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The official announcement from the Gateway Football Conference:
ST. LOUIS -- North Dakota State and South Dakota State have been admitted to the Gateway Football Conference and will be eligible to compete for the league’s automatic NCAA playoff berth beginning in 2008, commissioner Patty Viverito announced today. The addition of North Dakota State and South Dakota State increases league membership to nine schools, as they join Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Western Illinois, and Youngstown State as members of the St. Louis-based Gateway Football Conference.
“One can justifiably argue the Gateway is the strongest, deepest and most respected FCS conference in the nation,” says Viverito. “The decision to add North Dakota State and South Dakota State leaves no doubt.” | Teleconference audio: Click Here | Please note that North Dakota State President Dr. Joseph A. Chapman's comments are edited from the audio (technical difficulties with phone equipment in Fargo, and his comments were not discernible).
Both schools have competed in the Great West Football Conference since 2004. North Dakota State (the Bison) won the league last year with a 4-0 conference mark and 10-1 overall record. South Dakota State (the Jackrabbits) was runner-up in the league, compiling a 3-1 league mark and 7-4 overall record. Both teams finished the year ranked among the Top 25 in The Sports Network poll, as NDSU was No. 5 and SDSU, No. 22. The Great West Football Conference does not have an automatic bid.
Before joining the Great West Football Conference in 2004, South Dakota State was a long-time member of the North Central Conference (Division II), winning 14 NCC titles, making an NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 1979. North Dakota State was also a member of the NCC and had exceptional success as a Division II member, winning national championships eight times, with the most recent title coming in 1990. The Bison won 26 North Central Conference football championships, the last in 1994.
Links to school athletic sites: North Dakota State | South Dakota State
The addition of the two Dakota schools gives the Gateway six members that were ranked in the final 2006 Sports Network top-25 poll. Defending league champion Youngstown State was ranked No. 4, Southern Illinois was No. 7, Illinois State was No. 8, and UNI finished at No. 17.
Historically, the Gateway Conference has been among the elite conferences in the FCS. A minimum of two Gateway teams have made the NCAA playoffs in each of the past 12 seasons, including three bids last year and a record-setting four teams in 2003. Gateway teams have appeared in four national championship games since 1997, winning twice; and a Gateway team has reached the semifinals eight times in the past 11 seasons.
The addition of North Dakota State and South Dakota State for the 2008 season will lift league membership to an all-time high (nine members). In 2007, the Gateway will have seven members as Western Kentucky announced in November 2006 that it was leaving the Gateway to join the Sun Belt Conference.
North Dakota State (Fargo, N.D.) was founded in 1890, and the university had an enrollment of 12,258 in 2006. The Bison play their home games in the 18,700-seat Fargodome. South Dakota State (Brookings, S.D.) was founded in 1881 and had an enrollment of 11,377 in 2006. The Jackrabbits play their home games in the 15,000-seat Coughlin Alumni Stadium. Both schools will compete as members of the Mid-Continent Conference for sports other than football (and wrestling) beginning on July 1, 2007. Gateway member Western Illinois is also a member of the Mid-Continent, while both NDSU and SDSU (and Gateway member UNI) currently compete in the Western Wrestling Conference.
“One can justifiably argue the Gateway is the strongest, deepest and most respected FCS conference in the nation,” says Viverito. “The decision to add North Dakota State and South Dakota State leaves no doubt.” | Teleconference audio: Click Here | Please note that North Dakota State President Dr. Joseph A. Chapman's comments are edited from the audio (technical difficulties with phone equipment in Fargo, and his comments were not discernible).
Both schools have competed in the Great West Football Conference since 2004. North Dakota State (the Bison) won the league last year with a 4-0 conference mark and 10-1 overall record. South Dakota State (the Jackrabbits) was runner-up in the league, compiling a 3-1 league mark and 7-4 overall record. Both teams finished the year ranked among the Top 25 in The Sports Network poll, as NDSU was No. 5 and SDSU, No. 22. The Great West Football Conference does not have an automatic bid.
Before joining the Great West Football Conference in 2004, South Dakota State was a long-time member of the North Central Conference (Division II), winning 14 NCC titles, making an NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 1979. North Dakota State was also a member of the NCC and had exceptional success as a Division II member, winning national championships eight times, with the most recent title coming in 1990. The Bison won 26 North Central Conference football championships, the last in 1994.
Links to school athletic sites: North Dakota State | South Dakota State
The addition of the two Dakota schools gives the Gateway six members that were ranked in the final 2006 Sports Network top-25 poll. Defending league champion Youngstown State was ranked No. 4, Southern Illinois was No. 7, Illinois State was No. 8, and UNI finished at No. 17.
Historically, the Gateway Conference has been among the elite conferences in the FCS. A minimum of two Gateway teams have made the NCAA playoffs in each of the past 12 seasons, including three bids last year and a record-setting four teams in 2003. Gateway teams have appeared in four national championship games since 1997, winning twice; and a Gateway team has reached the semifinals eight times in the past 11 seasons.
The addition of North Dakota State and South Dakota State for the 2008 season will lift league membership to an all-time high (nine members). In 2007, the Gateway will have seven members as Western Kentucky announced in November 2006 that it was leaving the Gateway to join the Sun Belt Conference.
North Dakota State (Fargo, N.D.) was founded in 1890, and the university had an enrollment of 12,258 in 2006. The Bison play their home games in the 18,700-seat Fargodome. South Dakota State (Brookings, S.D.) was founded in 1881 and had an enrollment of 11,377 in 2006. The Jackrabbits play their home games in the 15,000-seat Coughlin Alumni Stadium. Both schools will compete as members of the Mid-Continent Conference for sports other than football (and wrestling) beginning on July 1, 2007. Gateway member Western Illinois is also a member of the Mid-Continent, while both NDSU and SDSU (and Gateway member UNI) currently compete in the Western Wrestling Conference.
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