Dakota State University

Josh Anderson

Head Coach

Josh Anderson is entering his 17^h season as Dakota State University Trojan football head coach.  He is the longest-tenured head football coach at DSU, where he holds the all-time wins in football program history with 64 victories. 

Dakota State kicked off the 2024 season with a historic season home opener at the new Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field, rolling past rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 34-3 in the annual Ag Bowl contest.  The Trojans went on to record their third winning season in the past four seasons with a 6-4 record.  DSU also closed the North Star Athletic Association era with a second place in the conference standings.

Eleven DSU athletes received recognition on the NSAA Football All-Conference teams, with five on the First Team and seven on the Second Team (Tyce Ortman was listed First Team as running back and Second Team as a punter).  

Deveon Moses highlighted the Trojans with NAIA All-America FIrst Team Defensive Back.  Braxton Lacher was selected to the NSAA Snapper of the Year for the second straight year.

The Trojans set a program record with 14 athletes to the 2024 NAIA Football Scholar Athletes list.  

The Trojans played on a temporary football home field at the new Dan Beacom Track Complex during the 2023 season.  Five Trojans were named to North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Football All-Conference teams, including the inaugural award Snapper of the Year by Lacher.

Dakota State established a program history with 46 NSAA Football scholar-athletes in the 2023 season, as well as tying a single-season with eight (8) NAIA Scholar-Athlete distinction. 

The 2022 season ended with back-to-back winning seasons, closing the final chapter at the Trojan Field with a 6-4 overall record after a 13-0 shutout victory over Waldorf (Iowa).  DSU finished in a two-way tie for second place in the NSAA standings, the first time since the 2017 season that the Trojans finished second in the conference.  Eight (8) Trojans were named to the NSAA All-Conference teams, while Cody Brown was selected to the NAIA Football All-America Honorable Mention Team.

Anderson guided his 2021 squad with a 6-4 overall record and finished in a tie for third place in the North Star Athletic Association with 5-3 record.  The Trojans posted their first perfect home record in NSAA conference play with a 4-0 record, including a 24-10 thrilling upset over No. 15 ranked Valley City State (N.D.).  It was highest ranked team that DSU had won in Coach Anderson’s coaching era.

It was the first time in Anderson’s era that he coached two NAIA All-America athletes in the same season.  Noah Guse broke school records that were held for more than 20 years in both career and single-season interceptions, resulting in All-America First Team and NSAA Football Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors.  Caleb Nielsen also set an all-time in punting, where he garnered an All-America Second Team status.

Anderson coached nine (9) NSAA All-Conference athletes in 2021 season, including a four-time selection of Marcus Vanden Bosch where he was named All-Conference First Team for three consecutive seasons. 

The Trojans finished their 2020 season with a 4-5 overall record, which was all NSAA conference contests due to COVID-19.  He coached a pair of players (Guse-defense and Nielsen-special team) to the NAIA National Football Players-of-the-Week on the same week for the first time in program history.

Guse was selected to the NAIA Football All-America Honorable Mention.  In addition, seven (7) Trojans players were selected to the North Star Athletic Association All-Conference teams.

His 2019 squad finished with an overall record of 5-5.  DSU landed five athletes on the NSAA Football All-Conference First Team.  He coached running back Brodie Frederiksen, who broke a pair of 40-plus year rushing school records including the all-time rushing yards and single-season touchdown marks. 

The Trojans were ranked in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Preseason Poll Top 25 prior to the start of the 2018 season at No. 25.  DSU landed five recipients on the North Star Athletic Association Football All-Conference First Team and three on Second Team. 

Curt Boeke became the first defensive lineman to be named to AFCA-NAIA Football All-America recipient, as well as being tabbed as the Co-NSAA Defensive Player-of-the-Year award.  He was also named to the Cliff Harris award finalists, one of the top two best defensive athletes in the NAIA division.

A milestone was set during the 2018 season, where Frederiksen broke a 40-year-old single-season rushing yards (previously held by Jim Janssen in 1978).  Frederiksen also was named to NAIA Football All-America Honorable Mention.

Anderson guided the 2017 Trojans’ squad to their first four-consecutive winning seasons since 1970’s.  DSU had a historic record-breaking season in 2017, where the Trojans finished with an overall record of 8-3 (most wins since 1998).  The Trojans also finished their North Star Athletic Association conference with a 6-2 record, the most NSAA victories since joining the conference in 2013-14.  DSU finished the season with a No. 23 ranking in the final NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 national poll.

Sixteen (16) DSU athletes were named to NSAA Football All-Conference Team after finishing second in the conference in 2017.  The Trojans established numerous school records, with a total of 29 new school records were set during the season.

Jacob Giles was named to the 2017 North Star Football Offensive Most Valuable Player after setting numerous passing school records in program history.  Boeke was named to the AFCA-NAIA Football Second Team All-America after leading the conference and team in total tackles and quarterback sacks.

Anderson and his 2016 squad produced a pair of victories against NAIA’s Top 25 teams.  DSU made an appearance in the NAIA’s Football Top 25 national poll for the first time since 1998.  Dakota State was in the national rankings for six consecutive weeks, ranking as high as No. 18.

Fourteen (14) Trojans were named to NSAA Football All-Conference Team in 2016.  Austin Opdahl was named to NAIA Football All-American Second Team as well as the North Star Football Offensive Most Valuable Player after breaking school records in receiving.  Anderson coached a pair of NAIA Football National Players-of-the-Week, which is the first time in school history that an athlete was named to offense (Jacob Giles) and defense (Cole Potter) in the same year.

In 2015, the Trojans recorded its most conference victories since 1998 after finishing in a two-way tie in the North Star Athletic Association conference standings with a 4-2 record.

Anderson’s 2015 squad also saw a record-breaking season offensively and defensively, including the NSAA’s conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year Ben Kullos who broke all tackles categories.  DSU set a total of 12 new school records with eight new individual records and four new team records.  Dakota State was in the ‘Top 10’ in the rushing categories.  DSU had 11 NSAA Football All-Conference recipients in 2015. 

Anderson has coached seven (8) American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)/NAIA Football All-Americans (Zac Woods in 2014, Ben Kullos in 2015, Austin Opdahl in 2016, Curt Boeke in 2017 and 2018, Noah Guse in 2020 and 2021, Caleb Nielsen in 2021, and Deveon Moses in 2025). 

During Anderson’s tenure at Dakota State, he accumulated 69 All-Conference athletes.  He also had 36 athletes earning Daktronics-NAIA Football scholar-athletes, with 17 athletes as two-time Daktronics-NAIA Football Scholar-Athlete for their academic success in the classroom.  Eight (8) of his athletes received the national prestigious academic award three times.

Anderson was named head coach in February 2009 after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at Payson High School in Payson, Ariz.  Prior to Payson, Anderson coached three seasons as head coach at Chino Valley High School in Chino Valley, Ariz.  Anderson also had five years of assistant college coaching experience at North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and Wayne State College (Neb.) before starting his high school head coaching career in Arizona.

A native of Madison, S.D., Anderson played tight end for the Trojans from 1994-95, was a two-year starter and an All-Conference SDIC player.  Anderson then transferred to NDSU to play a similar position from 1996-1998.  He red-shirted his first year, had a back-up role his second year and was a starter his senior year with the Bison.  Anderson was a member of the Bison’s 1997 NCAA Division II playoff team.

Anderson earned both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from North Dakota State University.  Josh and his wife, Stacy, from Arlington, S.D., have three children, Lincoln (19 years old), Rylee (17) and Bode (14).  Stacy played college basketball.