Bison Illustrated Spring 2022

SPRING 2022

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CONTENTS

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COVER STORY 16

PRIDE OF THE PRAIRIE

SPRING 2022

36

RECURRING

44

8 Editors Note 58 Swany Says 62 Team Makers

18 Kasey Morlock 24 Jerry Gores 30 Tamara Sather 32 Troy Stockstad 34 Darrell Olson 36 Chuck Erickson 42 Pro Bison

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FROM BRADY DRAKE

Where are they now?

A

As fans, we often forget that the athletic pursuits of our favorite athletes are just a part of their lives; influential and significant, but not the entirety.

These athletes are also brothers, sisters, parents, children, partners, community members, artists, musicians, mathematicians—the list could go on and on. But we don’t often think of their lives outside of what we

FROM THE EDITOR

see as spectators as we’re watching them perform for our entertainment.

Luckily, at NDSU, the athletes who walk through the halls are set up for success long after their days on the green and gold team are over. The institution’s strong academic programs and the seemingly inescapable culture of grit and determination breeds success.

Don’t believe me? Let’s meet some former Bison who have lived extraordinary and impactful lives after leaving NDSU.

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SPRING 2022 | VOLUME 17 ISSUE 2 Bison Illustrated is a free publication distributed monthly (4 times a year).

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They bring us such joy. The buzzer-beaters, home runs, long touchdowns and conference and national championship victories never cease to put a smile on the faces of the Bison faithful.

By Brady Drake

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However, every single athlete that dawns the green and gold will move on after their collegiate careers are done. In this issue, we check in with a few NDSU legends to learn more about what their lives have looked like since leaving campus.

Women’s Basketball

At North Dakota State, Kasey Morlock was a legend. She was a Division II Collegiate Women Athlete of the Year, an All-American, a Player of the Year, a three-time NCAA National Championship All-Tourney team member, a twotime All-Tourney MVP, a threetime national champion and NDSU's all-time leading scorer with 2,233 points.

Since Kasey’s graduation, she has become an engineer, mom, coach, teacher and wife.

lthough she said goodbye to her collegiate basketball career, it wasn’t goodbye to her athletic career altogether.

Morlock spent a season playing volleyball for the Bison as well, hitting .306 in limited action for a Bison team that finished third in NCAA regionals and ranked 11th nationally.

From there, the former star center would graduate with a degree in Electrical Engineering and go on to work for IBM in Rochester, M.N. Shortly after beginning her professional career, Morlock married her husband Garth Tschetter, whom she met through a shared major at NDSU. Morlock worked for over a decade at IBM until retiring when her youngest son was born in 2009.

However, it's not as if the mom, coach and substitute teacher ever slowed down.

China Shortly after leaving North Dakota State, Morlock began

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Years: 1994-1998

coaching as an assistant to her mother, who was the girls’ head varsity coach in Stewartville, M.N. She helped in that role for four years before taking time off with the birth of her second son, Henry. She picked up the clipboard and whistle again in 2008 to coach 8th-grade boys.

Then, she moved to China.

For two years, Morlock and her family lived in Beijing, China to be closer to Garth who also worked for IBM and often had to travel there for work. Although her oldest son was in 4th-grade and her youngest was three-yearsold at the time, the experience of living abroad had a permanent impact on the young family.

“It was an eye-opening experience for them,” Morlock said. “I think because of that, they really love travel. They’re also very aware of environmental issues because of what they experienced living in Beijing.”

During her time abroad, Morlock expanded her horizons as well, coaching a level of basketball she wasn’t quite accustomed to.

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“While I was in China, I helped coach a 7th-grade girls basketball team,” Morlock said. “It was a really interesting experience and a really interesting level of basketball. In America, most girls start playing around the 3rd-grade, some start sooner. However, this was the first time playing for these 7th-grade girls. During the first day of practice, I tried running the Mikan drill and then I realized we didn’t even know how to dribble. It really was a good experience in showing me the importance of sports.”

Coaching Upon returning to the U.S., Morlock continued to coach, transitioning to a role with the 9th-grade boys squad in Stewartville—a position she spent seven years s at, only leaving to spend one year coaching JV boys before returning to the freshman squad and eventually stepping aside in 2021.

But she hasn’t really stepped aside, you can find Morlock coaching her youngest son’s 7th-grade travel team.

“This is the first year in probably over 20 years that I haven’t coached in the school,” Morlock said. “I’ve been coaching for a long time. I don’t miss the time commitment. But I’ve never coached my youngest, so it’s been fun to coach him. And we’ve actually gotten along! That’s not always the case when you coach your own kids, so it has been good!”

She also helps substitute teach at schools in the area, which helps feed her passion for bettering the youth.

“It’s so important,” Morlock said.

“When I think back to North Dakota State, where we were obviously ultrasuccessful, I don’t think I could tell you

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hardly anything about the three national championship games we played in. But I could tell you a lot about all of the speeches coach gave and the memories I made with my teammates during practices and bus rides and all of the off-the-court stuff.

That’s important for these young kids to have as well.”

The Farm Aside from the brief stint in China, the Morlock/Tschetter clan has spent nearly their entire time as a family

living on a farm owned by Morlock’s parents since the early 90’s.

