Bemidji State Beavers football
| Bemidji State Beavers football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1926 |
| Athletic director | Britt Lauritsen |
| Head coach | Brent Bolte 8th season, 71–26 (.732) |
| Stadium | Chet Anderson Stadium (capacity: 5000) |
| Year built | 1939 |
| Location | Bemidji, Minnesota |
| NCAA division | Division II |
| Conference | NSIC |
| All-time record | 415–451–23 (.480) |
| Bowl record | 1–1 (.500) |
| Playoff appearances | 4 |
| Conference titles | 7 |
| Division titles | 4 |
| Colors | Green and white[1] |
| Website | Official website |
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.
Head coaching history
[edit]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
[edit]Conference championships
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]Bowl games
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- 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
References
[edit]- ^ "Bemidiji Visual Identity Standards" (PDF). Retrieved June 11, 2016.
- ^ "2024 FB Record Book (PDF)" (PDF). Bemidji State University. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ "NSIC Football Record Book". northernsun.org. Retrieved May 4, 2025.