# South Dakota State Jackrabbits football

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represents South Dakota State University in college football. The program competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The Jackrabbits play their home games at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on South Dakota State's campus in Brookings, South Dakota.
South Dakota State has been year in and year out one of the best teams FCS over the past decade. South Dakota State is also one of only 13 FCS schools to host ESPN's College GameDay.
For the 2019 GameDay matchup, the No. 3 Jackrabbits hosted the No. 1 North Dakota State Bison, where they would lose in a close battle 23–16 after losing their starting QB to a season ending knee injury.
As of January 2025, the Jackrabbits possess a 13- year streak of qualifying for the FCS playoffs, the second-longest in the country at the FCS level.
The Jackrabbits are two-time national champions. They achieved their first national championship win in school history on January 8, 2023, defeating North Dakota State 45-21.
The following season, on January 7, 2024, the Jacks defended their title by defeating Montana (13–2) with a score of 23–3. The Jackrabbits finished the season with a perfect 15–0 record under first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, who previously served as defensive coordinator and was a captain of the 2009 SDSU team himself.

## History

The Jackrabbits were an NCAA Division II program in the North Central Conference until moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004.
In March 2004, SDSU initially began their Division I FCS era by being a charter member of the now-defunct Great West Football Conference (along with North Dakota State, Southern Utah, Cal Poly, UC Davis, Northern Colorado) and stayed there until 2007 when they were accepted into the Missouri Valley Football Conference and began league play in the 2008 season.
South Dakota State University has invested in their football program's facilities recently as they have some of the finest amenities and facilities at the FCS level including the largest video/scoreboard in the FCS (2015) a new 19,340-seat stadium (2016), and a large state-of-the-art student-athlete center in the north end zone (2010). Connected to the student-athlete center is one of the largest indoor practice facilities in NCAA Division I (completed in 2014). Due to the success of South Dakota State and North Dakota State football programs, the Dakota Marker game was featured on ESPN’s nationally televised College GameDay on October 26, 2019, becoming one of only a few FCS programs to be featured on the show.
South Dakota State reached the Football Championship Subdivision semi-finals seven times in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 respectively. They've been to the FCS national championship game three times (2020, 2022 & 2023) and won two of the three.
They advanced to their first national championship game on May 8, 2021 after defeating the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 33–3 in the national semi-finals. They played No. 2 Sam Houston State for the national championship on May 16, 2021 and lost 23–21. The Jackrabbits finished the season 8–2 and as national runner-ups.
A year and a half later on January 8, 2023 they advanced to the national championship game again where they would win their first national title over conference rival North Dakota State, 45–21.
On January 7, 2024, the Jackrabbits successfully defended their National Title when they defeated the Montana Grizzlies football team 23-3. Their victory capped a 15-0 undefeated regular season for first-year coach Jimmy Rogers, including an 8-0 Missouri Valley Conference record.

### Classifications

* 1952–1972: NCAA College Division
* 1973–2003: NCAA Division II
* 2004–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

### Conference affiliations

* Independent (1889–1921)
* North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1922–2003)
* Great West Conference (2004–2007)
* Missouri Valley Football Conference (2008–present)

## Players in the National Football League

A total of 34 Jackrabbits have played for NFL teams, including eight signed to team rosters as of September2024.
* Dallas Goedert - Philadelphia Eagles
* Christian Rozeboom - Los Angeles Rams
* Pierre Strong Jr. - Cleveland Browns
* Chris Oladokun - Kansas City Chiefs
* Tucker Kraft - Green Bay Packers
* Isaiah Stalbird - New Orleans Saints
* Mason McCormick - Pittsburgh Steelers
* Isaiah Davis - New York Jets
29 Jackrabbits have been drafted in the NFL draft. As of 2021, Jim Langer is the only Jackrabbit to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