“Back in 2003, the people that were renting the farmhouse were moving out and we decided to move in and we’ve been there ever since (aside from the stint in China).”

The farm is small, a little over 160 acres, and the growing and cattle raising operations are small as well. However, the impact it has had on Morlock’s family has been anything but.

a sub above

“It has been a great place for my three boys to grow up,” Morlock said. “There’s lots of room for them to play. We live right along the river and two out of the three of my kids love to fish.”

However, there are also a lot of chores to do around the farm.

Morlock’s father does the majority of the crop management while her husband handles a lot of the day-to-day chores, and Morlock takes care of the work during calving season.

“Sometimes I wish we had a little lawn that took a half-hour to mow,” Morlock said. “But we love it here.”

And of course, the property wouldn’t be complete without its own basketball court that the family of athletes has utilized for years.

“It’s our activity,” Morlock said.

“I’m horrible now, I mostly just rebound, but we also play a lot of two-on-two. Over the years, I played one-on-one with all of

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them until I couldn’t beat any of them.”

In addition to the produce and cattle, the family also raises pigs for themselves and to sell to friends and family.

“We have a huge garden, which I love,” Morlock said.

“We used to have chickens until our dog killed them. It’s more of a hobby farm for us and a real farm for my dad, but he’s 77. So, he starting to hand over the operation.”

The Family

When asked what she’s most proud of from her postplaying days, Morlock will tell you without hesitation that she is most proud of her family. Alongside her husband, the two have raised three children: Will (19), Henry (16) and Pete (13). And all of them have developed a deep love of sport like their mother. Will is currently a freshman on the Michigan Wolverines basketball team.

“Basketball seems to be a big one for all of my boys,” Morlock said. “But they also love golf and track and there are a handful of other things mixed in as well. The experience in China really

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sparked a love of travel for them. We also have a cabin in the Park Rapids area and we love to be outside fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding and all of that type of stuff.”

The entire family developed a passion for traveling during their time in China and explored it through trips to places like Bali, Thailand and Vietnam during their two-year stay.

“It was really great to see all of the different cultures,” Morlock said. “Vietnam was probably my favorite place to go because we had the chance to learn about the American War. Growing up, it was always talked about here as the Vietnam War.” Nowadays, the Morlock/ Tschetter clan is the same as most active families. Free time on the farm is spent doing chores and playing pick-up games. Nights and weekends are spent watching their middle and youngest sons play on the hardwood in Stewartville, M.N., while they tune in to watch their oldest son’s team play for conference titles in the Big Ten. And every once in a while, the entire family of five comes together for some friendly competition on the backyard court.

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Women’s Cross Country and Women’s Track & Field Years: 1987-1999

While coaching runners at North Dakota State for over a decade, Jerry Gores left a lasting mark on the program and hundreds of athletes. Since leaving the profession, he has continued to make an impact wherever he goes.

rior to coming to NDSU, Gores spent time coaching at both Northern Arizona and then Minot State. Once he reached NDSU, there was a lot of work to do and not a lot of time.

“I got the job in August, two weeks before school, to coach cross country,” Gores said. “I had never coached cross country.

But it ended up being a good thing. Because I had a lot to learn, I asked the upperclassmen to come in and talk to me about what they did and didn’t like. From there, we started a program based around culture.”

That culture revolved largely around leadership and communication. Gores would have meetings every Monday with the leadership team. He would also send out a consistent newsletter with meet schedules and updates on PRs (personal records). Gores also attributes a lot of success to the “Little Sister”

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program he set up where each freshman who came in was given a big sister, someone to turn to for advice as well as a person to make sure they were doing the things they were supposed to be doing.

When it came to the training aspect of things, Gores relied heavily on “working from the top down”. Meaning, rather simply recruiting and trying to build those athletes into the best that they could be—make no mistake, this was part of the process as well—he also did careful research to determine what marks his athletes needed to hit and then worked from there.

“I’m very analytical, so we broke down all of the events in the conference over the last five years and calculated the averages for first place, second place and third place,” Gores said. “That helped me figure out the types of athletes I needed to recruit to the program in order

to compete. It also helped me in planning our practices. I was able to base all of our workouts off of those times that we’d calculate.”

Whatever the methods, no one can argue with the

Those goals led Gores to develop some pretty intense workouts, but he also was ahead of his time in making sure that his teams prioritized recovery as well.

“I really liked being a motivator and watching those kids develop both academically, emotionally and competitively,” Gores said. “The other thing I felt really good about was the way I treated my athletes.

I coached these women as athletes because they were athletes. I didn’t separate men and women. I coached them as athletes and I respected them as athletes.”

“You have to do the body justice during the recovery process, and a lot of people didn’t do that back in the old days,” Gores said. “We did a lot of pool workouts, ice baths and tried to make sure the kids had enough time to recover.”

results. Jerry Gores is one of the best to ever do it in his profession.

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Post NDSU However, like all good things, Gores’ tenure with NDSU came to an end.

