Valley City State Vikings football: Difference between revisions

 

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* [[Lloyd Joseph]] – (1987–1990) Drafted by the [[BC Lions]] in the 6th round of the [[1991 CFL Draft]]

* [[Lloyd Joseph]] – (1987–1990) Drafted by the [[BC Lions]] in the 6th round of the [[1991 CFL Draft]]

* [[Steve Battle]] – (1999–2002) Three-time NAIA All-American wide receiver; participated in NFL camp with the [[St. Louis Rams]]

* [[Steve Battle]] – (1999–2002) Three-time NAIA All-American wide receiver; participated in NFL camp with the [[St. Louis Rams]]

* [[Jake Olsen]] – (2009–2012) Safeties coach for the [[LSU Tigers football|LSU Tigers]]

* [[Marshaun Jones]] – (2019–2021) Two-time First-Team All-Conference defensive lineman; NAIA All-American and former [[Iowa Barnstormers]] player

* [[Marshaun Jones]] – (2019–2021) Two-time First-Team All-Conference defensive lineman; NAIA All-American and former [[Iowa Barnstormers]] player

* [[Michael Cornelious]] – (2020–2021) Indoor and professional football wide receiver; currently with [[Mexicas de la Ciudad de México]] of the LFA

* [[Michael Cornelious]] – (2020–2021) Indoor and professional football wide receiver; currently with [[Mexicas de la Ciudad de México]] of the LFA

College football team

The Valley City State Vikings football team represents Valley City State University in college football as a member of the Frontier Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Vikings have fielded a team since 1909. The program plays home games at Lokken Stadium in Valley City, North Dakota.^[1]

The program is led by head coach Dennis McCulloch, who began his tenure in 1997. Under McCulloch, the Vikings have captured multiple conference championships and made four NAIA playoff appearances.^[1][2]

Valley City State began varsity football in 1909. Over more than a century, the Vikings have won 29 conference championships and made nine NAIA playoff appearances. Their postseason win came in 1980 over McMurry College (TX).^[1]

In 2025, the Vikings transitioned from the North Star Athletic Association to the Frontier Conference.^[1]

The Vikings play at Lokken Stadium (capacity ~2,500) on the VCSU campus. The school’s athletics master plan has included the Tharaldson Family Athletic Center, an indoor facility under development adjacent to Dacotah Bank Field.^[3]

Valley City State maintains long-standing rivalries with University of Jamestown, Dickinson State University, and Mayville State University.

The Paint Bucket Rivalry is one of the oldest and most recognized small-college football rivalries in the Upper Midwest, contested annually between Valley City State University and the University of Jamestown. The winner receives the ceremonial Paint Bucket, a tradition created to help curb vandalism between the two campuses by giving fans a sanctioned way to “claim” the rivalry through the trophy rather than graffiti. The series dates back to the early 20th century and has been played nearly every season since its inception.

Jamestown controlled large stretches of the rivalry in its early years, while Valley City State gained momentum in the late 20th and early 21st centuries under longtime head coach Dennis McCulloch. The matchup has frequently carried conference-title or postseason implications during eras when both teams competed in the North Dakota College Athletic Conference and later the North Star Athletic Association.

The series has historically been competitive, with extended winning streaks on both sides and several games decided in the final moments. As of the most recent meeting, Valley City State leads the all-time series.

Valley City State and Dickinson State share one of the oldest and most frequently played small-college football rivalries in the Upper Midwest. The teams have met regularly since at least 1930 across multiple conferences, including the North Dakota College Athletic Conference, Dakota Athletic Conference, North Star Athletic Association, and now the Frontier Conference.

The rivalry has historically favored Dickinson State, who leads the series 53–35–5. Many matchups between the Vikings and Blue Hawks have carried conference title implications, with Dickinson State emerging as one of the NAIA’s most nationally consistent programs over the past several decades. Despite the overall series deficit, VCSU has recorded notable wins throughout the rivalry’s history, and the annual meeting remains one of the Vikings’ most anticipated games each season.

Valley City State and Mayville State maintain one of North Dakota’s most traditional small-college football rivalries, dating back to at least 1930. The programs have competed as conference opponents for nearly their entire histories, meeting through the NDCAC, DAC, NSAA, and now the Frontier Conference.

