“Understanding the tradition and history at North Dakota State and making sure we value that but also how do we grow and evolve and build upon an unbelievable foundation but also maintaining a culture that’s really strong… at our place, it’s bigger than a coach, it’s bigger than a star player – it really goes to our community and the level of support and really high expectations they have. The expectations are through the roof.” That’s North Dakota State Director of Athletics Matt Larsen in conversation with ADU’s Tai M. Brown at the 2025 NCAA Convention. Larsen and Brown dive into the Bison’s ability to maintain a tradition of excellence across a broad portfolio of sports.
Larsen offers insight into the department’s ability to continuously cultivate alumni, community and corporate supporters, noting that without the presence of professional sports or teams in the state, NDSU serves as a lifeblood for the region. Larsen: “So much of our success is driven by our fanbase, our community, the state, the region… we’ve done it on the backs of our external folks.”
The conversation is indexed below for efficient viewing (click the time stamp to jump to a specific question/topic).