North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Last updated
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
North Dakota Fighting Hawks logo.svg
UniversityUniversity of North Dakota
Conference Summit League (primary)
Missouri Valley (football)
NCHC (Men's hockey)
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorBill Chaves
Location Grand Forks, North Dakota
Varsity teams17
Football stadium Alerus Center
Basketball arena Betty Engelstad Sioux Center
Ice hockey arena Ralph Engelstad Arena
Golf courseRay Richards Golf Course
Indoor track and field venueFritz Pollard Athletic Center
Other venuesBronson Field
Memorial Stadium
Hyslop Sports Center
Choice Health & Fitness
Oxford Softball Complex
MascotThe Fighting Hawk
NicknameFighting Hawks
Fighting Sioux (1930–2012)
Fight song It's For You, North Dakota U
Stand Up and Cheer
ColorsKelly green and white [1]
   
Website www.fightinghawks.com
ND Fighting Hawks wordmark.png
Team NCAA championships
Division I Ice Hockey
1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000, 2016
Division II Football
2001
Division II Woman's Basketball
1997, 1998, 1999

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks (formerly known as the Flickertails and the Fighting Sioux) are the athletic teams that represent the University of North Dakota (UND), located in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level as a member of the Summit League. With 17 varsity teams, North Dakota is best known for its Ice Hockey team and American Football team. North Dakota's main rivalries are with the North Dakota State Bison and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. [2] [3]

Contents

Originally in the Division II North Central Conference, UND began transitioning to NCAA's Division I in 2008 with the football program participating in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). North Dakota is a member of the Summit League for most sports, the Missouri Valley Football Conference in football, and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference for men's hockey. The Fighting Hawks competed in the Western Athletic Conference in baseball, plus men's and women's swimming & diving, before dropping all three sports. Baseball was dropped after the 2016 season, and the swimming & diving teams were dropped after the 2016–17 season. [4] Women's ice hockey competed in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association before also being dropped after the 2016–17 season. [4]

On January 24, 2017, reports stated that North Dakota would leave the Big Sky Conference to join the Summit League in all sports but football beginning in 2019. [5] The school would join the Missouri Valley Football Conference for football in 2020. [6] The rumored changes became official on January 26, when UND, the Summit League, and the MVFC announced the Fighting Hawks' move to the Summit in 2018 (instead of 2019) [7] and the MVFC at the reported 2020 date. During UND's transition to the MVFC, it will continue to play a full Big Sky football schedule due to contractual commitments; while the Fighting Hawks will not be eligible for the Big Sky title, games against them will count in the Big Sky football standings. [8]

Sports sponsored

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Basketball Basketball
Cross countryCross country
Football Golf
Golf Soccer
Ice hockey Softball
TennisTennis
Track and fieldTrack and field
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

Ice hockey (men's)

Having won eight national championships, the men's hockey team is easily the most recognized of UND teams. A charter member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, the Fighting Hawks play in the $100+ million Ralph Engelstad Arena.


Football

The men's football home games are held in the Alerus Center. The team competes at the FCS Level in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Prior to Joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the team competed in the Big Sky Conference.


Volleyball

Summit League logo in North Dakota colors.svg

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks volleyball are members of the NCAA Division I Summit League. The program only includes a women's team.

Men's basketball

Summit League logo in North Dakota colors.svg

The Fighting Hawks Basketball team has appeared in the Division 1 tournament 1 time. The most famous athlete to come from the program is Coach and basketball player Phil Jackson.

Rivalries

Hockey

Football

All

Former sports

The wrestling program was discontinued in 1998. [9] The baseball program dating to 1889 was cancelled at the conclusion of the 2016 season. [10] The women's hockey program was cancelled at the conclusion of the 2016–17 season. [11]

Athletics hall of fame

The Letterwinners Hall of Fame recognizes the efforts and achievements of former UND student-athletes, coaches, and other supporters of UND athletics. Inductees are selected by the UND Letterwinners Association and representatives of the UND athletic department. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony, sponsored by the UND Letterwinners Association, is held each fall in conjunction with a football game. The Hall of Fame is located on the upper concourse at the south end of the Ralph Engelstad Arena. [12]

