South Dakota Coyotes football

South Dakota Coyotes football
South Dakota Coyotes football
	2024 South Dakota Coyotes football team
First season	1889
Athletic director	David Herbster
Head coach	Bob Nielson ; 8th season, 42–45 (.483)
Stadium	DakotaDome; (capacity: 9,100)
Location	Vermillion, South Dakota
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Missouri Valley
All-time record	524–500–36 (.511)
Playoff appearances	3 (2017, 2021, 2023)
Playoff record	2–3
Rivalries	North Dakota State; South Dakota State (rivalry); North Dakota (Sitting Bull Trophy)
Colors	Red and white;
Fight song	Hail, South Dakota!
Mascot	Charlie Coyote
Marching band	The Sound of USD
Website	goyotes.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) and are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. 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

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

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

The Coyotes have appeared in the FCS playoffs three times, with a combined record of 2–3.

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

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 alumni include:

Announced schedules as of August 11, 2024.^[3]

^ University of South Dakota Graphic Standards and Editorial Guide. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
^ "South Dakota Historical Data (Football)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
^ "South Dakota Coyotes Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved November 28, 2022.

v t e South Dakota Coyotes football
Venues	Darwin Inman Memorial Stadium (1926–1978) DakotaDome (1979–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Sitting Bull Trophy (North Dakota) South Dakota State
Culture & lore	"Hail, South Dakota!" Charlie Coyote Dakota Days
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1889 1890–1893 1894 1895–1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e Missouri Valley Football Conference
Teams	Illinois State Redbirds Indiana State Sycamores Missouri State Bears (leaving in 2025) Murray State Racers North Dakota Fighting Hawks North Dakota State Bison Northern Iowa Panthers South Dakota Coyotes South Dakota State Jackrabbits Southern Illinois Salukis Youngstown State Penguins
Championships & awards	All-time standings Conference champions
Seasons	1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024