2001 Valley City State Vikings football team

American college football season March 2026 November 2025 2001 Valley City State Vikings football 2001 VCSU Football Team.jpg 285 Dakota Athletic Conference DAC 9–2 8–1 Dennis McCulloch 5th Cory Anderson Gregg Horner 5th Jeremy Peschel Lokken Stadium NAIA First Round L 27–45 at 2001 Carroll Fighting Saints Carroll (MT) The 2001 Valley City State Vikings football team represented Valley City State University in the 2001 NAIA football season as a member of the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC). Under fifth-year head coach Dennis McCulloch, the Vikings finished 9–2 overall and 8–1 in conference play, earning a second consecutive berth in the NAIA playoffs for the first time in program history.Valley City State University – Hall of Fame: 2001 Football Team https://www.vcsualumni.org/awards-recognition/vikings-hall-of-fame/ VCSU Alumni November 25, 2025 Valley City State opened the season 9–0 before falling to conference champion Mary in the regular-season finale and losing at 2001 Carroll Fighting Saints Carroll (MT) in the NAIA First Round. Wide receiver Steve Battle and linebacker Ben Aarestad were both named NAIA Second-Team All-Americans, while quarterback Jeremy Peschel earned conference Most Valuable Player honors for the second straight season. Eight Vikings were selected to the All-DAC First Team: Peschel, Battle, Aarestad, Justin Wieseler, Brent Miller, James Thornton, Mike Silbernagel, and David Rowe. Valley City State dominated early in the season, posting back-to-back shutouts over Minnesota–Morris and Minot State and outscoring their first nine opponents by a wide margin. The Vikings’ 9–0 start positioned them among the top teams in the NAIA, rising as high as No. 3 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll. A road loss at Mary in the regular-season finale left the Vikings as runners-up in the DAC standings, but they still secured an at-large bid to the NAIA playoffs for a second consecutive year. In the first round, Valley City State traveled to Helena, Montana, where they fell 45–27 to eventual national champion 2001 Carroll Fighting Saints Carroll (MT). Schedule 2001 NAIA NAIA Central September 1 w y 8 2001 Minnesota–Morris Cougars Minnesota–Morris Lokken Stadium Valley City, ND 45–0 September 8 w 8 2001 Minot State Beavers Minot State Lokken Stadium Valley City, ND 42–0 September 15 w y 7 2001 Dakota State Trojans Dakota State Madison, SD 33–0 September 22 w y 4 2001 Black Hills State Yellow Jackets Black Hills State Spearfish, SD 21–7 September 29 w 4 2001 Jamestown Jimmies Jamestown Lokken Stadium Valley City, ND rivalry 33–14 October 6 w 4 2001 Huron Screaming Eagles Huron 22 Lokken Stadium Valley City, ND 31–0 October 13 w y 3 2001 Dickinson State Blue Hawks Dickinson State Biesiot Activities Center Dickinson, ND rivalry 23–20 October 20 w y 3 2001 Mayville State Comets Mayville State Jerome Berg Field Mayville, ND rivalry 35–14 October 27 w 3 2001 South Dakota Mines Hardrockers South Dakota Mines Lokken Stadium Valley City, ND 51–13 November 3 l y 3 2001 Mary Marauders Mary 4 Bismarck, ND 8–40 November 17 l y y 12 2001 Carroll Fighting Saints Carroll (MT) 4 Helena, MT NAIA First Round 27–45 2001 Football Schedule https://vcsuvikings.com/sports/football/schedule/2001 Valley City State University Athletics December 16, 2025 Rankings NAIA Coaches' Poll 0 10 8 7 4 4 3 3 3 3 12 12 13 Coaching staff Dennis McCulloch: head coach Cory Anderson: offensive coordinator Gregg Horner: defensive coordinator Nat Hill: assistant coach Dave Rausch: assistant coach Jamie Nelson: assistant coach Awards and honors Jeremy Peschel – Dakota Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player (Second Consecutive Season) Steve Battle – NAIA Second-Team All-American (Wide receiver) Ben Aarestad – NAIA Second-Team All-American (Linebacker) Brent Miller - NAIA Second-Team All-American (Defensive Line) Dakota Athletic Conference All-Conference Jeremy Peschel Steve Battle Justin Wieseler Brent Miller Mike Silbernagel Ben Aarestad David Rowe James Thornton J.O. Thielges Josh Komarek Mike Rowe References Valley City State Category:Valley City State Vikings football seasons Valley City State Vikings football