October 8, 2025
Brian McDermott brought one of the most historic firsts in the Dakota State University athletics program history with the 1991-92 men's basketball team. The one that stands out the most is the distinction of being the only DSU men's basketball team in history to make it to the NAIA Final Four.
McDermott was inducted into the 29th annual DSU Athletics Hall of Fame posthumously as the coach.
McDermott, an Iowa native, was an assistant coach at his alma mater, University of South Dakota, from 1980-85. He then went to Dakota State, where he spent 10 seasons as the head coach. He guided the Trojans to their first winning season in 23 years in 1990 and took them to the NAIA Division II Final Four two years later.
The road to the final four started with a seven-game winning streak, a record in itself. The team first disassembled Mt. Marty with a 105-83 whooping, keeping in mind Mt. Marty had beaten the Trojans to end the regular season just a few days prior. The next Trojan victim was Dakota Wesleyan University, the favorite to win the Sub-district championship, which fell to the Trojans 80-72.
The third game of the seven-game stretch tested the hearts of the Trojans. Down by 15 points at halftime against Northern State, the Trojans rallied back in the second half to win by two points, 70-68.
The Trojans would have to travel to Rapid City to face South Dakota Tech for the District 12 Championship and to qualify for the national tournament. The Trojans once again battled out to the final seconds and beat the Hardrockers, 86-84.
The first two games of the NAIA tournament in Stephensville, Texas, were double-digit wins for the No. 20 seeded Trojans, as they beat Edgewood College of Madison, Wis., 86-70 in round one and the top-seeded King College of Bristol (Tenn.), 92-79 in the sweet sixteen round.
In the Elite Eight round of the tournament, the Trojans beat William Jewell (Mo.) before losing to Northwestern (Iowa), 91-68, in the Final Four round. It was truly an amazing year for the team-oriented Trojans. When the team returned from Texas, fans greeted them at the airport and a caravan of vehicles followed to Madison.
Seven of the 14 team members engraved their names in the record book during the season, including Earnest Monette, Fred Flemming, Issac Clark, Cory Otterdahl, Bruce Koele, Maurice Peterson, and Pat Winter.
McDermott tallied 117 victories during his time at Dakota State through 1995. His 117 victories currently rank as the third most wins in DSU men's basketball program history.
He took over at Southern Oregon in 1996-97, turning the program from their seven straight losing seasons. Three years later, he guided his squad to its first Cascade Conference championship and led them to their first national tournament since 1968.
McDermott is the all-time leader in wins and a four-time conference or district coach of the year. He wrapped up his longest tenure coaching era at SOU with a record of 410-352, racking up 527 career victories.
In all, McDermott was a head coach for 36 years and six years as an assistant coach in college basketball.
McDermott retired in May 2022 after a cancer diagnosis prior to Southern Oregon's 2021-22 season opener, which forced him off the sidelines for the duration of that season. He passed away at his home in Talent, Ore., in March 2023. He is survived by his wife Jan, son Josh, and daughter Josi.
| 2025 Dakota State University Athletics Hall of Fame Series |
| Oct. 8 |
Brian McDermott |
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