(Grand Forks, ND) — The captain of U-N-D’s 2001 national championship team is returning as the Fighting Hawks’ new head football coach. Eric Schmidt was announced as University of North Dakota’s new coach on Sunday evening. In addition to earning All-American honors as a linebacker during the Fighting Hawks’ Division Two national championship season, Schmidt has served two different stints as an assistant coach at UND. Schmidt has been an assistant coach at the FBS level over the past five seasons at San Diego State, Washington and Fresno State. He was part of the Washington coaching staff that played in the national championship game in 2023. Director of Athletics Bill Chaves will formally introduce Schmidt to the media on Wednesday.
