GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota Athletic Director Bill Chaves announced on Thursday that head coach Bubba Schweigert has been extended for an additional two seasons, which will keep him on the UND sideline through the 2027 season.

"I look forward to continuing to work with Coach Schweigert to achieve our ultimate goal of winning an FCS Championship," said Chaves. "Bubba has led our program to the playoffs four of the past five seasons which makes us one of only seven (of 128) teams in the country to do so. With all our facility upgrades occurring in real-time, I am excited for the next steps programmatically. Finally, and aside from the football performance piece, Coach Schweigert is a tremendous ambassador for the University of North Dakota."

Over his previous 10 seasons as the football head coach, Schweigert has led the Fighting Hawks to the FCS playoffs five times, including four times over the last five seasons. He has also helped seven North Dakota football players make it to the professional ranks, highlighted by Matt Waletzko (2018-21) and Brady Oliveira (2015-18).

Waletzko was selected in the fifth round (155th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was the first Fighting Hawk drafted since Kenny Golladay was picked by the Detroit Lions in the third round (96th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. Waletzko was also the first four-year player and offensive lineman drafted since Chris Kuper in the fifth round in 2006 by the Denver Broncos.

Oliveira has spent five seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after being drafted in the second round (14th overall) of the 2019 CFL Draft. Recent Fighting Hawk Evan Holm (2016-21), also coached by Schweigert, signed with the Blue Bombers in 2022.

In Schweigert's two most recent seasons, he has guided the Fighting Hawks to matching 7-5 records and 5-3 marks in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). His MVFC wins the last two seasons include a pair of victories against teams ranked in the top-10 of the Stats Perform Poll with wins over No. 6 North Dakota State (49-24 in 2023) and No. 7 Missouri State (W, 48-31 in 2022). In 2023, the Fighting Hawks ranked in the top-20 of both the major polls the entire season and ended the year ranked No. 16 nationally.

"The future of UND football has never been brighter in the Division I era as the leadership of Dr. Andy Armacost, Bill Chaves, and our entire administration along with wonderful alumni and donor support has put us in a position to keep moving the program in a positive direction," Coach Schweigert said. "We look forward to the completion of the Hyslop at Memorial Village and the Nodak Insurance Company Sports Performance Center (Phase II of the Pollard Athletic Center) along with the continuation of outstanding support for student-athletes including the 701 Alston Awards and implementation of NIL opportunities for our players. It is humbling to know that our campus leadership has the confidence in me to continue leading the football program of North Dakota's flagship university."

As members of the MVFC, Schweigert has guided 30 Fighting Hawks to All-MVFC status and helped eight make the MVFC All-Newcomer Team. UND has shined in the classroom as well, winning the MVFC All-Academic Award every year since joining the conference. North Dakota's grade point average of 3.459 in 2022-23 was a new conference record and the Fighting Hawks have three of the top-five team GPAs of all-time in the league. Thirty UND players have also been named to the MVFC All-Academic Team.

Over his 10 seasons as the head football coach, Schweigert has led North Dakota to seven winning seasons, five postseason appearances, the 2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference Championship and the 2016 Big Sky Conference Championship. He also led the Fighting Hawks through a successful transition from the Big Sky Conference to the Missouri Valley Football Conference and coached the team to back-to-back winning seasons as FCS Independents (2018, 2019). He was the Big Sky Coach of the Year and the FCS Region 5 Coach of the Year in 2016. In total, Schweigert has a coaching record of 61-50 at North Dakota and an 83-71 overall.

Nationally, UND has placed student-athletes on the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Hampshire Honor Society 37 times, had three players earn FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team nods and linebacker Davo Idowu selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

Schweigert began his coaching career at his alma mater, now the University of Jamestown, from 1985-1988. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Jamestown and a master's degree from UND. In 2002, he was honored with Jamestown's Rollie Greeno Award for outstanding commitment in the field of education and coaching.