The South Dakota Coyotes football team represents the University of South Dakota in college football. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The Coyotes play their home games at the 9,100-seat DakotaDome near the University's campus in Vermillion, South Dakota.
South Dakota first fielded a football team in 1889, and became one of the charter members of the North Central Conference (NCC) in 1922, where they remained for the next 86 years. During their time in the NCC, the Coyotes won 10 conference titles, qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs four times, and reached the 1986 national championship game, losing to the North Dakota State Bison 27âÂÂ7. The Coyotes moved up to the NCAA Division I FCS level in 2008, joining the Great West Conference initially, before entering the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2012. Initially struggling in the Valley, the team found their footing under former head coach Bob Nielson, reaching four FCS playoffs from 2017 to 2024. The Coyotes won their first Missouri Valley title and reached their first FCS playoff semifinal appearance in school history in 2024.
Overall, the Coyotes have won eleven conference titles, and have a playoff record of 10âÂÂ9 ().
The Coyotes' main rivals are the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The two schools have played each other since 1889, with the Jackrabbits currently holding the all-time series 58âÂÂ53âÂÂ7.
The series has been played yearly except for a pause between 2003 and 2012, when the Jackrabbits moved their athletic programs from Division II to Division I in 2004. The rivalry resumed in 2012 after the Coyotes joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The series is one of the oldest rivalries in college football, and the oldest between two public institutions at the FCS level.
The Coyotes historically shared a rivalry with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, first meeting in 1903. The Fighting Hawks currently hold the all-time series 64âÂÂ34âÂÂ5. The rivalry was interrupted in 2011 after the two schools moved to separate conferences (the Big Sky Conference for North Dakota and the Missouri Valley Football Conference for South Dakota), but the series was renewed when the Fighting Hawks joined the Missouri Valley in 2021.
Both teams formerly fought for the Sitting Bull Trophy (an oak bust of Sitting Bull), but it was retired in 2000 amid an ongoing NCAA controversy over the use of Native American names and symbols by its member institutions.
The Coyotes have won eleven conference championships, three outright and eight shared.
â Co-champions
^ South Dakota and NebraskaâÂÂOmaha split games in 1978, which counted as a tie in the NCC standings.
The Coyotes have made four appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 4âÂÂ4.
The Coyotes have made five appearances in the Division I-AA/FCS playoffs, with an combined record of 6âÂÂ5.
The Coyotes have had 27 head coaches throughout the program's history. It is not known who coached the team between 1889âÂÂ1900. South Dakota did not field teams in 1943 and 1944 due to World War II.
The Coyotes have played in the DakotaDome since it opened in 1979. Seating 9,100 spectators, the Dome has been home to several Coyote sports teams over its 49 year history; alongside football, the DakotaDome formerly hosted Coyote basketball, volleyball, and swimming & diving. In addition to Coyote football, the Dome also hosts South Dakota's high school state football championships each November.
The DakotaDome has been renovated several times over the building's lifespan, most recently from 2019 to 2021 in a $26 million project that rebuilt the west side of the Dome. Improvements included permanent seating on the west side, new loge boxes and suites, a new locker room covering more than 6,000 square feet with 110 new lockers, new offices and equipment space, and a new concourse. As of 2025, plans are in place to renovate the west side of the Dome.
Before the DakotaDome, the Coyotes played on-campus at Inman Field from 1924 to 1978. The stadium seated 10,000 spectators and was located at the current site of the Knudson School of Law and Beacom Hall.
Eighteen former Coyotes have been selected in the NFL draft. The most recent Coyote selected was Myles Harden in the 2024 NFL draft, who was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 7th round.
Other notable alumni include:
The Coyotes have played sixteen times against teams from NCAA Division I FBS since moving up to NCAA Division I FCS in 2008; they are 2âÂÂ15 overall.
Announced schedules as of February 12, 2026.