On Saturday, November 30, it was announced that Bubba Schweigert, UND’s head football coach, would be stepping down.
Coach Schweigert, hailing from Zeeland, North Dakota, was crucial in guiding the UND football program into the Division 1 era.
Schweigert was hired as UND’s head coach in December of 2013, with this past season marking Schweigert’s 11th season at the helm in Grand Forks. The Fighting Hawks went 66-57 under Schweigert, making the NCAA D1 FCS Playoffs five times during his tenure.
Schweigert’s Hawks won the Big Sky back in 2016, and most recently won the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2021. Indisputably the most memorable game of Schweigert’s UND coaching career was last season when the Fighting Hawks defeated their in-state rival, the North Dakota State University Bison for the first time since before Facebook was invented.
Sophomore defensive back Jett Sutton said, “Bubba was the first to offer me a Division 1 scholarship and always treated me and my family with great respect,” he said when asked what Schweigert meant to him. “That meant a lot because it gave me confidence that I would be a part of a great program, which made me feel more comfortable being so far from home.”
Schweigert was respected as a pillar of the UND family, doing excellent work in addition to his coaching services in fundraising and community engagement.
One of Schweigert’s calling cards during his time as a Fighting Hawk came after games, not during.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson popularized a celebration dance called “The Griddy.” Coach Schweigert took it upon himself to bring the griddy all the way to Grand Forks, griddying into an anticipating locker room after victories for the past few seasons.
Tight end Quincy Vaughn recaledl the first time Schweigert did the griddy.
“It was our first win during Covid-19 and my first experience in the locker room. I kind of saw him heading down the hallway doing the griddy, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
Vaughn added that he knew it “needed some work in the moment, but all of the guys started getting super hyped up about it and from there, it stuck.”
Schweigert will not be completely departing from UND. Instead the former head coach will be stepping into an administrative role with the team.
“I’ve been grateful for this opportunity for 11 years, you know, how many guys get to sit in this chair at North Dakota’s flagship university,” Schweigert said in his press conference announcing his resignation.
Schweigert also stated in the presser that UND is, “my Notre Dame.”
Looking forward for UND, offensive coordinator Issac Fruechte has been named interim head coach following Schweigert’s resignation. Fruechte and co. successfully signed 23 incoming high school players this past Wednesday on National Signing Day.
UND’s head coaching job is now closed for applications. Fruechte, along with other applicants, will be considered by Athletic Director Bill Chaves to be the next head coach of the UND football team.
Garrett Webber is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