“Eventually, I wanted to get out of the coaching lifestyle,” Gores said. “It can be a lot, working long hours seven days a week. I also wanted to be a dad and it can be hard to do that with a schedule like that.”

When Gores did leave, he did so in a fashion that is uncommon in American sports—when

he was on his way to the top. Gores wound up leaving the best team he had ever coached, a crew that finished 4th at the NCAA Division II National Indoor Championships comprised of mostly freshman and sophomores. In 2001, many of those same athletes played a pivotal role in securing the 2001 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championship.

“I really wanted to leave the program in a good place,” Gores said. “That was important to me.”

Upon leaving, Gores wasted no time, finding his new career as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Ely Lilly a week after his final indoor meet.

“It was scary,” Gores said. “The hardest thing was saying goodbye that last day of practice.

Some of the kids were mad. Some kids were happy for me but sad for themselves. Some were just happy to get rid of me, but it was very emotional for me.”

While Gores may have been done coaching for the time being, he wasn’t done utilizing his skills as a recruiter. “I may have been a better recruiter than a coach,” Gores said.

In his new role, those skills came in handy.

“When you’re recruiting, you really need to recruit the whole family because you don’t know who is really going to make the

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decision. It could be the mom, the dad, the athlete or the little brother,” Gores said. “I tried to utilize the same mindset in sales.

I didn’t know if the receptionist, the nurse, the physician, or somebody else was going to have input on buying from me or not.

So, I tried to treat them all as the customer.”

Those “recruiting” skills helped Gores achieve similar heights to what he did at NDSU during his 17 years at Eli Lily. He was even named National Sales Representative of the Year in 2005.

However, Gores didn’t stay away from coaching for long. Upon leaving Eli Lilly he founded Jerry Gores Speed and Agility program, originally, in order to work with his two sons and their friends.

Not surprisingly, the program was a success and Gores ended up working with hundreds of athletes throughout the area.

Now 67, Gores is back, beginning a new sales role in the pharmaceutical industry with Novartis and currently, Gores lives with his wife of

over 21 years, Gail, who has been teaching in the nursing department at NDSU for the last 10 years.. He has two sons, John and Grant and one stepson, Max Erdle. Currently, John is preparing for his first season in North Dakota State’s football program, Grant is a youth hockey coach with the Fargo Angles and a sophomore at NDSU majoring in Management Information Systems and Max is the Owner of Home Escapes Remodeling.

Women’s Track and Field Years: 1987-1990

Tamara Gilmore Sather was a leader at North Dakota State, she then took those same leadership skills to the classrooms of Eden Prairie where she has taught social studies since the mid ‘90s.

t North Dakota State, Sather (whose last name was Gilmore at the time) built on a celebrated prep career in which she finished third in the 100-meter dash and fifth in the 200 at the 1986 Minnesota state meet. With the Bison, Sather captured conference crowns in the indoor 55-meter dash and three outdoor 400-meter relays all while earning the respect of her fellow teammates to be named captain.

After Sather was done running in 1991, she stayed on with the team as a student coach, getting a taste for her future career of molding young minds.

Post NDSU After graduating, Sather went on to begin her teaching career at Eden Prairie’s Central Middle School in 1992. She taught social studies for 10 years while coaching both track & field and Nordic skiing. Soon after marrying her husband Scott and giving berth to twins, Sather took a four-year sabbatical from teaching. Today, she teaches high school social studies. She and Scott have been

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married for 22 years.

But that’s not the only thing she has done.

In addition to coaching track & field and Nordic skiing, Sather has also coached soccer and cross country, spending time coaching in Eastern Carver County, Eden Prairie, Chanhassen and Jefferson High School.

“I just want to instill the love of sport in my athletes,” Sather said.

“I want to leave them with the confidence to do something long after the season is over. Maybe you won’t be sprinting around a track for the rest of your life, but maybe you develop a love of running and make it a part of your life. Nordic skiing is a lifelong sport as well, it doesn’t have to be done competitively. I try to coach all levels of kids. I want to coach the kid that’s out there just for the social aspect as well as those that really aspire to compete in their sport at higher levels.”

Personally, Sather has found time for a passion or two as well.

She still Nordic skis and runs. Only now, she runs much further. A sprinter in high school, Sather has developed into quite the distance runner, competing at a high

level in 5Ks and completing six marathons—she even did well enough to qualify and run in the Boston Marathon!

Sather lives with her husband Scott, together raising three children—Anika (19), Eric (19) and Lily (16).

What other passions do you have?

I’ve been to the Boundary Waters 20 times. I like hiking in the woods every single day, I like being outdoors. I like reading, but I can’t sit still and read a book, so now I’m into audiobooks. I’m always listening to a book or good music. I love going to concerts, too. I’ve also picked up swimming and swim in the summers. I like to play with my dog, I like fishing and I hunt as well.

We also really like to travel and my husband is a pilot for Delta so that makes it a lot easier.

How would you describe your coaching style?

where the kids are running a 40-yard dash and they fall down. That’s when I’ll tell them, “Hey, you know what that means? You are running so fast that your legs couldn’t keep up with you because you haven’t been sprinting like this.” I just try to encourage them and show them that being human is okay.