The series has been strongly controlled by Valley City State, who leads 72–25–2 since 1930. While the Vikings have held the advantage overall, the rivalry has produced long stretches of competitive play and has often influenced conference standings, regional recruiting, and postseason qualification. The annual matchup with the Comets remains an important fixture on VCSU’s schedule.

Over more than a century of competition, Valley City State has been led by numerous head coaches. Records below reflect the program’s official totals (latest totals for McCulloch per 2025 information).^[1]

Key to symbols in coaches list

General		Overall		Conference		Postseason[A 1]
No.	Order of coaches[A 2]	GC	Games coached	CW	Conference wins	PW	Postseason wins
DC	Division championships	OW	Overall wins	CL	Conference losses	PL	Postseason losses
CC	Conference championships	OL	Overall losses	CT	Conference ties	PT	Postseason ties
NC	National championships	OT	Overall ties[A 3]	C%	Conference winning percentage
†	Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame	O%	Overall winning percentage[A 4]

National champions

Conference champions

Playoff berth (no league title)

The Vikings have won 29 conference championships: 1926, 1927, 1928, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.^[1]

The Vikings have appeared in the NAIA playoffs eight times: 1976, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2011, and 2014, with an overall postseason record of 1–8 (win in 1980).^[1]

Gregg Horner – 2012 NAIA

The following is a chronological list of Valley City State University football players recognized as NAIA All-Americans.^[7]

Year	Player	Position	Team
1952	Marlow Gudmundson	RB	—
1958	Jim Bock	E	—
1976	Dave Rausch	LB	—
1976	Jim Ukestad	OL	1st Team
1977	Dave Olson	OL	—
1977	Dave Rausch	LB	1st Team
1977	Jon Achter	RB	—
1977	Jim Ukestad	OL	1st Team
1978	Eric Jorgenson	DL	1st Team
1980	Jon Bolstad	DB	2nd Team
1980	Mark Smetana	QB	—
1980	Pete Hughes	DB	—
1981	Jon Bolstad	DB	1st Team
1983	Jim Theis	DE	1st Team
1983	Jed Klein	DL	—
1983	Jeff Volk	DB	—
1984	Pat O’Brien	DT	—
1984	Pat Horner	TE	—
1985	Doug Schindele	LB	—
1985	Rod Skytland	RB	—
1986	Dave Schramm	WR	—
1987	Tyler Schlecht	WR	—
1987	Darin Loe	QB	—
1988	Lloyd Joseph	DL	—
1988	Darin Loe	QB	—
1989	Lloyd Joseph	DL	—
1989	Andy Williams	LB	—
1990	Lloyd Joseph	DL	—
1990	Andrew Warcken	DB	—
1991	Tony Fast	DL	—
1995	Trevor Bakalar	KR	—
1996	Trevor Bakalar	RB	—
1996	Sarge Truesdell	DB	—
1997	Trevor Bakalar	RB	—
1997	Sarge Truesdell	DB	—
1999	Ben King	RB	—
2000	Jeremy Peschel	QB	—
2000	Darin Walters	OL	—
2000	Steve Battle	WR	—
2001	Steve Battle	WR	—
2001	Brent Miller	DL	—
2001	Ben Aarestad	LB	—
2002	Steve Battle	WR	—
2004	Josh Kasowski	LB	1st Team
2005	Joe Maresh	DE	—
2006	Joe Maresh	DE	1st Team[8]
2006	Chauncey Calhoun	DB	—[8]
2008	Chauncey Calhoun	WR	—[9]
2013	Derek Elliott	RB	1st Team[10]
2016	Nicholas McBeain	LB	2nd Team[11]
2019	Louis Quinones	RB	—[12]
2020	Marshaun Jones	DL	2nd Team[13]
2020	Sal Avila	LB	—[13]
2021	Marshaun Jones	DL	—[14]
2021	Riley Gerhardt	DL	—[14]
2022	Riley Gerhardt	DL	2nd Team[15]
2023	Riley Gerhardt	DL	2nd Team[16]

Key: 1st Team = NAIA First Team All-American; 2nd Team = NAIA Second Team All-American; (—) = Honorable Mention or unspecified level.

Valley City State Vikings retired numbers
No.	Player	Pos.	Tenure	Ref.
None officially retired

Numbers honored, but not retired and available for any player:

Valley City State Vikings honored jerseys
No.	Player	Pos.	Tenure
64	Dave Rausch	LB	1974–1978