Nickname

UND's nickname was originally The Flickertails, but was unofficially changed to "The Sioux" in 1930. UND's former athletic logo, revealed in 1999, a Native American figure, was designed by Bennett Brien, a local artist and UND graduate of Ojibwa ethnicity. After more than a decade of controversy, the name and logo were retired in 2012. On November 18, 2015, it was revealed at a press conference held by President Robert Kelley that Fighting Hawks, with 57.24% of the vote, would become the new university nickname. [13] [14]

Notable Athletes

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Valley Football Conference</span> U.S. college football conference

The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a football-only conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Central Conference</span> NCAA Division II athletic conference

The North Central Conference (NCC), also known as North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was a college athletic conference which operated in the north central United States. It participated in the NCAA's Division II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of North Dakota</span> Public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Dakota Fighting Hawks football</span> Football team for the University of North Dakota

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks represent the University of North Dakota, competing as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision. From 1973 to 2008, they played in the NCAA's NCAA Division II, winning the national championship in 2001. From 1955 to 1972, they competed in the NCAA's College Division where they participated in and won three bowl games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel Trophy</span> American college football rivalry

The Nickel Trophy is presented to the winner of the currently annual football game between the rival University of North Dakota (UND) Fighting Hawks and the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison. The two universities are approximately 76 miles apart on the eastern border of North Dakota. The two schools suspended play in 2003 and resumed play in 2015. In the entire history of the rivalry, the game has never been contested anywhere beside Grand Forks or Fargo.

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The North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's basketball team represents the University of North Dakota NCAA Division I men's basketball. The Fighting Hawks are members of the Summit League. Prior to membership in the Summit, they were members of Division II's North Central Conference and Division I's Great West Conference and Big Sky Conference. The current head coach is Paul Sather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Schmaltz</span> American ice hockey player (born 1996)

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The 2017–18 North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Dakota during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Fighting Hawks, led by 12th-year head coach Brian Jones, played their home games at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 12–20, 6–12 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They defeated Montana State in the first round of the Big Sky tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Montana.

The 2017–18 North Dakota Fighting Hawks women's basketball team represents the University of North Dakota during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Fighting Hawks were led by sixth year head coach Travis Brewster and play their home games at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. They were members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 12–18, 5–13 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They lost in the first round of the Big Sky women's tournament to Montana State.

The 2018–19 North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's basketball team represented the University of North Dakota during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Fighting Hawks, led by 13th-year head coach Brian Jones, played their home games at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota as first-year members of the Summit League. They finished the season 12–18 overall, 6–10 in Summit League play, to finish in 7th place. In the Summit League tournament, they were defeated by Omaha in the quarterfinals.

Matt Waletzko is an American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Dakota.

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References

  1. UND Athletics Brand 22 Media (PDF). April 10, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  2. https://gophersports.com/news/2023/10/19/mens-hockey-u-renews-rivalry-at-und-for-weekend-series
  3. https://theathletic.com/137029/2017/10/25/minnesota-golden-gophers-north-dakota-fighting-hawks-grand-forks-rivalry/
  4. 1 2 "Deep budget cuts force UND to eliminate three varsity sports" (Press release). North Dakota Fighting Hawks. March 29, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  5. "North Dakota to Join Summit League, Missouri Valley Football Conference". ESPN 99.1 – Sioux Falls Sports Leader – Sioux Falls Sports. Archived from the original on 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  6. KSFY. "Sources: UND Set to Join Summit League and MVFC" . Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  7. "The Summit League Adds The University of North Dakota" (Press release). The Summit League. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  8. "UND to Join Missouri Valley Football Conference" (Press release). Missouri Valley Football Conference. January 26, 2017. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  9. "College Programs Dropped Nationally". USA Wrestling-Kansas. February 22, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  10. "North Dakota baseball team being cut plays final home game". USA Today. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  11. Cimini, Kate (5 April 2017). "After program cut, North Dakota women's hockey left reeling". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  12. "Hall of Fame Home". fightinghawks.com. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  13. "Fighting Hawks selected as new nickname for the University of North Dakota". University of North Dakota. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  14. "Fighting Hawks selected as new nickname for the University of North Dakota". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  15. "Pablo Garza UFC Bio" . Retrieved August 8, 2014.