The Fighting Hawks are the football team of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. They compete in the Football Championship Subdivision of the NCAA and play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC).
North Dakota claims one national title from 2001, when the Hawks defeated Grand Valley State to win the NCAA Division II Championship. The program has 26 conference titles to its name, having played in a number of different conferences since its inaugural 1894 season. From 1922 to 2008, North Dakota competed in the North Central Conference as a charter member. Since all the university's sports teams were upgraded to Division I in 2008, the Hawks have played in the Great West Conference, the Big Sky Conference, the Summit League, and currently the MVFC.
The Hawks play their home games at the Alerus Center. The team maintains strong rivalries with South Dakota and North Dakota State.
