota Agricultural	1–1
1896	North Dakota Agricultural	3–1–1
1897	North Dakota Agricultural	0–3
1898	North Dakota Agricultural	1–2
1899	North Dakota Agricultural	0–1
Jack Harrison (Independent) (1900–1901)
1900	North Dakota Agricultural	8–1–1
1901	North Dakota Agricultural	7–0
Eddie Cochems (Independent) (1902–1903)
1902	North Dakota Agricultural	4–0
1903	North Dakota Agricultural	5–1
A. L. Marshall (Independent) (1904–1905)
1904	North Dakota Agricultural	3–3
1905	North Dakota Agricultural	1–4–1
Gil Dobie (Independent) (1906–1907)
1906	North Dakota Agricultural	5–0
1907	North Dakota Agricultural	3–0
Paul Magoffin (Independent) (1908)
1908	North Dakota Agricultural	2–3
Arthur Rueber (Independent) (1909–1912)
1909	North Dakota Agricultural	2–2–1
1910	North Dakota Agricultural	2–3
1911	North Dakota Agricultural	3–1
1912	North Dakota Agricultural	5–1
Howard Wood (Independent) (1913–1914)
1913	North Dakota Agricultural	0–2–2
1914	North Dakota Agricultural	5–3
Paul J. Davis (Independent) (1915–1917)
1915	North Dakota Agricultural	3–3
1916	North Dakota Agricultural	3–2–1
1917	North Dakota Agricultural	4–2
Stanley Borleske (Independent) (1919–1921)
1919	North Dakota Agricultural	5–1–1
1920	North Dakota Agricultural	2–3–1
1921	North Dakota Agricultural	3–3–1
Joe Cutting (North Central Conference) (1922)
1922	North Dakota Agricultural	6–2	1–2	5th
Stanley Borleske (North Central Conference) (1923–1924)
1923	North Dakota Agricultural	2–4–1	1–3	7th
1924	North Dakota Agricultural	5–3	3–3	4th
Ion Cortright (North Central Conference) (1925–1927)
1925	North Dakota Agricultural	5–0–2	4–0–2	T–1st
1926	North Dakota Agricultural	5–3	2–3	6th
1927	North Dakota Agricultural	3–5	1–3	5th
Casey Finnegan (North Central Conference) (1928–1940)
1928	North Dakota Agricultural	3–4–1	1–3	T–3rd
1929	North Dakota Agricultural	4–3–2	1–1–2	3rd
1930	North Dakota Agricultural	7–2	3–1	2nd
1931	North Dakota Agricultural	5–5	2–2	T–2nd
1932	North Dakota Agricultural	7–2	4–0	1st
1933	North Dakota Agricultural	3–2–4	2–1–1	2nd
1934	North Dakota Agricultural	5–3–2	2–1–1	T–2nd
1935	North Dakota Agricultural	7–1–1	4–0–1	T–1st
1936	North Dakota Agricultural	4–5	2–2	3rd
1937	North Dakota Agricultural	5–4	2–2	T–2nd
1938	North Dakota Agricultural	5–4	3–1	T–2nd
1939	North Dakota Agricultural	1–6–1	0–5	7th
1940	North Dakota Agricultural	1–8	0–5	7th
Stan Kostka (North Central Conference) (1941)
1941	North Dakota Agricultural	2–7	2–4	5th
Robert A. Lowe (North Central Conference) (1942–1945)
1942	North Dakota Agricultural	2–5–1	2–3	T–5th
1945	North Dakota Agricultural	1–4–1	N/A	N/A
Stan Kostka (North Central Conference) (1946–1947)
1946	North Dakota Agricultural	5–3	4–1	2nd
1947	North Dakota State	1–7	0–5	7th
Howard Bliss (North Central Conference) (1948–1949)
1948	North Dakota State	3–7	2–4	T–4th
1949	North Dakota State	0–9	0–6	7th
Mac Wenskunas (North Central Conference) (1950–1953)
1950	North Dakota State	2–7	0–6	7th
1951	North Dakota State	1–5–1	1–4–1	6th
1952	North Dakota State	5–4	4–2	2nd
1953	North Dakota State	3–5	2–4	T–4th
Del Anderson (North Central Conference) (1954–1955)
1954	North Dakota State	1–7–1	1–4–1	6th
1955	North Dakota State	0–9	0–6	7th
Les Luymes (North Central Conference) (1956)
1956	North Dakota State	5–4	3–3	T–4th
Bob Danielson (North Central Conference) (1957–1962)
1957	North Dakota State	0–8	0–5	T–6th
1958	North Dakota State	3–6	2–4	6th
1959	North Dakota State	4–4–1	3–2–1	T–2nd
1960	North Dakota State	3–5–1	2–3–1	T–4th
1961	North Dakota State	3–6	1–5	6th
1962	North Dakota State	0–10	0–6	7th
Darrell Mudra (North Central Conference) (1963–1965)
1963	North Dakota State	3–5	3–3	4th
1964	North Dakota State	10–1	5–1	T–1st	W Mineral Water	10
1965	North Dakota State	11–0	6–0	1st	W Pecan	1	1
Ron Erhardt (North Central Conference) (1966–1972)
1966	North Dakota State	8–2	5–1	T–1st		8	9
1967	North Dakota State	9–1	6–0	1st	L Pecan	2	2
1968	North Dakota State	10–0	6–0	1st	W Pecan	2	1
1969	North Dakota State	10–0	6–0	1st	W Camellia	1	1
1970	North Dakota State	9–0–1	6–0	1st	W Camellia	4	3
1971	North Dakota State	7–2	4–2	T–2nd
1972	North Dakota State	8–2	6–1	T–1st
Ev Kjelbertson (North Central Conference) (1973–1975)
1973	North Dakota State	8–2	6–1	T–1st			14
1974	North Dakota State	7–4	5–2	T–1st
1975	North Dakota State	2–7	1–6	T–7th
Jim Wacker (North Central Conference) (1976–1978)
1976	North Dakota State	9–3	6–0	1st	L NCAA Division II Semifinal		T–10
