Bob Burns Dakota Bowl returns to home turf

This paid piece is sponsored by Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.

Organizers of a Sioux Falls sports staple and major fundraiser for Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools are keeping the legacy of the event alive as they continue a new tradition on their home turf.

The Bob Burns Dakota Bowl is returning to O’Gorman’s campus for a second year in a row. But for organizers, the change in location is just another chapter in Dakota Bowl’s decorated history.

This year marks the 43rd year of South Dakota’s original high school football bowl game. Bob Burns, O’Gorman High School’s then head football coach, came up with the idea in the fall of 1978. Burns was looking for a way to raise funds for equipment while simultaneously growing enthusiasm for the program among families and fans. Burns decided to invite a North Dakota powerhouse — Fargo Shanley — for a battle of the Dakotas, dubbed “The Dakota Bowl.”

“I had just been hired, and Bob said: ‘I’m retiring soon, and then you’ll be in charge. I want you to be a part of this.’ The whole time I was thinking, ‘What are you thinking?’ The game was just a vision back then,” said Steve Kueter, activities director and former head football coach for O’Gorman High School.

The Dakota Bowl has become a name that is synonymous with not only O’Gorman but Sioux Falls history. Many schools have since followed the lead and established their own bowl games to raise funds for their schools.

“The Dakota Bowl has sparked a bowl game in nearly every town now. They know they bring that school spirit out and gets everybody excited,” Kueter said.

Since it started, Dakota Bowl has raised more than $4 million to support Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools. To help with these fundraising efforts, a committee was established to help gain sponsors, sell raffle tickets, promote the event and organize the special events that coincide with the football game.

The committee is made up of alumni, former players and parents of current and past students, who work with the community to raise money. The creation of the committee helped create a sense of camaraderie and tradition among the members, allowing for an event that students and families alike could enjoy.

“The Bob Burns Dakota Bowl is one of our largest fundraisers throughout the year to support staff salaries and tuition assistance at all eight of our schools. The event would not have the success that it does without the help of our many committee members,” said Susanne Gale, organizer of the event and director of development for Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.

The day of the event brings hundreds of families together. Elementary students from across the city gather in the morning to participate in Dakota Bowl’s football and cheer camps right on the football field.

“The sense of pride of being a ‘Knight’ is seen through their looks of awe at the O’Gorman Knight varsity football players and cheerleaders,” Gale said.

“Getting to experience a morning with the teams instills a sense of excitement for their own Dakota Bowls, even if they are years in the future.”

The campers not only get a morning of fun but also are incorporated into the pre-game festivities with awards, recognition and welcoming the Knights onto the field. The pre-game events kick off with tailgating in the O’Gorman High School parking lot and continue on the field with skydivers and a Vanguard flyover. Halftime features a performance from the marching band and a spectacular fireworks show.

For decades, Dakota Bowl was held at Howard Wood Field, but in 2020, the event moved to O’Gorman’s campus for the first time because of the pandemic. Students and families loved being able to show their Knights spirit on their home field.

A fourth public high school is being brought into the Sioux Falls School District this year, and it was more difficult to squeeze in an O’Gorman-hosted game on Howard Wood’s schedule. Choosing a new location was the clear choice and what location that should be was even more obvious. For the foreseeable future, Dakota Bowl will be held at McEneaney Field.

“We are so excited to have the Bob Burns Dakota Bowl back at the MAC!” Gale said. “The Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools community is excited to kick off the school year together on the OGHS campus with this long-standing tradition. Being at McEneaney Field just makes sense; after all, this is where it all started.”

Dakota Bowl will continue to grow as the years go on, but it also will remain a tradition for families and students for years to come. Knight spirit will fill the stands again as the Knights take on the Roosevelt Rough Riders this year, and the legacy that Bob Burns created in 1978 lives on each fall when the Knights take the field.

This year’s Bob Burns Dakota Bowl is Saturday, Aug. 28, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Raffle tickets, tailgating spots and game day tickets are available by clicking here.