USD head football coach Bob Nielson announces retirement

University of South Dakota head football coach Bob Nielson has announced his retirement Thursday. The team posted about Nielson’s decision to its social media accounts. Nielson’s coaching career spanned 42 years including 32 years coaching college football. Nielson came to Vermillion in 2016 after a stint as the head coach at Western Illinois. Before that he was a long time head coach at Division II Minnesota-Duluth. He won two NCAA Division II National Championships and one Missouri Valley Football conference championship in 2024. The Coyotes have also announced Travis Johansen has already been named the Coyotes 31^st head coach in program history. Johansen has been with USD since 2019 as defensive coordinator.