## Record versus Missouri Valley Football Conference

* Records current as of November 2021
| Rival | Record (W–L–T) | Winning Percentage |
| Illinois State | 6–8 | .429 |
| Indiana State | 10–2 | .833 |
| Missouri State | 14–1 | .933 |
| Murray State | 0–0 | .000 |
| North Dakota | 36–47–5 | .434 |
| North Dakota State | 45–64–5 | .413 |
| Northern Iowa | 25–32–1 | .439 |
| South Dakota | 58–54–7 | .518 |
| Southern Illinois | 11–4 | .733 |
| Western Illinois | 14–4 | .778 |
| Youngstown State | 18–7 | .720 |

## Postseason appearances
### NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs

Through November 2024, the Jackrabbits have appeared in the FCS playoffs fourteen times with an overall record of 24–12 (.667). They have made 13 consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs, currently the second-longest streak in the nation.
In that span the Jackrabbits have won two national titles, one runner-up finish and have appeared in the semifinals seven times.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2009 | First Round | Montana | L 48–61 |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round | Eastern Illinois North Dakota State | W 58–10 L 3–28 |
| 2013 | First Round Second Round | Northern Arizona Eastern Washington | W 26–7 L 17–41 |
| 2014 | First Round Second Round | Montana State North Dakota State | W 47–40 L 24–27 |
| 2015 | First Round | Montana | L 17–24 |
| 2016 | Second Round Quarterfinals | Villanova North Dakota State | W 10–7 L 10–36 |
| 2017 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Northern Iowa New Hampshire James Madison | W 37–22 W 56–14 L 16–51 |
| 2018 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Duquesne Kennesaw State North Dakota State | W 51–6 W 27–17 L 21–44 |
| 2019 | Second Round | Northern Iowa | L 10–13 |
| 2020 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Holy Cross Southern Illinois Delaware Sam Houston State | W 31–3 W 31–26 W 33–3 L 21–23 |
| 2021 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | UC Davis Sacramento State Villanova Montana State | W 56–24 W 24–19 W 35–21 L 17–31 |
| 2022 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Delaware Holy Cross Montana State North Dakota State | W 42–6 W 42–21 W 39–18 W 45–21 |
| 2023 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Mercer Villanova Albany Montana | W 41–0 W 23–12 W 59–0 W 23–3 |
| 2024 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Montana Incarnate Word North Dakota State | W 35–18 W 55–14 L 21–28 |

### NCAA Division II playoffs

The Jackrabbits made one appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs, with a final record of 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1979 | Quarterfinals | Youngstown State | L 7–51 |

## Head coaches

| # | Coach | Tenure |
| 1 | Morrison | 1900 |
| 2 | L. L. Gilkey | 1901 |
| 3 | J. Harrison Werner | 1903 |
| 4 | William Blaine | 1904 |
| 5 | William Juneau | 1905–1908 |
| 6 | Jason M. Saunderson | 1909–1910 |
| 7 | Fred Johnson | 1911 |
| 8 | Harry W. Ewing | 1912–1917 |
| - | No team | 1918 |
| 9 | Charles A. West | 1919–1927 |
| 10 | Cy Kasper | 1928–1933 |
| 11 | Red Threlfall | 1934–1937 |
| 12 | Jack V. Barnes | 1938–1940 |
| 13 | Thurlo McCrady | 1941–1946 |
| 14 | Ralph Ginn | 1947–1968 |
| 15 | Dave Kragthorpe | 1969 |
| 16 | Dean Pryor | 1970–1971 |
| 17 | John Gregory | 1972–1981 |
| 18 | Wayne Haensel | 1982–1990 |
| 19 | Mike Daly | 1991–1996 |
| 20 | John Stiegelmeier | 1997–2022 |
| 21 | Jimmy Rogers | 2023–2024 |
| 22 | Dan Jackson | 2025–present |