I also learned from my high school and college coach that it’s really important to get to know a kid and know how to push their buttons in a good way. You need to know who you have to have tender gloves with and who you need to help push. I try to get to know them by just talking with them and watching them.

Do you think you’ll ever stop coaching?

Maybe. What would stop me is if I retire and I’m traveling so I’m not here. I won’t coach if I can’t commit to a full season.

Although, I don’t ever want to leave in the winter because of the skiing.

I try to encourage at every level.

For example, during the first day, there may be an instance

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Football Years: 1986-1989

At North Dakota State, Troy Stockstad was a defensive back for three years before leading the team in receptions in his final season.

His transition to post athletic life has been equally successful.

fter graduating from NDSU in 1989, Stockstad went to graduate school at the University of Hawaii until May 1991, earning a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering. From there, Stockstad started his career as an analog integrated circuit design engineer at Motorola in Tempe, AZ. During seven years at Motorola, Stockstad earned his Ph.D. from Arizona State University, taking classes parttime and graduated in 1998.

Since leaving Motorola, Stockstad worked for a power amplifier company called RFMD, and a couple of startup companies, the second of which was acquired by Qualcomm 15 years ago and he has been at Qualcomm ever since.

Stockstad married another engineer from Motorola in 1995 named Lisa, and they have three children: Sonja (21), Luke (18) and Cole (16).

What are you currently doing?

I lead a team of design engineers working on power management products for Qualcomm,

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which is known for mobile communications products. Our designs are in the vast majority of cell phones on the market. More recently, we have been branching out into other markets also, like computing, IoT, and automotive.

It’s a satisfying feeling knowing that the majority of cell phones in use today have components in them that I have contributed to.

What are some valuable things you’ve learned along the way?

Always continue to learn and grow through your career.

Embrace the uncertainty of trying something you have not done before, it keeps work fresh and interesting.

What gives you purpose?

I really enjoy problem-solving.

This is the essence of engineering, in my opinion. I get a lot of satisfaction from finding the root cause of a tough problem and coming up with creative solutions.

I also enjoy helping other engineers I am working with to meet their goals, and learning from them as well.

Troy with his sons Luke and Cole What are some hobbies you’ve picked up along the way?

I used to play a lot of basketball, up until the pandemic hit. Since then, I have ramped up my mountain biking (there’s lots of great biking around Phoenix), and I still work out at the gym regularly. I spend a lot of time with my kids, especially my daughter, who became disabled with cerebral palsy as an infant from a serious illness. Her smiles bring me a lot of joy.

What are some of the highlights?

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

I have authored or co-authored over 40 patents during my career. My

design work has made it into cell phones that nearly everyone has used at some point—Motorola early in my career, Samsung, Apple, and many others. And I still enjoy the work.

How do you think your time in Bison Athletics prepared you for this?

The hard work and preparation, working within a team, achieving the goal and putting the team ahead of the individual all prepared me.

Perseverance is very important even when your individual situation not be what you hoped, but keeping at it and giving it your best is important. I still count my roommates andteammates from NDSU as my closest friends, we still get together often.

Do you have any advice for any current athletes out there looking to take the next step in life?

Try to determine what your interests are and what gives you satisfaction and pursue a degree program, training and internships to confirm your thoughts. It’s a lot easier to be successful if you are doing something you enjoy and get satisfaction from.

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Football Years: 1988

Darrell Olson’s stay at was brief, however, he has gone on to make a significant impact on our area’s youth.

n Olson’s only season with the Bison football program as a graduate assistant in 1988, NDSU claimed its 7th national championship.

From there, Olson went on to continue making an impact on football players and area youth, spending 41 years in the field of education with multiple stops along the way.

• West Fargo High School (Head Coach)(1990 East Region Coach of the Year) • Pelican Rapids High School (Head Coach)(1991-1997) • Maple Grove High School (Assistant Coach)(1997-2018) • Concordia College (Wide Receivers Coach)(2018-Present) Currently, Olson is the Wide Receiver coach at Concordia College where he helped in the program’s transition from the triple-option offense to the spread in 2021.

During that time, the Cobbers went from passing for 664 yards in the entire 2019 season to passing for over 240 yards per game in 2021.

Away from the gridiron, Olson is a true family man and is married to his wife Kris who he met at North Dakota State. Both of his sons, Erik and Peder, went on to play football at NDSU.

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Darrell Olson’s 1988 headshot.

What are you currently doing?

Counting my blessings, coaching football, officiating high school basketball and enjoying summers at the lake.

What are some valuable things you’ve learned along the way?

Your gut never lies, success is often disguised as hard work, and men need fellowship.

What gives you purpose?

Creating a lifetime of memories for my family.

What are some of the highlights? What accomplishments are you most proud of?

Raising two grounded young men alongside my wife and watching them compete at the highest level of football.

Between the three of us, we have seven National Championship rings.

I’m also very proud of helping to rebuild two football teams that each

won state titles after I left and officiating in 13 state basketball tournaments over five decades. I consider myself blessed. I have coached the greatest team game in the world for over 40 years.

How do you think your time in Bison Athletics prepared you for this?

