University of North Dakota Athletics

The 2023 season will be the 10th for head coach Bubba Schweigert. It will mark the fourth season for the Fighting Hawks as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

For the third time in the last four seasons, North Dakota made the FCS playoffs in 2022 and finished the year with a 7-5 record and a 5-3 standing in the MVFC to finish third in the conference. With his coaching, North Dakota won four of its five games decided by seven points or fewer during the season, with the only loss during that stretch coming in a 38-31 loss at No. 9 Weber State in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs. All of UND’s FCS losses came to teams ranked in at least one of the two major top-25 polls at the time, with two of those squads playing for the national championship. The Fighting Hawks were frequent members of the Stats Perform Top-25 Poll throughout the season and ended the year ranked No. 20 nationally.

Eight Hawks garnered All-MVFC accolades in 2022, with two players also being selected as members of the MVFC All-Newcomer Team. Academically, North Dakota shined in the classroom with a league-leading 10 student-athletes making the MVFC All-Academic Team and 12 Fighting Hawks earning NFF Hampshire Honor Society status.

Facing the quickest turnaround in program history, Schweigert navigated through an up-and-down second campaign in the MVFC to finish with a 5-6 record and 3-5 mark in conference play to sit just outside the playoff picture in 2021. Overall, UND lost five of its six games by single digits, becoming the first team in program history to do so, and either had the lead or had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter of all 11 games this season. 

UND still saw six players earn all-conference honors, headlined by offensive tackle Matt Waletzko. The senior was named an All-American by five-different publications, becoming the first offensive lineman in the program's Division I era to earn that honor. Waletzko was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (155th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Off the field, it was another banner year for the green and white. Eight Fighting Hawks earned a selection to the MVFC All-Academic Team, tying for the most in the league. The program also finished with a GPA over 3.0 once again and saw 17 players get named to the Dean's and President's Lists. 

Despite a global pandemic and playing in the spring season, the 2020-21 campaign was a magical run for the Fighting Hawks with a 5-2 record. UND advanced to the FCS quarterfinals for the first time in program history, knocking off No. 12 Missouri State at the Alerus Center. The Hawks also became the first program in MVFC history to claim the conference title in their first year as a member to earn the 27th conference crown in program history. 

North Dakota climbed the polls as well, reaching as high as No. 2 for the first time since moving to Division I after starting the season 4-0 with three of those wins coming against ranked opponents. UND defeated four ranked opponents for the first time in the DI era, all coming at home and all by double digits. 

Redshirt sophomore running back Otis Weah earned All-America honors with five-different publications, freshman wide receiver Bo Belquist was selected as an FCS Freshman All-American and senior offensive lineman was an AP All-America choice. Nine-different Hawks earned All-MVFC honors, three were selected for the MVFC All-Newcomer Team, six were MVFC All-Academic selections and a trio were runners-up for major awards in the conference. 

Off the field, UND kept the bar high with another pair of semesters over the 3.0 mark for GPA and Jake Rastas earned a NFF Hampshire Honor Society selection. Team captain Hunter Pinke was honored nationally with the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award, an award presented to student-athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics.

UND returned to its winning ways in 2019, reaching the FCS playoffs for the second time in four seasons with a 7-4 mark as a FCS Independent. The Hawks finished the home portion of the schedule with a perfect 6-0 mark and picked up wins over three ranked opponents. Against one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, UND battled seven ranked foes in 12 weeks and became one of only 25 FCS programs to reach the playoffs twice in the last four seasons. 

Senior linebacker Donnell Rodgers became only the seventh linebacker in program history to receive multiple All-America selections by different publications in the same season since it began being tracked in 1930. Freshman defensive back CJ Siegel was named as an FCS Freshman All-American by Phil Steele while senior defensive end Mason Bennett earned AP All-America honors as well. Bennett also became only the fourth player in program history to be selected in the first round of the Canadian Football League (CFL) Draft, being selected eighth by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 

Off the field, the Fighting Hawks put up another strong season in the classroom, breaking the program's GPA mark for a semester and eclipsing the 3.0 mark as a team once again. Three players were also named to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, a place UND has been represented every year since joining Division I in 2008. 

2018 was a bit of a roller coaster ride for Schweigert and the Fighting Hawks, finishing with their third winning season in the last five years (6-5) but coming up just short in reaching the FCS playoffs. The highs saw UND defeat No. 5 Sam Houston State, 24-23, to snap the FCS’ longest-running home winning streak, erupt for 34 first-half points in a 44-14 drubbing over No. 22 Montana, racking up 480 yards on the ground in a 41-15 win at Sacramento State, and battling No. 9 Washington in Seattle. However, three losses over the final four games of the season left the Hawks at 6-5 and one of the first four teams left out of the playoff picture. 

Linebacker Noah Larson was named a Jerry Rice Award finalist for his efforts, defensive end Mason Bennett was named to the HERO Sports All-America Third Team entering 2019, and wide receiver Noah Wanzek was named one of the top pass catchers in the country entering 2019 by HERO Sports. 

Injuries took their toll on the roster and derailed a promising 2017 season that had UND pegged to repeat as Big Sky Champions but ended in a 3-8 campaign. All was not lost, however, as the Fighting Hawks did post their first shutout during Schweigert’s tenure with a 38-0 blanking of future MVFC foe Missouri State and recorded league wins against Northern Colorado and on the road at Portland State.  

Junior running back John Santiago claimed All-America honors for the third consecutive season and was joined by four other Fighting Hawks in garnering All-Big Sky accolades. The Fighting Hawks also continued their success in the classroom, matching a program record by having 18 student-athletes named to the Big Sky All-Academic team.

