South Dakota won a share of its first Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and played in its first FCS semifinal in 2024.

He won 100 games and two national championships during two five-year stints as head coach at UMD and also served nine years as the school's athletic director.

The University of South Dakota announced that head football coach Bob Nielson is stepping down with plans to retire after coaching 32 seasons.

For the first time in almost a decade, the South Dakota Coyotes football program will not be led by Bob Nielson, who announced his retirement on Thursday afternoon. Nielson spent nine of his 32 years of head coaching experience with the Coyotes,