DICKINSON, N.D. — The Henry Biesiot Activities Center is the hub during game days for the Dickinson State football team, but it’s just one piece of the beautiful athletic facilities on the North Dakota campus.
Along with the BAC, the Sanford Sports Complex was recently completed, featuring four softball fields — one that’s entirely turf and three others with turf infields and grass outfields.
“Our university and our city has made a huge commitment to make that happen between the softball complex and what we have here and our weight room. The fundraising our city did we were able to get (the BAC) for football in 2009 and then just recently the Sanford Sports Complex," DSU athletic director and head football coach Pete Stanton said.
"It’s just amazing the facilities that we have and the atmosphere that we have. It’s really, really incredible.”
Inside the BAC there’s a look at the rich athletic history of Dickinson, highlighting DSU hall of fame teams and individuals in various sports throughout the years.
“Just a lot of tradition and lot of pride with our alumni that we have. We have not only alumni that are scattered all over the nation, but you look at when we play in Montana or wherever, we have great crowds and great following," said Stanton, the brother of Billings West football coach Rob Stanton and Billings Central coach Jim Stanton.
"We have a tradition of international guys, too, in other sports that have been Olympians. We really have a lot of pride and a lot of tradition with the school in the all of the sports, and people really have gotten behind that.”
The Dickinson athletic programs take in a fair amount of Montana athletes, and that’s only expected to continue with the transition to the Frontier Conference beginning next fall, hopefully using places like the BAC and the softball fields as tools in recruiting.
“When the Montana guys come into our program, you just have no worries about several things. One of them is they’re going to be well-coached in high school. Montana high school football is so good and there are so many great coaches out there," said Stanton, who is a native of Baker.
"They come in from very good programs. They come from families and farms and ranches wherever it’s at in Montana and they have that work ethic. There’s never issues with the Montana guys that come in, and I think Dickinson is a lot the same way.”