As a Bison coach, I saw firsthand that success doesn’t happen by accident. Also, being a Graduate Assistant was one of the most humbling, exhausting things I have ever done. I laughed, cried and realized that the struggle is the way. I have never regretted it.

I met my wife during that time and way out kicked my coverage.

Do you have any advice for any current athletes out there looking to take the next step in life?

Surround yourself with friends that align with your value system. Life isn’t fair, get over it.

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Baseball Years: 1978-1982

During his time at North Dakota State, Chuck Erickson was the undisputed leader of Bison baseball, racking up career records while starting every season he was on campus.

Since graduation, Erickson has found his calling as a carpenter and coach.

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he latter of those two callings involved Erickson helping out with coaching his children, Charlie (now 32) and Heidi (now 28) as much as possible, whether it was baseball, softball or even hockey!

How did you find your path as a carpenter?

Erickson has been married to his wife Jeanne since 1987.

Was baseball a big source of bonding between you and your kids?

What has your career looked like over the years?

I started building and being a carpenter for Bob Footitt Construction until I was about 25. Then, I worked for Roers Construction until I was about 30. For the last 20 or 25 years, I’ve subcontracted with Floor To Ceiling Carpet One and Western Products with Western Products taking up the last 10-15 years, mostly installing kitchen cabinets.

I did construction in the summers in college and I just kept going. I liked just going and not looking at the clock.

My days just seem to fly by.

I also really like seeing the finished product.

We bonded over all sports. My son did play baseball when he was younger, and I helped coach him in baseball and hockey, but he ended up getting more into golf as he got older.

And I was never really much of a Major League Baseball addict. I just loved playing and I loved the practices way more than any other sport. I loved just talking to my buddies and shagging balls.

What else did you and your children do as they were growing up?

and grow and play and succeed and fail. I enjoy all of it.

Sports really kept us pretty busy for the most part, but we did spend a good amount of time going to my parent’s lake cabin until they got too busy for that.

I miss driving them around to their events. I miss driving a car full of kids to a state hockey tournament, stuff like that.

What are your children up to these days?

My son is here in town.

He worked in Arizona for eight years at a golf course, but he has been helping me these last four years—he had a son a couple of years ago so we’re really glad they’re back. Right now, my daughter is in Topeka, K.S. working on her Ph. D. What has been your favorite part about being a father?

I’ve really loved all of it. I’ve loved watching them learn

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What other hobbies have you picked up over time?

I got more into golf when my kids did. My son likes to fish so I’ll go with him occasionally. He likes it more than I do, I wouldn’t call myself a fisherman, but I enjoy going with him. I like going on walks with my wife. I’m still a big sports fan and enjoy watching Bison football and basketball. I also really enjoy following high school sports. It doesn’t matter what it is, I love watching it.

By Brady Drake

North Dakota State is no secret anymore.

The little old town of Fargo, ND has become a hub for finding NFL talent.

This past season, 12 former Bison found themselves either on active NFL rosters or practice squads. Let’s take a look at a few former NDSU player making waves at the game’s highest level.

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Did you know?

Carson Wentz is the only Philadelphia Eagles quarterback to ever pass for over 4,000 yards in a season.

N O S R CA -2015) 1 1 0 2 ( B Q

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PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Career NDSU Statistics

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Completions: 392-612 Completion Percentage: 64.1 Passing Yards: 5,115 Passing Touchdowns: 45 Interceptions: 14

Rushing Attempts: 216 Rushing Yards: 1,028 Yards Per Carry: 4.8 Rushing Touchdowns: 13

Drafted: 1st Round/2nd Overall.

Pro Bison

NDSU At North Dakota State, Carson Wentz had to wait in the wings before exploding onto the scene in his junior season, setting the NDSU single-season records for passing attempts, completions, yards and total offense per game.

Wentz, in typical NDSU fashion, left school as a champion, winning the 2014 and 2015 national championships before being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles second overall.

This offseason, Carson Wentz was traded to the Washington Commanders to be the starting quarterback for the recently rebranded franchise.

Carson Wentz's NDSU Athletic Accomplishments • 2016 Senior Bowl Invitee • 2015 and 2016 NCAA Division I Championship Game Most Outstanding Player • 2014 College Sporting News Fab 50 AllAmerica • 2014 College Sporting News Playoff MVP • 2015 NCAA Elite 90 Award • 2013 and 2014 Elite 89 Award • 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year • 2014 and 2015 CoSIDA Academic AllAmerica First Team • 2014 and 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-District • 2014 and 2015 MCFC All-Academic First Team • 2015 MVFC President's Council Academic Award • 3x MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award Winner • 5x MVFC Honor Roll • 2016 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society • 5x FCS National Champion

2021 Stats

Games Played: 17 Games Started: 17 W-L: 9-8 Completions: 322-516 Passing Yards: 3,563 Passing Touchdowns: 27 Interceptions: 7

Career NFL Stats Philadelphia Eagles (2016-2020) Indianapolis Colts (2021)

Games Played: 85 Games Started: 85 W-L: 44-40-1 Completions: 1884-3008 Passing Yards: 20,374 Passing Touchdowns: 140 Interceptions: 57

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Did you know?