## Facilities

* Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium (19,340 capacity)
* Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center
* Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center (Connected to the Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center in north end zone)
In 2014, South Dakota State University started construction of a new stadium on the location of the current Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The new stadium has a total seating capacity of 19,340 with easy expansion to 22,500.
The Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center (formerly the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex) is the Jackrabbits new State-of-the-art indoor practice facility. The facility was opened on October 11, 2014. The Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center has bleacher seating for up to 1,000 spectators and can be used for football practice, track practice, softball and baseball practice, track competitions, and other events within the SDSU athletic department. The 149,284-square foot facility is the largest indoor practice facility in Division I athletics and features an eight-lane, 300-meter track which is only one of five collegiate indoor tracks of that size in the nation. Inside the track is an 80-yard football field plus end zones at each end and is composed of a soy-based Astroturf. Within the facility it has areas for sports medicine and strength and conditioning. Sports medicine features include rehab space, a training room, weight room expansion, hydrotherapy, a football team room, offices and academic advising facilities. The Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center is used by many of SDSU's athletic programs.

## All-Time statistical leaders
### Single-game leaders

* Passing Yards: Dan Fjeldheim (460, 9/28/2002)
* Rushing Yards: Zach Zenner (295 2x, 11/24/2012, 9/7/2013)
* Receiving Yards: Jeff Tiefenthaler (256, 9/27/1986)

### Single-Season leaders

* Passing Yards: Taryn Christion (3,714, 2016)
* Rushing Yards: Josh Ranek (2,055, 1999)
* Receiving Yards: Jeff Tiefenthaler (1,534, 1986)

### Career leaders

* Passing Yards: Taryn Christion (11,535, 2015–2018)
* Rushing Yards: Josh Ranek, (6,744, 1997–2001)
* Receiving Yards: Jake Wieneke (5,157, 2014–2017)

## Media coverage

All home and road games are covered on the Jackrabbit Sports Network. The broadcast range of the Jackrabbit Sports Network covers eight states (South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming), and consists of the following stations:
* WNAX 570AM (Flagship Station)
* KJJQ 910AM
* KRKI 99.5FM
* KOLY 1300AM
* KBFS 1450AM
* KGFX 1060AM
* KXLG 99.1FM
The Missouri Valley Football Conference and ESPN have signed a six-year media rights agreement, effective from the 2024 season. As part of the deal, a minimum of nine games will be showcased on ESPN, ESPN 2, or ESPN U throughout the contract. Additionally, the MVFC will maintain its "game of the week" digital package on ESPN+. The agreement also includes exclusive airing of additional league contests on ESPN platforms. Jackrabbits games have also been broadcast on Midco Sports Net, Fox College Sports, the Big Ten Network, Fox Sports North, ABC, and various local television networks.

## Record against FBS competition

Overall 2–11.
| Season | Opponent | Conference | Result | Record |
| 2008 | Iowa State | Big 12 | L 17–44 | 0–1 |
| 2009 | Minnesota | Big Ten | L 13–16 | 0–2 |
| 2010 | Nebraska | Big 12 | L 3–17 | 0–3 |
| 2011 | Illinois | Big Ten | L 3–56 | 0–4 |
| 2012 | Kansas | Big 12 | L 17–31 | 0–5 |
| 2013 | Nebraska | Big Ten | L 20–59 | 0–6 |
| 2014 | Missouri | SEC | L 18–38 | 0–7 |
| 2015 | Kansas | Big 12 | W 41–38 | 1–7 |
| 2016 | TCU | Big 12 | L 41–59 | 1–8 |
| 2018 | Iowa State | Big 12 | Canceled by weather | Canceled by weather |
| 2019 | Minnesota | Big Ten | L 21–28 | 1–9 |
| 2021 | Colorado State | Mountain West | W 42–23 | 2–9 |
| 2022 | Iowa | Big Ten | L 3–7 | 2–10 |
| 2024 | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | L 20–44 | 2–11 |

## Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of December 20, 2024.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2030 |
| Sacramento State | at Northwestern | at Iowa State | at Nebraska | at Nebraska |
| at Montana State | | Southeastern Louisiana | | |
| Drake | | | | |
| Mercyhurst | | | | |