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ATHLETICS
Formerly a NCAA Division II institution, North Dakota State's intercollegiate sports teams now participate in NCAA Division I in all sports (I-AA in Football) and as Division I Independents in most sports. The Bison Football program competes in the Great West Football Conference and the soccer program will compete in the United Soccer Conference in 2006. Negotiations with the Big Sky and Mid-Continent conferences have been ongoing, but neither conference has opted to add NDSU to their roster as of December 2005. In January 2007, the Bison Basketball team will play in the United Basketball Conference , a Scheduling Alliance of Division I indepenents. The Bison will play in the United Basketball Conference until they are added to an established conference. CHAMPIONSHIPS The Bison Football team, which plays their home games at the Fargodome , was a dominant force in Division II. They won national titles on five separate occasions (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990) before moving to Division I-AA in 2004. The Bison Basketball program includes a men's and a women's team. The teams play at the Bison Sports Arena . The women's basketball team was known as a dominant force in Division II throughout the 1990's. They won five titles during the decade (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996). The men's basketball team won an upset victory over the University Of Wisconsin on January 21, 2006, potentially increasing the chances of being accepted into a conference. The wrestling program has also had a fair share of success, winning three Division II team titles (1988, 2000, 2001). RIVALRY NDSU is known for its intense athletic rivalry with the Fighting Sioux of the University Of North Dakota (which is located Grand Forks, North Dakota ). In the past, the football teams of the two schools would compete for the "Nickle Trophy" - an oversized replica of an "Indian Head Nickel". The front of the trophy has a Native American representing the UND Sioux team and the obverse has an American bison representing the NDSU team. The oversized coin is dated 1889, the year North Dakota gained statehood. However, with NDSU's move to Division I athletics and UND's decision to stay in Division II for the time being, the athletic rivalry between the two campuses is at a standstill. Bison fans have begun to regard South Dakota State University , another Division I school and an opponent for over a century, as a new major rival for NDSU. The two schools now compete for the Dakota Marker Trophy - a replica of the original stone border markers between North Dakota and South Dakota . EXTERNAL LINKS |
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