Trey Lance’s father, Carlton Lance, played in the Canadian Football League for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Y E TR 020) 2 8 1 0 2 ( QB

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PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Career NDSU Statistics

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Completions: 392-612 Completion Percentage: 65.4 Passing Yards: 2,974 Passing Touchdowns: 30 Interceptions: 1

Rushing Attempts: 192 Rushing Yards: 1,325 Yards Per Carry: 6.9 Rushing Touchdowns: 18

1st Round/3rd Overall (2021)

Pro Bison

NDSU At North Dakota State, Trey Lance was a freshman sensation, winning the Walter Payton Award as a redshirt freshman in 2019, leading the Bison to become the first 16-0 team in college football since 1894.

Lance went on to play in only one game the next season due to the COVID-19 pandemic before getting drafted 3rd overall by the San Francisco 49ers.

Trey Lance’s NDSU Athletic Accomplishments

The TE A M I T L U S T R O SP E G D O L .

RE O C S Y R E EV RT. ANY SPOSON. ALL SEA

• 2021 NFL Combine Invitee • 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game Most Outstanding Player • 2019 STATS FCS Walter Payton Award Winner • 2019 STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award Winner • 2019 CFPA FCS National Performer of the Year • 2019 FCS ADA Offensive Player of the Year • 2019 Phil Steele FCS Offensive Player of the Year • 2019 STATS FCS All-America First Team • 2019 HERO Sports FCS All-America First Team • 2019 Athlon Sports FCS All-America First Team • 2019 Phil Steele FCS All-America First Team • 2019 FCS ADA All-America First Team • 2019 Ap All-America Second Team • 2019 AFCA AFCA All-America Second Team • 2019 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year • 2019 MVFC Newcomer of the Year • 2019 MVFC Freshman of the Year • 2019 MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award • 2x MVFC Honor Roll

2021 Regular Season Stats

Games Played: 6 Games Started: 2 W-L: 1-1 Completions: 41-71 Passing Yards: 603 Passing Touchdowns: 5 Interceptions: 2

Rushing Attempts: 38 Rushing Yards: 168 Yards Per Carry: 4.4 Rushing Touchdowns: 1

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4th Round/115 Overall (2021)

Pro Bison

Did you know?

At LSU, Jabril Cox had three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

L I R B A J -2019) LB (2016

X O C

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE DALLAS FOOTBALL CLUB

Career NDSU Statistics

Solo Tackles: 158 Assisted Tackles: 100 Total Tackles: 258

Tackles For Loss-Yards: 32-147 Sacks: 14 Interceptions: 6 Pass Breakups: 18

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Pro Bison

NDSU At North Dakota State, Jabril Cox made an instant impact in his 2016 redshirt freshman season, winning the Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year award as well as the Newcomer of the Year award. In the following season, Cox was the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year. And in his final season with the Bison, Cox was an All-American, before transferring to Louisiana State University for his senior season and eventually getting drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

Jabril Cox’s NDSU Athletic Accomplishments • 2021 NFL Combine Invitee • 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl Invitee • 2019 Phil Steele FCS All-America Second Team • 2019 Associated Press All-America Third Team • 2019 MVFC Honor Roll • 2018 STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award Finalist (4th) • 2018 and 2019 HERO Sports FCS All-America First Team • 2018 Phil Steele FCS All-America First Team • 2018 AFCA All-America Second Team • 2018 and 2019 STATS FCS All-America Second Team • 2018 Associated Press All-America Second Team • 2018 HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-American • 2018 MVFC Defensive Player of the Year • 2018 and 2019 All-MVFC First Team • 2017 HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-American • 2017 Phil Steele FCS Freshman All-America First Team • 2017 MVFC Newcomer of the Year • 2017 MVFC Freshman of the Year • 2017 All-MVFC Second Team • 2017 STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award Finalist (6th) • 3x National Champion

2021 Regular Season Stats 50

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Games Played: 7 Tackles: 2

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Did you know?

Ben Ellefson is from Hawley, MN, where he became his high school’s all-time leading scorer.

N E B

N O S F E L EL 019) 2 5 1 0 2 ( TE

Career NDSU Statistics

Receptions: 35 Receiving Yards: 463 Yards Per Catch: 13.2 Touchdowns: 16

Rushing Attempts: 192 Rushing Yards: 1,325 Yards Per Carry: 6.9 Rushing Touchdowns: 18

2021 Regular Season Stats Games Played: 5 52

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Undrafted 2020

Pro Bison

NDSU At North Dakota State, Ben Ellefson was a key contributor on three national championship teams, earning second-team All-America honors through the American Football Coaches Association. After graduating, Ellefson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent.