1977	North Dakota State	9–2–1	6–0–1	1st	L NCAA Division II Semifinal		1
1978	North Dakota State	6–4	3–3	T–3rd
Don Morton (North Central Conference) (1979–1984)
1979	North Dakota State	6–4	4–2	T–2nd
1980	North Dakota State	6–4	5–2	T–2nd
1981	North Dakota State	10–3	7–0	1st	L NCAA Division II Championship		6
1982	North Dakota State	12–1	7–0	1st	L NCAA Division II Semifinal		2
1983	North Dakota State	12–1	8–1	T–1st	W NCAA Division II Championship		5
1984	North Dakota State	11–2	8–1	T–1st	L NCAA Division II Championship		1
Earle Solomonson (North Central Conference) (1985–1986)
1985	North Dakota State	11–2–1	7–1–1	1st	W NCAA Division II Championship		7
1986	North Dakota State	13–0	9–0	1st	W NCAA Division II Championship		1
Rocky Hager (North Central Conference) (1987–1996)
1987	North Dakota State	6–4	6–3	T–2nd
1988	North Dakota State	14–0	9–0	1st	W NCAA Division II Championship		1
1989	North Dakota State	8–3–1	6–2–1	T–2nd	L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal		17
1990	North Dakota State	14–0	9–0	1st	W NCAA Division II Championship		1
1991	North Dakota State	7–3	7–1	1st	L NCAA Division II First Round		7
1992	North Dakota State	10–2	8–1	1st	L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal		2
1993	North Dakota State	7–3	6–3	T–3rd			T–20
1994	North Dakota State	9–3	7–2	T–1st	L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal		12
1995	North Dakota State	10–3	7–2	T–2nd	L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal		13
1996	North Dakota State	6–4	5–4	5th
Bob Babich (North Central Conference) (1997–2002)
1997	North Dakota State	9–3	7–2	T–2nd	L NCAA Division II First Round		16
1998	North Dakota State	7–4	6–3	4th
1999	North Dakota State	9–2	7–2	3rd			13
2000	North Dakota State	12–2	8–1	2nd	L NCAA Division II Semifinal		3
2001	North Dakota State	7–3	5–3	3rd		22
2002	North Dakota State	2–8	1–7	9th
Craig Bohl (North Central Conference) (2003)
2003	North Dakota State	8–3	5–2	T–2nd		23	10
Craig Bohl (Great West Conference) (2004–2007)
2004	North Dakota State	8–3	2–3	3rd	Ineligible	23	23
2005	North Dakota State	7–4	3–2	3rd	Ineligible
2006	North Dakota State	10–1	4–0	1st	Ineligible	5	5
2007	North Dakota State	10–1	3–1	2nd	Ineligible	9	9
Craig Bohl (Missouri Valley Football Conference) (2008–2013)
2008	North Dakota State	6–5	4–4	T–4th
2009	North Dakota State	3–8	2–6	7th
2010	North Dakota State	9–5	4–4	T–3rd	L NCAA Division I FCS Quarterfinal	9	9
2011	North Dakota State	14–1	7–1	T–1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
2012	North Dakota State	14–1	7–1	1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
2013	North Dakota State	15–0	8–0	1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
Chris Klieman (Missouri Valley Football Conference) (2014–2018)
2014	North Dakota State	15–1	7–1	T–1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
2015	North Dakota State	13–2	7–1	T–1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
2016	North Dakota State	12–2	7–1	T–1st	L NCAA Division I FCS Semifinal	3	3
2017	North Dakota State	14–1	7–1	1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
2018	North Dakota State	15–0	8–0	1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
Matt Entz (Missouri Valley Football Conference) (2019–present)
2019	North Dakota State	16–0	8–0	1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
2020	North Dakota State	7–3	5–2	4th	L NCAA Division I FCS Quarterfinal	6	7
2021	North Dakota State	14–1	7–1	1st	W NCAA Division I FCS Championship	1	1
2022	North Dakota State	12–3	7–1	2nd	L NCAA Division I FCS Championship	2	2
2023	North Dakota State	11–4	5-3	4th	L NCAA Division I FCS Semifinal	3	3
Total:		785–382–34
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
†Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll.

Postseason facts

Years in Postseason: 36
DII Post-Season Record: 35-13 (.729)
DI Post-Season Record: 44-4 (.917)
OVERALL PLAYOFF RECORD: 79-17 (.823)

Championships

National Championships: 17 (1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2011–2015, 2017–2019, 2021)
National Runner-Up: 4 (1967, 1981, 1984, 2022)
National 3rd Place: 6 (1970, 1976, 1977, 1982, 2000, 2016)

• Championships and placings prior to 1973 were determined by AP or UPI polls. Championships and runner-up finishes after that were through the NCAA playoff format. Third-place finishes after 1973 were the result of semifinal losses in the playoff system.