EDITOR’S
NOTE
The Perfect Send Off
FROM THE EDITOR
The fairy tale ending to a dream-like season of Bison football has come to a close.
Through the distractions and amid the controversies, head coach Craig Bohl kept
his team on the path, moving forward all the while knowing this year was his last
in Fargo.
Joe Kerlin
Editor, Bison Illustrated
C O N TA C T M E
[email protected]
facebook.com/bisonillustrated
@bisonmag
It was a subtle moment...
and it seems like it always is. He stands
with his quiet six-foot stature, his
confident demeanor classified to some
as Midwest arrogance, but those who
are close would say its head coach Craig
Bohl being exactly that – Coach Bohl.
Forty minutes before the game at the
50-yard line, the focused figure wears
his green Bison hat that rests silently on
his head, covering up what’s underneath
where his brain is strategizing what
he says is “how to get the next first
down.” Moments before the 2013 FCS
National Championship game, it’s tough
to believe he’s not soaking in his last
moments as the leader and CEO of the
North Dakota State University football
program.
Now, Coach Bohl and the 104 wins in
his back pocket will tell you sentimental
thoughts and any feelings of “the last
time” were suppressed during the third
and final championship ru n.
We believe him because that’s the man
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@j_kerlin
we have grown accustomed to and the
way he continuously went about his
business, but you want to believe this
past year, especially during the playoffs,
everything meant a little more to our
Coach Bohl.
The human element of coaching and
being a teacher sets in before ending an
11-year run at NDSU and there’s no way
Bohl wasn’t taking in every moment.
Like any coach, Bohl has had his ups and
downs during his tenure as a Bison.
A forgettable 2009 campaign that a
handful of seniors who claimed their
third championship lived through seems
as far away as the days when Bohl
arrived in Fargo in 2003.
Distant memories of Bohl’s 28-11 record
as defensive coordinator of his almamater, Nebraska, were swept clean as
he was allowed to start a new chapter
of his life, and boy did he have a nice
introduction to the Fargo community.
“Success became
routine, but the
struggles on the
Road to Glory and to
FCS Championships
stayed numerous.”
2003 may have been the last time
the Bison played the University
of North Dakota, but it was the
beginning of the great revival of
Bison Nation. Coach Bohl’s first
five seasons were everything
Bison fans imagined they would
be, while the football team made
their slow transition into Division I
competition.
Success became routine, but the
struggles on the Road to Glory
and to FCS Championships stayed
numerous. Just as Coach Bohl has
faced the grind his entire career, he
met the challenges head on, always
keeping his eyes on the prize.
Even after the news broke that Bohl
would be leaving after the playoffs,
you knew it was going to take more
than that to derail the 24-senior led
Bison team from their number one
goal – perfection.
Coach Bohl, you’ll probably never
read this, but thanks. I’m glad your
team and your staff were sent
off properly and are able to look
back proudly at what you and the
Bison football team accomplished,
because it won’t be forgotten about
in these parts for a long, long time.
Go Bison,
Joe Kerlin