Ben Ellefsons’s NDSU Athletic Accomplishments • 2020 East-West Shrine Bowl Invitee • 2020 NFF Hampshire Honor Society • 2019 NFF William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist • 2019 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team • 2019 AFCA FCS All-America Second Team • 2019 STATS FCS All-America Third Team • 2019 HERO Sports FCS All-America Third Team • 2019 Phil Steele FCS All-America Fourth Team • 2019 All-MVFC First Team • 2019 MVFC President’s Council Academic Award • 2018 All-MVFC Second Team • 2018 NCAA Elite 90 Award • 2018 and 2019 MVFC All-Academic First Team • 2017, 2018 and 2019 MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award • 5x MVFC Honor Roll • 4x National Champion

NFL Career Statistics

Jacksonville Jaguars (2020) Minnesota Vikings (2021)

Games Played: 12 Games Started: 4 Receptions: 1 Receiving Yards: 10

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Undrafted 2018

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE BALTIMORE RAVENS

17) 0 2 3 1 0 2 LB (

S I R CH

D R A BO

NDSU At North Dakota State, Carson Wentz had to wait in the wings until exploding onto the scene in his junior season, setting the NDSU single-season records for passing attempts, completions, yards and total offense per game. Wentz, in typical NDSU fashion, left a champion, winning the 2014 and 2015 national championships before being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles second overall.

Chris Board’s NDSU Athletic Accomplishments • 3x MVFC Honor Roll • 2015 MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award

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Career NDSU Statistics Solo Tackles: 59 Assisted Tackles: 65 Total Tackles: 124 Tackles For Loss-Yards: 5-10 Pass Breakups: 5

Career NFL Stats

2021 Regular Season Stats Games Played: 16 Solo Tackles: 18 Assisted Tackles: 23 Total Tackles: 41 Pass Breakups: 5

Baltimore Ravens (2018-2021) Games Played: 16 Games Started: 2 Solo Tackles: 52 Assisted Tackles: 42 Total Tackles: 94 Tackles For Loss: 3 Sacks: 2.5 Pass Breakups: 1

Did you know?

While at NDSU, Board saw action at strong safety, outside linebacker, sam linebacker and will linebacker.

Drafted: 2nd Round/53rd Overall (2021)

Pro Bison

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE TENNESSEE TITANS

N O L L I D

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Z N U D RA NDSU

Dillon Radunz’s NDSU Athletic Accomplishments • 2021 NFL Combine Invitee • 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl Invitee • 2019 Associated Press AllAmerica First Team • 2019 AFCA All-America First Team • 2019 Stats Perform AllAmerica First Team • 2019 HERO Sports FCS AllAmerica First Team • 2019 FCS Athletic Directors Association All-America First Team • 2019 Walter Camp FCS AllAmerica First Team • 2019 Phil Steele FCS AllAmerica First Team

• 2019 Phil Steele FCS Offensive Lineman of the Year • 2019 Athlon Sports FCS AllAmerica First Team • 2019 All-MVFC First Team • 2018 HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-America Team • 2018 All-MVFC Second Team 3x National Champion

At North Dakota State, Dillon Radunz was a mainstay for the Rams, making 32 consecutive starts at left tackle to close out his career and helping the Bison win three national championships.

Career NDSU Statistics Games Played: 33 Games Started: 33

2021 Regular Season Stats Games Played: 12 Games Started: 1 55

SWANY SAYS

BY JOSHUA A. SWANSON *Swanson is a native of Maddock, N.D., a proud NDSU alum and a lifelong Bison fan.

Daring to Dream:

Bresciani’s leadership transformed North Dakota State en years ago, in April 2012, North Dakota State was fresh off its first ever FCS National Championship.

While success was nothing new for the Bison—the Herd had won eight national championships in Division II, three of those coming in the 1960s in what was called the college division—few people dared imagine they’d add nine FCS titles in the ensuing decade. In the process, the Bison elevated the profile of our university, community and state. The leadership of President Dean Bresciani was instrumental in this historic run.

Without Bresciani, who was named NDSU’s 14th president in 2010, it’s likely this run never happens.

T

The last twelve years also witnessed the opening of Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex, the premier basketball facility in the Summit League. The Bison men’s basketball team has played in eight Summit League tournament championship games during 58

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Bresciani’s time, winning the league and qualifying for March Madness four times in that span. Other programs have had successes as well, with every team qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in their respective sport with the sole exception being women’s basketball. Several student-athletes have represented the United States and other countries at the Olympics during Bresciani’s tenure. Hundreds of NDSU student-athletes have received all-league and all-American status both on the field and in the classroom during his presidency.

If you were to ask Bresciani, he’d surely tell you the lion’s share of credit for this success goes to the administrators, coaches, players, and staff. Without support from Old Main and the President’s Office, though, sustaining the championship-level success Bison fans have come to expect isn’t possible. He’s truly a Bison’s Bison, and has cemented his legacy on the Mount Rushmore of all-time NDSU greats. Any time the Bison have won a conference or national title, one of the first people our coaches have thanked was Bresciani. Literally, the first thing Matt Entz did at the press conference after the Herd beat Montana State 38 – 10 for the school’s 17th national championship in January was

thank, among others, Bresciani. “You know, all the credit goes to our coaching staff, to our administration, President Bresciani, Matt Larson.” NDSU would do well, and right, by immediately enshrining Bresciani in the Bison Athletics Hall of Fame this fall, waiving any waiting period.

Bresciani’s impact, quite obviously, isn’t limited to sports. Although this magazine’s mission is dedicated to telling the story of NDSU athletics, Bison athletics takes second chair to the academic mission of our great university.

