The Bismarck Bucks were an indoor American football team based in Bismarck, North Dakota. The Bucks joined Champions Indoor Football (CIF) as an expansion team in 2016, and began play for the 2017 season.[2] The team moved to the Indoor Football League (IFL) beginning with the 2019 season.[3] The team played its home games at the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck. The team suspended operations in 2022; the team's owners indicated it would attempt to return in 2025 under a new brand, the Dakota Bucks, once the regulatory issues that prevented the team from playing in 2023 were resolved. The issues, as of November 2024, remain unresolved, and the IFL left the team off its 2025 schedule.
| Dakota Bucks | |
|---|---|
| Established 2016 Play in Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck, North Dakota DakotaBucks.com | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
| |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Orange, dark blue, black and gold |
| Mascot | TAG |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | BEK Communications[1] |
| General manager | Gregory Schuh |
| Head coach | Rod Miller |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Playoff appearances (3) | |
| Home arena(s) | |
| |
The Bucks were the third indoor football team to play in Bismarck, following the Bismarck Blaze who played in the original Indoor Football League for its second and final season of 2000, as well as the Bismarck Roughriders who played in the National Indoor Football League from 2002 until 2003.
History
edit2017–2022
editOn September 28, 2016, it was announced that Bismarck had been granted a team in the CIF to begin play for the 2017 season and owned by the Sallberg family under the corporate name Dakota Pro Football LLC.[1] Richard Davis was announced as the team's first head coach and general manager, with former University of Mary wide receiver Elby Pope signed as the team's first player.[4]
Following a name-the-team contest, the Bismarck Bucks name, logo and colors were announced on the November 1 episode of KXMB-TV news/talk program Good Day Dakota.[5]
During the Bucks' second season, head coach and general manager Richard Davis was relieved of duties after several workplace grievances had been filed against him and his wife Judy Davis, another Bucks' employee. He was replaced by former Wichita Force and Bucks' offensive coordinator Paco Martinez on an interim basis.[6]
On October 5, 2018, the Bucks announced that they had joined the Indoor Football League for the 2019 season, following the Quad City Steamwheelers from the CIF.[3] At the beginning of the 2019 season, the majority ownership of Dakota Pro Football LLC was sold to BEK Communications by the Sallberg family.[1]
2023
editThe Bucks were inactive for the 2023 season in the IFL. The team will be collaborating with the North Dakota Workforce Safety Insurance (WSI) to determine the scope of services needed to support the franchise.[7] The team' proposed a relocation to Fargo, planning to play its games in Scheels Arena there, with one game at Rough Rider Center in Watford City; to this effect, the team hosted a "Fargo IFL Gridiron Classic" between the Sioux Falls Storm and Massachusetts Pirates on April 27.[8] To accommodate the change, the team announced a name change to the "Dakota Bucks." The Bucks looked to compete in the 2025 season; this did not come to pass, and on October 31, 2024, the IFL released its 2025 schedule, which did not include the Bucks. [9]
Season-by-season results
edit| League champions | Conference champions | Division champions | Playoff berth | League leader |
| Season | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | |||||
| 2017 | CIF | North | 4th | 5 | 7 | 0 | Lost Conference Semifinal (Sioux City) 43–82 | |
| 2018 | CIF | North | 4th | 5 | 7 | 0 | Lost Conference Semifinal (Salina) 51–81 | |
| 2019 | IFL | 8th | 2 | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | IFL | — | 0 | 1 | 0 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | IFL | 7th | 7 | 8 | 0 | Lost First round (Massachusetts) 19–44 | ||
| 2022 | IFL | Eastern | 6th | 3 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | IFL | Dormant year | ||||||
| 2024 | IFL | Dormant year | ||||||
| Totals | 22 | 48 | 0 | All-time regular season record (2017–2022) | ||||
| 0 | 3 | — | All-time postseason record (2017–2022) | |||||
| 22 | 51 | 0 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2017–2022) | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "BEK Communications takes over as majority owner of the Bismarck Bucks". KXMB-TV. March 20, 2019.
- ^ Mark Wishnia (September 26, 2016). "Bismarck is Getting an Indoor Football Team". www.cool987fm.com. Loudwire Network.
- ^ a b Kosirowski, Ken (October 5, 2018). "Bismarck Bucks moving to IFL, hire new general manager, head coach". MyNDNow.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Thomas, Steve (September 28, 2016). "Football returns to Event Center". BismarckTribune.com. The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ^ "Bismarck Bucks, the indoor pro football team gets set for winter". MyMDNow.com. KXMB-TV. November 1, 2016. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- ^ "Bismarck Bucks fire head coach after workplace grievance filed". KXMD-TV. April 19, 2018.
- ^ "Bismark Bucks Press Pause for 2023". Bismark Bucks. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Jachim, Nick (November 7, 2023). "Bismarck Bucks to return in 2025; may move team to Fargo". KX Television. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ Carter, Anthony (October 31, 2024). "Indoor Football League announces 14-team league in 2025 schedule release". Arena Insider. Retrieved October 31, 2024.