Schweigert developed a nice pattern through his first three seasons as the head coach at North Dakota. Each year his squad produced more positive results than the previous one and 2016 was no exception as he was named the Big Sky and FCS Region 5 Coach of the Year. 

The Fighting Hawks shared the Big Sky Conference regular season title with Eastern Washington, reeled off a 9-game winning streak and earned the No. 7 overall seed in the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs in 2016. 

After losing the first two games of the season by a combined four points, a double-overtime victory against South Dakota launched UND into Big Sky play where the Fighting Hawks ran the table. There were tight games and lopsided games, but his team always found a way to come out on top in league play and give UND its first undefeated conference record since Dale Lennon’s 2003 squad went 7-0 in North Central Conference play.

The defense was once again the top-rated run defense in the league and sixth in the FCS. The unit was also tops in the Big Sky with 20 interceptions and tied for second nationally, trailing only national champion James Madison in that category.

Four Fighting Hawks earned All-America accolades, including safety Cole Reyes, who landed on six different All-America squads. The junior captain was also named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. Reyes was one of 15 UND players to earn All-Big Sky honors on the field, while 18 set a program record by being named to the All-Big Sky Academic Team. Senior Brian Labat led those efforts in the classroom and also earned CoSIDA All-District 6 Team honors.

Schweigert wrapped up the 2015 season with what was the first three-game winning streak of his UND head-coaching tenure. Those three victories gave his second UND squad a 7-4 overall record and 5-3 mark in Big Sky play, which were both two-game improvements from his first season back in Grand Forks.

Schweigert’s defense led the Big Sky in rushing defense for the second straight season under his watch and the offense improved immensely thanks in large part to the record-breaking production of true freshman running back John Santiago.

After a 4-3 start that included the program’s first victory over an FBS opponent (24-13 win at Wyoming) and first DI victory over a ranked opponent on the road (19-17 win at No. 16 Portland State), the Fighting Hawks would go on to post the program’s first seven-win season since 2011.

Santiago was named the Co-Big Sky Freshman of the Year and collected All-America honors from the Associated Press and STATS, Inc. He was also a unanimous All-Big Sky first team performer and was joined on that team by senior linebacker Will Ratelle and offensive lineman Sean Meehan, who was also named to the AFCA All-America Team.

Eight more Fighting Hawks would garner all-league honors in 2015 as the defense once again ranked among the tops in the Big Sky, ranking first in rush defense and second in total defense.

In the classroom, 17 UND football players were named to the All-Big Sky Academic Team, breaking the previous year’s record by one.

In his first season back at UND, Schweigert’s 2014 squad won five games overall, which was a two-game improvement from the previous season. The campaign was highlighted by a 30-28 upset of No. 22 Northern Arizona in the final home game of the season at the Alerus Center.

UND took the positive vibes from a victory that knocked NAU out of the FCS playoff hunt to Greely, Colo., the next Saturday where the team closed out the season with its first Big Sky road win of the season -- a 33-14 defeat of Northern Colorado.

The defensive-minded head coach still works with the team’s cornerbacks and they were part of a unit that led the Big Sky in total defense and rush defense in 2014. Two newcomers earned All-Big Sky Conference honors (KR Alex Tillman and PK Reid Taubenheim) and seven more players were named honorable mention in Schweigert’s first season.

There were also 16 UND football players named to the All-Big Sky Academic team, which tied a program record for individuals honored in one season.

The Zeeland, N.D., native returned to Grand Forks after 10 years away from a program that he helped lead to the 2001 NCAA Division II national title as defensive coordinator.

Prior to his return to UND, Schweigert was the defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois for the previous six seasons (2008-13) and served as associate head coach for the last five of that stretch. His 2010 defense led the Missouri Valley in total defense and his unit finished in the top half of the league in four of his six campaigns at SIU.

In his six seasons at SIU, Schweigert coached three first team All-Americans and 20 all-conference selections (10 first team, six second team, four honorable mentions). His defensive standouts have included linebacker and 2012 graduate Jayson DiManche, currently playing for Cincinnati Bengals, and cornerback Korey Lindsey, a three-time All-American and a 2011 draft pick of the Bengals. In 2013, SIU linebacker Bryan Presume earned first team All-MVFC honors after ranking third in the league with 104 tackles. His 55 solo stops were tops in the conference.

Prior to arriving at SIU, Schweigert took on his first head coaching job at the collegiate level, leading the Division II program at Minnesota Duluth from 2004-07. He guided the Bulldogs to a 22-21 overall record during his tenure, including the program’s first North Central Conference title in 2005. The NCAA playoff berth that season was the program’s second in four seasons. That same season, Schweigert was also named the D2football.com Northwest Region Coach of the Year and the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year for Region 5.

This will be the second stint at UND for Schweigert. He spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach in Grand Forks (1989-2003) where he was part of eight NCAA playoff teams and six NCC title squads.

Schweigert was elevated to defensive coordinator at UND prior to the 1997 season and left for Duluth after the 2003 UND team finished as national runner-up. Schweigert was named the American Football Coaches Association Division II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.

In his seven seasons as UND’s defensive coordinator, Schweigert’s defensive players earned 14 All-America honors and 23 first-team All-NCC accolades. His 2001 defense yielded just 191.4 yards of offense and 50.3 rushing yards per game, while limiting opponents to 12.5 points per game on the way to the program’s first national championship.

Schweigert began his coaching career at his alma mater, now the University of Jamestown, from 1985-1988. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Jamestown and a master’s degree from UND. In 2002, he was honored with Jamestown’s Rollie Greeno Award for outstanding commitment in the field of education and coaching.

Schweigert and his wife, Laura, have two sons, Alex and Cooper.