Kyle "Bubba" Schweigert named head coach of North Dakota football program

Merry Christmas from Goon's World, UND has a new football coach...

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Athletics Director Brian Faison announced on Tuesday that Kyle “Bubba” Schweigert has been named head football coach at the University of North Dakota.

Schweigert will be formally introduced as the 26^th head coach in UND history at a press conference on Friday, Dec. 27 at 10 a.m. at the Alerus Center. The Zeeland, N.D., native returns to Grand Forks after 10 years away from a program that he helped lead to the 2001 NCAA Division II national title as defensive coordinator.

Most recently, Schweigert was the defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois for the previous six seasons (2008-13) and served as associate head coach for the last five of that stretch. His 2010 defense led the Missouri Valley in total defense and his unit finished in the top half of the league in four of his six campaigns at SIU.

In his six seasons at SIU, Schweigert has had three first team All-Americans and 20 all-conference selections (10 first team, six second team, four honorable mention). His defensive standouts have included linebacker and 2012 graduate Jayson DiManche, currently playing for Cincinnati Bengals, and cornerback Korey Lindsey, a three-time All-American and a 2011 draft pick of the Bengals. In 2013, SIU linebacker Bryan Presume earned first team All-MVFC honors after ranking third in the league with 104 tackles. His 55 solo stops were tops in the conference.

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to serve the University of North Dakota as its head football coach,” said Schweigert. “I am looking forward to hiring a staff and building a program that will represent UND in a first-class manner, both on and off the field.

“We will put forth great effort to facilitate positive relations with fans, alumni, the community and the student body,” Schweigert added. “We look forward to playing exciting championship football in front of thousands of loyal fans as we strive to win the Big Sky Conference championship and, ultimately, reach the pinnacle of FCS football.”  

Prior to reuniting with head coach Dale Lennon at SIU, Schweigert took on his first head coaching job at the collegiate level, leading the Division II program at Minnesota Duluth from 2004-07. He guided the Bulldogs to a 21-20 overall record during his tenure, including the program’s first North Central Conference title in 2005. The NCAA playoff berth that season was the program’s second in four seasons. That same season, Schweigert was also named the D2football.com Northwest Region Coach of the Year and the AFCA Division II Coach of the Year for Region 5.

 This will be the second stint at UND for Schweigert. He spent 15 seasons as an assistant coach in Grand Forks (1989-2003) where he was part of eight NCAA playoff teams and six NCC title squads.

Schweigert was elevated to defensive coordinator at UND prior to the 1999 season and left for Duluth after the 2003 UND team finished as national runner-up. Schweigert was named the American Football Coaches Association Division II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.

“Coach Schweigert brings a wealth of coaching experience, is a proven recruiter, an effective communicator and has an incredible passion for the game and for the success of his student-athletes on the field and in the classroom,” said Faison. “From defense to offense to special teams, his philosophy is great: ATTACK.”

Schweigert began his coaching career at his alma mater, now Jamestown University, from 1985-1988. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Jamestown and a master’s degree from UND. In 2002, he was honored with Jamestown’s Rollie Greeno Award for outstanding commitment in the field of education and coaching.

Schweigert and his wife, Laura, have two sons, Alex and Cooper.

Friday’s press conference will be held on suite level at the Alerus Center