This February, under Bresciani’s leadership, NDSU announced that its “In Our Hands” fundraising campaign raised more than $586 million, the largest higher education fundraising campaign in North Dakota history. At the announcement, Bresciani cited the work by the Bison Family in making the unprecedented campaign possible.

“Twelve years ago, I was on a campus poised to accomplish more and contribute more than any college or university in the state ever had,” said Bresciani. “We all shared that vision— our students shared it, our faculty and staff shared it, our alumni shared it, our corporate partners shared it, people across the country have shared that

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belief. What we’ve accomplished here is the biggest fundraising effort in the history of the state of North Dakota.

We have done that collectively as the Bison Family.”

I know he’s sincere when he says that.

I’ve seen in firsthand. My mom, Ma Swany, is, to put it mildly, a crazy, rabid, sometimes-over-the-top-but-ina-good-way-most-of-the-time Bison fan. She’s also one of the kindest and sweetest people I know. She will give someone the shirt off her back if they need it, no questions asked. But her passion and zest for NDSU and the Bison is, again, to put it mildly, quite intense. She’s not the biggest booster, though, and she certainly isn’t writing checks for millions of dollars.

Notwithstanding, Bresciani has always treated her with kindness and respect, and always had time to visit with her, whether at the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls or at Bison tailgating. It’s that kind of stewardship and those little moments outside of the public eye that has endeared him to thousands in the region that care for NDSU. I will always respect him for that. He truly cares about the Bison Family and fought for our university with an unmatched and tireless passion and determination.

With respect to the university as a whole, under Bresciani’s leadership, NDSU received the coveted R1 research institution status by the

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Multiple schools in several disciplines across campus are doing cutting edge, nationally renowned work in their fields that could be the subject of an entire issue of this magazine. Whether it’s Barry Hall, Klai Hall, Renaissance Hall, Aldevron Tower, the Peltier Complex, the Challey School of Music and Challey Institute, the A. Glenn Hill Center, the Dalrymple Research Greenhouse, Sugihara Hall, Wallman Wellness Center, Scheels Center, the Nodak Insurance Football Performance Complex, or one of the scores of new residence halls on campus, NDSU is both literally and figuratively a different place with higher sights and bigger goals than when Bresciani assumed the presidency in 2010.

No other person has improved this university like Bresciani has. His legacy and mark on NDSU will be felt for generations. His leadership has been transformative—not just for our university, but for this state and region. He dared to dream what NDSU could be when he first stepped onto campus back in 2010, then went to work making that dream a reality. One of the credos of our great university is, “The Strength of the Herd is the Bison, and the Strength of the Bison is the Herd.” Today, the Herd is stronger because Dean Bresciani was our president.

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TEAM MAKERS

Team Makers Ticket Pre-Sale Schedule Single Game Ticket Pre-Sale Monday, July 25 @ 8:00am

Whether you bleed yellow and green or are a casual fan, North Dakota State’s football gameday atmosphere is tough to beat.

Check out how you can get access to tickets before the general public!

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Supporters of NDSU Athletics that are not season ticket holders have an opportunity to secure single-game football tickets before they go on sale to the general public. With an active annual giving membership of at least $100

by July 15, 2022 to Team Makers or the Bison Pride Fund, members are eligible to purchase single-game tickets for NDSU football home games.

The presale window and maximum amount of tickets donors can purchase per game will be dependent on their annual giving level and priority point total. The presale will take place ONLINE ONLY from July 25- July 31 while tickets are available. This pre-sale opportunity is for non-season ticket holders only.

Remaining single game tickets will be made available online only to the general public beginning at 8:00am on Monday, August 1.

Giving Level Eligible: Bronze ($1,000+) & 100+ Priority Points Number of Tickets Per Game: 6

Wednesday, July 27 @ 8:00am Giving Level Eligible: Green & Gold ($250+) & 50-99 Priority Points Number of Tickets Per Game: 4

Friday, July 29 @ 8:00am

Giving Level Eligible: Booster ($100+) & 2-49 Priority Points Number of Tickets Per Game: 2

Monday, Aug. 1 @ 8:00am

Giving Level Eligible: General Public Number of Tickets Per Game: TBD *Tickets available while supplies last To purchase tickets online, visit GoBison.com/tickets

Twin Cities Bison Golf Open presented by SCHEELS Monday, June 6 - Bent Creek Golf Club

Detroit Lakes Bison Golf Open Thursday, June 9 - Detroit Country Club

Hawley Bison Golf Open

Monday, June 20 - Hawley Golf & Country Club

Devils Lake Bison Golf Open Thursday, June 30 - Creel Bay Golf Course

Wahpeton Bison Golf Open

Thursday, July 28 - Bois de Sioux Golf Course

Lynn Dorn Women’s Golf Classic

Wednesday, August 3 - Edgewood Golf Course

Edgewood Bison Golf Open

Wednesday, August 10 - Edgewood Golf Course

Fargo Bison Golf Open

Monday, September 12 - Fargo Country Club Registration information can be found at www.ndsuathleticfund.com/events

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