Dan Larson has been part of three Missouri Valley Football Conference and NCAA Division I FCS national championship teams since joining the North Dakota State University football staff in January 2019.
Larson started at NDSU as the running backs coach before moving to offensive line coach in January 2021. He was promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2025 season and will coach the tight ends and fullbacks.
NDSU rushed for a school-record 4,601 yards in Larson's first season as the Bison went 16-0. There were plenty of options in the backfield as the Bison developed four 600-yard rushers in 2019 led by quarterback Trey Lance's team-high 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns. NDSU led all Division I teams with 6.41 yards per carry and ranked fourth in the FCS averaging 287.6 rushing yards per game.
As the Bison offensive line coach in the spring and fall 2021 seasons, he helped develop All-America tackles and future NFL draft picks Cordell Volson and Cody Mauch while leading a unit that helped NDSU finish second in the FCS with 280.6 rushing yards per game in the fall. The Bison again led all Division I teams with 6.21 yards per carry.
Prior to NDSU, Larson spent 11 seasons as a head coach and offensive coordinator at three other schools.
He came to the Bison from his alma mater, Division III Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he inherited an 0-10 program and put it back on track for success. The Blugolds went 4-6 his final season, their best win total in six years.
Larson spent eight years as an offensive coordinator at Macalester (2008-12) and Minnesota-Duluth (2013-15). Macalester achieved its best three-year win total in 25 years, and UMD went 32-6 with two NCAA playoff appearances and a win in the Mineral Water Bowl.
He coached running backs at the FCS level for two seasons at Colgate (2006-07), where he was promoted to special teams coordinator his final year and coached All-America running back Jordan Scott, the 2007 FCS rushing leader.
An all-conference defensive lineman at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, he moved into the coaching ranks at Marietta College in Ohio for two seasons (2003-04) overseeing the running backs and punters while also serving as the team's strength and conditioning coach. He spent one year at Wisconsin-Stout in 2005 coaching the wide receivers and special teams units.
Larson earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications/public relations from Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2003 and completed a master's degree in education at Marietta College in 2005.
He has two children, Stella and Oliver.
| Dan Larson Year-by-Year Coaching History |
| Year |
School |
Position |
| 2003 |
Marietta (Ohio) |
Running Backs |
| 2004 |
Marietta (Ohio) |
Running Backs |
| 2005 |
Wisconsin-Stout |
Wide Receivers |
| 2006 |
Colgate |
Running Backs |
| 2007 |
Colgate |
Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator |
| 2008 |
Macalester |
Offensive Coordinator |
| 2009 |
Macalester |
Offensive Coordinator |
| 2010 |
Macalester |
Offensive Coordinator |
| 2011 |
Macalester |
Offensive Coordinator |
| 2012 |
Macalester |
Offensive Coordinator |
| 2013 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Offensive Coordinator |
| 2014 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Offensive Coordinator |
| 2015 |
Minnesota-Duluth |
Offensive Coordinator |
| 2016 |
Wisconsin-Eau Claire |
Head Coach |
| 2017 |
Wisconsin-Eau Claire |
Head Coach |
| 2018 |
Wisconsin-Eau Claire |
Head Coach |
| 2019 |
North Dakota State |
Running Backs |
| 2020-21 |
North Dakota State |
Offensive Line |
| 2021 |
North Dakota State |
Offensive Line |
| 2022 |
North Dakota State |
Offensive Line |
| 2023 |
North Dakota State |
Offensive Line |
| 2024 |
North Dakota State |
Offensive Line |
