Bison Nation Shows its Strength, Support in 701 Day Celebration

FARGO — If July 1, 2026 was a bellwether indicator for the timing of North Dakota State University football's move to the Mountain West Conference, then NDSU can look back on the impact of 701 Day as the first step towards building a championship program in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

701 Day was a celebration of the Bison's first day in FBS, where coaches and staff traveled to 11 cities in North Dakota and celebrate with Bison fans, while holding a fundraiser for the department's $50 million Climb the Mountain campaign.

In 24 hours, NDSU raised $280,918 in cash gifts and $10.1 million in matching gift pledges. The 1,150 donors that gave on 701 Day helped push NDSU Athletics over the halfway mark of Climb the Mountain with over $28 million raised to date.

"We are extremely grateful for everyone that donated to the Climb The Mountain campaign on 701 Day," said Deputy Athletic Director Derrick Lang, "because of our fans' support we were able to make significant progress towards our campaign goal. To no one's surprise, Bison Nation responded in a big time way, so on behalf of Team Makers, we just want to thank everyone who gave on 701 Day."

"It has been a sprint since we accepted our invite to the Mountain West in early February," said Director of Athletics Matt Larsen. "From day one, Bison Nation has responded with incredible generosity and support, and 701 Day is a great example. To have raised more than 50% of our goal in six months is a testament to our fan and donor base. We have a long way to go, but we have great momentum following such a successful 701 Day event."

"OWN THE STATE, OWN THE DAY!"

The donors of Bison Nation were given a challenge: band 701 unique donors together to give on July 1 to honor North Dakota's unofficial holiday and raise more than $10 million in cash gifts and donor matching pledges for Climb the Mountain.

Early giving for 701 Day yielded over 100 gifts when the campaign kicked off at 7:01 a.m. on July 1. The first two matches contributed by the South University Dental Associates' Chad Bergan, Alex Althoff and Todd DeBates, and the ETHOZ Group were unlocked during early giving. Additional matches, provided by David & Stephanie Clouston, Bell Bank, Corwin Auto Group, a pair of anonymous donors and a $5 million match from the We-B-Giving Foundation were all eligible when 701 Day began.

In just over four hours, the 701 unique donor goal was met, but there were still nearly 20 hours left in the campaign. In honor of NDSU's football foundation, the campaign donor total was upped from 701 donors to 1,894 to commemorate the first season of organized football on campus, 1894.

It was moon shot goal, but who could've anticipated over 600 donations before lunch? Donors with no affiliation gave to the campaign because "they wanted to support farm kids," according to one 701 Day donor in California who started following NDSU once it made the jump to FBS.

All told, NDSU received 1,200 gifts from 38 different states and one Fleet Post Office (FPO).

WHAT IT ALL MEANS

The day after then-NDSU President David Cook announced that the Bison accepted an invitation to play football in the Mountain West Conference, the department announced its Climb the Mountain campaign.

With a goal of $50 million over the next six years, the campaign's focus is on four pillars: scholarships, football operations, NIL opportunities and facilities. But, how are these dollars put into action and what does it mean for the NDSU football program?

It means everything to Head Football Coach Tim Polasek.

"We've always tried to position ourselves to be the best at our level and there's going to be some work to do and process to attain that," said Polasek on The Insiders on 701 Day. "But, days like today and what our fans help us accomplish, they're huge because we're setting things up for the future. It allows our assistant coaches and myself to focus on what we have to do to win ball games, so this kind of support is huge. Thank you to all that supported us."

Without the support of the NDSU Community, days like 701 Day aren't possible. The move to FBS would only be a dream, not the reality it is today. For the strength of the Herd is the Bison, and the strength of the Bison is the Herd.

Bison Nation's continued support fuels a monumental season ahead for NDSU Football and continues to strengthen the foundation for the future of the program.