Bemidji State Beavers football
College football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bemidji State Beavers football team represents Bemidji State University, located in Bemidji, Minnesota college football. The Beavers, who began playing football in 1926, currently compete as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) at the NCAA Division II level. Bemidji State's home games are played at Chet Anderson Stadium.
8th season, 71–26 (.732)
| Bemidji State Beavers football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1926 |
| Athletic director | Britt Lauritsen |
| Head coach | Brent Bolte 8th season, 71–26 (.732) |
| Location | Bemidji, Minnesota |
| Stadium | Chet Anderson Stadium (capacity: 5000) |
| NCAA division | Division II |
| Conference | NSIC |
| Colors | Green and white[1] |
| All-time record | 415–451–23 (.480) |
| Bowl record | 1–1 (.500) |
| College Football Playoff appearances | |
| NCAA Div. II: 4 (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) | |
| Conference championships | |
| NSIC: 7 (1947, 1950, 1957, 1959, 2006, 2021, 2022) | |
| Division championships | |
| NSIC North: 4 (2012, 2015, 2021, 2022) | |
| Website | Official website |
Head coaching history
Bemidji State has had 16 coaches throughout the program's history.[2] No games were played in 2020 due to the COVID–19 pandemic.
| Seasons | Years | Coach | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926–1927 | 2 | R. E. Mendenhall | 6 | 5 | 1 | .542 |
| 1928–1930 | 3 | Eldon Mason | 9 | 9 | 2 | .500 |
| 1931–1934 | 4 | Jack Sterrett | 12 | 15 | 2 | .448 |
| 1935–1937 | 3 | R. B. Frost | 7 | 14 | 1 | .341 |
| 1938–1954 | 17 | Hjalmer J. Erickson | 53 | 55 | 5 | .491 |
| 1955–1960, 1962–1965 | 10 | Chester Anderson | 43 | 34 | 5 | .555 |
| 1961 | 1 | John Kulbitski | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 |
| 1966–1968 | 3 | Don Palm | 9 | 16 | 1 | .360 |
| 1969–1973 | 5 | Jim Malmquist | 15 | 27 | 2 | .364 |
| 1974 | 1 | Larry Mortier | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 |
| 1975–1977 | 3 | Don Turner | 14 | 15 | 0 | .483 |
| 1978–1981 | 4 | Sparky Adams | 2 | 36 | 1 | .064 |
| 1982–1988 | 7 | John Peterson | 30 | 40 | 3 | .432 |
| 1989–1995 | 7 | Kris Diaz | 13 | 55 | 0 | .191 |
| 1996–2015 | 20 | Jeff Tesch | 126 | 91 | 0 | .581 |
| 2016–present | 8 | Brent Bolte | 71 | 26 | 0 | .732 |
Championships
Conference championships
Bemidji State has won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship seven times.[3]
| Year | Coach | Overall record | NSIC record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947† | Hjalmer J. Erickson | 4–3 | 3–1 |
| 1950† | 5–1–1 | 3–0–1 | |
| 1957† | Chester Anderson | 4–4 | 3–1 |
| 1959† | 6–1–1 | 4–1 | |
| 2006 | Jeff Tesch | 9–3 | 8–0 |
| 2021† | Brent Bolte | 10–3 | 9–2 |
| 2022† | 10–3 | 9–2 |
† Co-champions
Division championships
Bemidji State has won the NSIC North division championship four times.
| Year | Coach | Overall record | NSIC record | Division record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012† | Jeff Tesch | 7–4 | 7–4 | 6–1 |
| 2015† | 7–4 | 7–4 | 6–1 | |
| 2021 | Brent Bolte | 10–3 | 9–2 | 6–0 |
| 2022 | 10–3 | 9–2 | 6–0 |
† Co-champions
Postseason
Bowl games
Bemidiji State has played in the Mineral Water Bowl twice and have a 1–1 record.
| Year | Bowl | Coach | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mineral Water Bowl | Jeff Tesch | Pittsburg State | L 27–35 | 9–3 |
| 2016 | Mineral Water Bowl | Brent Bolte | Washburn | W 36–23 | 9–3 |
NCAA Division II playoffs
Bemidiji State has made four appearances in the NCAA Division II football championship playoffs and have a 5–4 record.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | First Round | Augustana (SD) | W 28–24 | 10–3 |
| Second Round | Colorado Mines | L 6–55 | ||
| 2022 | First Round | Winona State | W 31–7 | 10–3 |
| Second Round | Angelo State | L 7–33 | ||
| 2023 | First Round | Texas–Permian Basin | W 10–3 | 9–3 |
| Second Round | Central Washington | L 17–21 | ||
| 2024 | First Round | Angelo State | W 24–14 | 10–4 |
| Second Round | Western Colorado | W 20–19 | ||
| Quarterfinals | Minnesota State | L 23–27 |
Notable former players
- Trent Baalke, NFL executive and former general manager for the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Dhel Duncan-Busby, CFL player for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
- Brian Leonhardt, NFL player for the Oakland Raiders.
- Gunner Olszewski, NFL player most notably with the New England Patriots, First Team All-Pro (2020).
- John Redebaugh, Drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 1970 NFL draft.
- Dean Widseth, Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1946 NFL draft.
- Al Wolden, NFL player for the Chicago Bears.