Picture a college football team that played an entire season without letting the other side score once. Not a single field goal, not a safety, nothing. That team existed. The 1902 South Dakota Coyotes went 9-0, unbeaten and untied, and did not allow a point all season, a feat that earned them a place in the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame. More than 120 years later, it is still the best opening line in any conversation about football in Vermillion.
This piece was put together by an AI editor using the University of South Dakota's athletics site as the only source for team history.
The season the scoreboard stayed at zero
Shutouts are rare enough in a single game. Stringing nine of them together means a defense that simply refused to bend, week after week. The Hall of Fame entry for the 1902 squad records the 9-0 finish and the zero points allowed. In my view, it is the standard any Coyote defense could be measured against.
The timing is interesting too. 1902 was also the year the first USD yearbook came out, and by then the teams were already known as the Coyotes. So the Hall of Fame shutout season and the first yearbook share the same year, and the teams already carried the Coyote name when that yearbook appeared.
Why a horse race named a football team
The Coyote name is older than the team. According to the school, people of the Dakota Territory were first called Coyotes in the fall of 1863, after a horse race. USD itself had been founded in 1862, a year earlier. Today it is the only NCAA Division I school with the nickname, and the pronunciation the school gives is "KI-Yotes." It is worth practicing before your first trip to Vermillion.
A dome on the prairie
The modern Coyotes have one big advantage the 1902 team never imagined: a roof. The DakotaDome opened in 1979 after breaking ground in 1976, and the university calls it one of the first multi-purpose domes in the nation. It seats 9,100. The first football game inside was a 22-6 win over St. Thomas on Sept. 8, 1979.
In 2020 the building finished an 18-month, $26 million renovation of its west side. In practical terms, a roof means a November home game is played indoors.
The rhythm of a Coyote fall
Football weekends in Vermillion have their own traditions. Charlie Coyote, whose act at athletic events began in the 1970s, works the crowd. The bronze "Legacy" Coyote statue was put up in front of Old Main in 2012. And every year Dakota Days, the week-long homecoming that dates to 1914, rolls toward the Dakota Days game in the Dome with the fight song "South Dakota Victory" on repeat.
The Coyotes play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, a football-only league at the Division I FCS level, so the autumn schedule is full of games that matter.
Choosing a number with a story
If you are shopping for a South Dakota jersey, the 1902 team gives you a better reason to pick a number than "it looked good in the photo." A few ideas that come straight from the program's history:
- A custom "2" or "02": a quiet salute to the 1902 shutout season.
- A custom "63": the fall of 1863, when the Coyote name first appeared.
- A custom "79": the year the DakotaDome opened.
- A custom "14": the first Dakota Days in 1914.
- No. 26: already available as the "South Dakota Jersey #26" listing, with no player name on the back.
Custom numbers work because the South Dakota line includes listings where you enter the name and number yourself. Your family name with "02" on the back is the kind of detail that starts conversations in the stands.
What the jersey lineup looks like
Robert Henrys carries the South Dakota line in its 2026 Vapor Limited version. The listings fall into three groups:
- Program jerseys: a Team Jersey with No. 1 and a South Dakota jersey with No. 26.
- Player jerseys: listings titled Ordell Braase Jersey #81, Chris Streveler Jersey #15, Nevan Cremascoli Jersey #13, Charles Pierre Jr Jersey #3, Carson Fletcher Jersey #33, Bryce Cohoon Jersey #4 and Asher Tomaszewski Jersey #99.
- Custom jerseys: your own name and number, in the custom listings.
Most listings let you choose Men, Women or Youth, sizes from S to 3XL, and on color-based listings black, red or white. Red and white are the university's colors, and the black version gives you a darker alternative for night games under the Dome lights.
Matching the jersey to the occasion
For a D-Days weekend
I'd suggest red for homecoming, since it is one of the two colors the university lists. A program jersey keeps the focus on the school rather than one player, which suits a week built around alumni coming home.
For a gift
Ask one question first: do they have a favorite player or a favorite year? A player name answers the first; a custom number like "02" or "79" answers the second. If you cannot find out, the No. 1 team jersey is a safe choice nobody will need to explain.
For the youngest fans
The Youth option lets kids match their parents. A family row in matching red with different custom numbers looks great in Dome photos and gives every child their own jersey story.
How the listings describe the build
The product descriptions in this category state that the letters and numbers are stitched tackle twill, and most listing descriptions in this collection mention a 100% recycled polyester body. That is all I will claim about construction; the individual listing is the place to check anything more specific.
Why a domed stadium changes how you dress
Here is my suggestion for dressing for a game in Vermillion: plan around the walk rather than the whole afternoon. Because the DakotaDome has a roof, what you wear inside does not have to survive sleet or wind for three hours, which opens up options. A lightweight jersey over a T-shirt is enough inside the building, and the extra layer only needs to handle the parking lot and the stroll past Old Main.
That means you do not need to hide the jersey under a parka once you are inside. It stays visible in your photos, which is worth keeping in mind when you choose a color.
Three ways to wear a Coyote jersey beyond game day
A jersey that only comes out for home games spends most of the year in a drawer. A few ideas from the editor's notebook for getting more use out of it:
- Watch parties for road games: when the Coyotes travel for Missouri Valley Football Conference games, a red jersey turns any living room into a home section.
- Alumni events: a custom number with your graduation year is an instant introduction at reunions and Dakota Days gatherings.
- Family photos: matching Youth and adult jerseys with different custom numbers make a holiday card that needs no caption for anyone who knows Vermillion.
A note on choosing between names and numbers
If you are buying for someone who has a favorite name on the list, the listing titles make it simple: each one states the name and number that go on the back, such as the Ordell Braase Jersey #81 listing. If you are unsure, a program jersey or a custom number with a meaningful year avoids guessing at a favorite player.
For newer fans, the program jerseys are the friendliest entry point. A Team Jersey with No. 1 or the No. 26 listing tells everyone which school you support without asking them to know a single player, which makes it the most practical first jersey for a student, a parent or a visitor to campus. Start there, learn the story of 1902, and the custom number can come later once you know which date you want on your back.
A quick checklist before you order
Before checking out, I'd suggest running through four questions. Is the name spelled exactly the way the wearer spells it? Does the number mean what you intend, such as 02 for the shutout season or 79 for the Dome? Have you picked Men, Women or Youth on purpose rather than by default? And does the color suit the occasion you have in mind? Two minutes here saves a lot of second-guessing later.
Quick sizing advice
Skip the tape measure. Lay a tee you already like next to the size options: choose the same size for a clean fit, one size up if you will wear a hoodie underneath on cold walks to the Dome, and the Youth sizes for kids based on the shirts they wear today.
The short version
The 1902 Coyotes never let anyone score. The nickname comes from an 1863 horse race. The Dome was among the first of its kind. Those three facts give any South Dakota fan plenty to wear proudly, and a custom number lets you pick exactly which piece of history goes on your back. You can see every program, player and custom option in the Robert Henrys South Dakota Coyotes lineup.