- ^ "Nielson to lead Redmen football". Oshkosh Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. March 21, 1989. p. 21. Retrieved December 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | South Dakota |
| Conference | MVFC |
| Record | 42–45 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 28, 1959 |
| Alma mater | Wartburg (1982) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1981–1986 | Wartburg (OL) |
| 1987–1988 | Wartburg (DC) |
| 1989–1990 | Ripon |
| 1991–1995 | Wartburg |
| 1996–1998 | Wisconsin–Eau Claire |
| 1999–2003 | Minnesota–Duluth |
| 2008–2012 | Minnesota–Duluth |
| 2013–2015 | Western Illinois |
| 2016–present | South Dakota |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 228–125–1 |
| Tournaments | 3–3 (NCAA D-III playoffs) 11–4 (NCAA D-II playoffs) 3–4 (NCAA FCS playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 NCAA Division II (2008, 2010) 1 IIAC (1993) 1 WIAC (1998) 5 NSIC (2002, 2008–2011) 5 NSIC North Division (2008–2012) | |
| Awards | |
| AFCA Division II COY (2010) Liberty Mutual Division II COY (2010) IIAC Coach of the Year (1993) 3× NCIS Coach of the Year (2002, 2008, 2010) | |
Bob Nielson (born September 28, 1959) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of South Dakota, a position he had held since the 2016 season. Nielson was the head football coach at Ripon College (1989–1990), Wartburg College (1991–1995), the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (1996–1998), University of Minnesota–Duluth (1999–2003, 2008–2012), and Western Illinois University (2013–2015). His Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs won the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2008 and 2010.
Nielson grew up in Marion, Iowa, and is a 1982 graduate of Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He received his master's degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1988. He began his coaching career in 1981 as an assistant at Wartburg and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1986.[1]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | STATS/TSN° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripon Redmen (Midwest Conference) (1989–1990) | |||||||||
| 1989 | Ripon | 2–6–1 | 1–5 | T–4th (North) | |||||
| 1990 | Ripon | 7–2 | 4–2 | T–2nd (North) | |||||
| Ripon: | 9–8–1 | 5–7 | |||||||
| Wartburg Knights (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1991–1995) | |||||||||
| 1991 | Wartburg | 6–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1992 | Wartburg | 5–5 | 5–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1993 | Wartburg | 9–2 | 8–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division III First Round | ||||
| 1994 | Wartburg | 10–2 | 7–1 | 2nd | L NCAA Division III Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1995 | Wartburg | 9–1 | 7–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Wartburg: | 39–14 | 32–8 | |||||||
| Wisconsin–Eau Claire Blugolds (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1996–1998) | |||||||||
| 1996 | Wisconsin–Eau Claire | 5–5 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1997 | Wisconsin–Eau Claire | 7–3 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1998 | Wisconsin–Eau Claire | 10–3 | 5–2 | T–1st | L NCAA Division III Semifinal | ||||
| Wisconsin–Eau Claire: | 22–11 | 12–9 | |||||||
| Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) (1999–2003) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Minnesota–Duluth | 3–8 | 3–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 2000 | Minnesota–Duluth | 7–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2001 | Minnesota–Duluth | 9–3 | 7–2 | 2nd | 24 | ||||
| 2002 | Minnesota–Duluth | 11–1 | 9–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | 11 | |||
| 2003 | Minnesota–Duluth | 8–3 | 6–2 | 3rd | |||||
| Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) (2008–2012) | |||||||||
| 2008 | Minnesota–Duluth | 15–0 | 10–0 / 6–0 | 1st / 1st (North) | W NCAA Division II Championship | 1 | |||
| 2009 | Minnesota–Duluth | 11–2 | 10–0 / 6–0 | 1st / 1st (North) | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | 5 | |||
| 2010 | Minnesota–Duluth | 15–0 | 10–0 / 6–0 | 1st / 1st (North) | W NCAA Division II Championship | 1 | |||
| 2011 | Minnesota–Duluth | 11–3 | 8–2 / 5–1 | T–1st / T–1st (North) | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | 6 | |||
| 2012 | Minnesota–Duluth | 10–2 | 10–1 / 6–1 | 2nd / T–1st (North) | L NCAA Division II First Round | 12 | |||
| Minnesota–Duluth: | 100–26 | 78–15 | |||||||
| Western Illinois Leathernecks (Missouri Valley Football Conference) (2013–2015) | |||||||||
| 2013 | Western Illinois | 4–8 | 2–6 | 9th | |||||
| 2014 | Western Illinois | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–7th | |||||
| 2015 | Western Illinois | 7–6 | 5–3 | T–3rd | L NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| Western Illinois: | 16–21 | 10–14 | |||||||
| South Dakota Coyotes (Missouri Valley Football Conference) (2016–present) | |||||||||
| 2016 | South Dakota | 4–7 | 3–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 2017 | South Dakota | 8–5 | 4–4 | T–5th | L NCAA Division I Second Round | 16 | 15 | ||
| 2018 | South Dakota | 4–7 | 3–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 2019 | South Dakota | 5–7 | 4–4 | 6th | |||||
| 2020–21 | South Dakota | 1–3 | 1–3 | T–7th | |||||
| 2021 | South Dakota | 7–5 | 5–3 | T–3rd | L NCAA Division I First Round | 20 | 18 | ||
| 2022 | South Dakota | 3–8 | 2–6 | 9th | |||||
| 2023 | South Dakota | 10–3 | 7–1 | 2nd | L NCAA Division I Quarterfinal | ||||
| South Dakota: | 42–45 | 29–31 | |||||||
| Total: | 228–125–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||