North Dakota State University's athletic teams have progressed from the "Farmers" in the 1890s, to the "Aggies" in the early 1900s, to the "Bison," NDSU's current athletic symbol.
It was developed by head coach and director of athletics Stan Borleske because he and members of the football team didn't like being known as the Aggies. Borleske wanted a strong and fierce mascot. The "Bison" nickname was adopted in March 1922.
The Bison was a logical choice. The great animals once roamed the North Dakota prairie in vast numbers, and over the years Bison athletic teams also became known as the "Thundering Herd."
The Law of the Prairie
Now this is the law of the prairie
As old and as true as the sky
And the Bison that keep it will prosper
And the Bison that break it will die
As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk
This law is the final word:
For the strength of the Herd is the Bison
And the strength of the Bison is the Herd.
