Polasek’s rise through the ranks to Mountain West rookie North Dakota St. was launched by hard labor

Tim Polasek's rise to become head coach of North Dakota State's football program began with hard labor in his rural roots. After playing college quarterback and working grueling jobs as a logger and in a steel mill, Polasek became a small-college assistant. This background taught him the value of hard work and the honor of leading a program.

Since becoming head coach in 2024, Polasek has led the Bison to a 28-3 record. He recently faced Jacksonville State and Fordham and will now play against Air Force, one of his biggest tests as a first-year FBS team. The Bison joined the Mountain West Conference alongside UTEP, Northern Illinois, Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming.

Polasek's experience in the Mountain West, gained as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Wyoming, will be a bonus for the Bison. He was previously the offensive line coach at Iowa and took the job at Wyoming with the goal of eventually becoming a head coach. Having worked at Iowa under Kirk Ferentz and Wyoming under Craig Bohl, Polasek learned the importance of treating others with respect and the value of hard work.