Fighting Sioux, Through and Through

North Dakota\'s Dale Lennon proves there\'s no place like home.
by: Wayne Nelson
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Under a dark, late-afternoon December sky in Florence, Alabama, the University of North Dakota faced the possibility of letting a national football championship slip through its hands.

The Fighting Sioux trailed Grand Valley State of Michigan 14-10 with less than three minutes to play. The mist that had blanketed Braly Municipal Stadium for much of the game had turned into a drizzle, further complicating North Dakota’s chances of mounting a game-winning, 80-yard touchdown drive.

Yet, there stood North Dakota coach Dale Lennon in shirt-sleeves. His arms were folded. His calm demeanor was the same as it was before kickoff. North Dakota’s offense mirrored Lennon’s demeanor. In business-like fashion, North Dakota drove 80 yards for the game-winning touchdown, scored by running back Jed Perkerewicz on a one-yard run with 29 seconds to play.

Suddenly, the drizzle didn’t matter. The dampness of the day was forgotten. The celebration of North Dakota’s 17-14 national championship win was set to begin at midfield. Through it all, Lennon remained calm and professional, major trademarks of his coaching style.

“If you’re the head coach and you show any signs of panic, you send the wrong message in a high-pressure situation,” Lennon said.

For North Dakota, the title was its first in 105 years of Fighting Sioux football. For Lennon, the title capped a remarkable first three years as the North Dakota coach. He took over a respected program, and elevated it to the top of NCAA Division II football.

In his first three seasons, Lennon’s teams posted a 31-6 record, with the 31 wins being more than any other Fighting Sioux head coach in his first three years. Lennon also was named the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year in 2001, becoming the first North Dakota coach to receive the honor since the award was instituted in 1935.

North Dakota roots ...
Lennon is a native of Knox, N.D. He was a fullback at North Dakota, and later became the school’s defensive coordinator before accepting the head coaching position at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.

After three seasons at the NAIA school, Lennon was named the North Dakota head coach in 1999. The Fighting Sioux posted a 9-2 record in Lennon’s first year, with North Dakota reaching the Division II playoffs in the process.

Lennon’s coaching philosophy is largely the product of his upbringing.

“I like to call it a Dakota-tough philosophy,” Lennon said. “You want to have a tough football team, one that plays well in bad weather. It’s an attitude.“My idol growing up was Dave Osborn (a former Minnesota Vikings running back). And I was a big, big fan of Bud Grant and his demeanor, and the tough mentality you have to have to be a part of this game.”

Lennon’s Dakota-tough philosophy, however, provides for North Dakota’s players and assistant coaches with an opportunity to have a major say in the program.

"You treat your players like men until they prove otherwise,” Lennon said. “With your coaches, you let them coach. You want your coaches to have a sense of ownership. You want them to have a big role in the program.”

Lennon also wants his players to have a big role in the classroom as well. In his first three seasons, Lennon’s teams have posted 3.08, 3.02 and 2.86 grade-point averages. And last year, 12 North Dakota players were named to the all-North Central Conference academic team.

The defense never rests ...
As North Dakota’s defensive coordinator from 1990-1996, Lennon gained a reputation as one of the country’s finest. His Under Lennon, North Dakota led the North Central Conference in scoring defense in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996 as well as total defense in 1994 and 1996.

Lennon still believes in defense first. “I believe you win championships with defense,” Lennon said.His commitment to defense also helped change the course of the country’s top Division II rivalry – North Dakota versus North Dakota State.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, North Dakota State was riding high as the country’s best Division II program. The Bison success largely was due to their option game, which no North Central Conference program could stop.

North Dakota State beat North Dakota 12 straight times from 1981 to 1992. In the early 1990s, Lennon installed a 3-4 defensive alignment, a defense that still is considered unique, but one that can hinder an option team.

But that helped turn North Dakota’s football program into one of
dominance.

North Dakota, with the help of the 3-4 defense, ended North Dakota State’s string of victories against the Fighting Sioux in 1993. North Dakota went on to win eight of the next 11 meetings between the rivals.

“I wanted a defense that had a good shot at defending the option,” Lennon said. “The Bison were running a true veer at the time. And recruiting also was a big reason why we went to the 3-4.

“We had trouble finding big defensive linemen that could run. Finding linebackers was an easier task.”

As a result, North Dakota now is known as “Linebacker U” by many opponents. Under North Dakota’s 3-4 alignment, the Fighting Sioux have complemented their hard-to-find linemen with agile, hard-hitting linebackers.

“The 3-4 is an odd defense because not many teams run it,” Lennon said. “You can mold it into anything you want. It’s such a flexible defense for us.”

Don’t look back ...
As soon as North Dakota won its first national title last December, Lennon and his assistant coaches hit the recruiting trail.

The national title naturally was a good recruiting tool, but Lennon realizes a program can’t rest on its laurels.

The Fighting Sioux lost 18 seniors from their title team, making the 2002 season a challenging one.

“It’s been very challenging because we have such a young team,” Lennon said. “We put last year behind us and started work on rebuilding the program.”

Not that much work needed to be done.

North Dakota’s program is regarded as one of the best in Division II. Also, its facilities are second to none. The Fighting Sioux moved into the 13,500-seat Alerus Center last year. And the team played before more than 100,000 fans in 10 home games last season, a remarkable statistic for a Division II program.

North Dakota has not had a losing season since 1989. The Fighting Sioux also have won five North Central Conference championships in the last nine years.

Lennon credits a lot of the program’s success to his assistant coaches. Kyle Schweigert, the team’s defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, also is a North Dakota native as is defensive line and linebacker coach Tom Dosch, who Lennon recruited out of high school.

Chris Mussman is North Dakota’s offensive coordinator while Tim Tibesar, another player recruited by Lennon, is the team’s inside linebackers coach. Other assistants are wide receiver coach Tim Bellmore and running backs coach Curt Sienkiewicz.

Lennon has coached at the collegiate level since 1986. All but one of his seasons have been spent in the Peace Garden State. He wouldn’t change anything about his coaching philosophy or where he’s coached.

“I want to coach as long as it’s fun,” Lennon said.

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