MOORHEAD, Minn. – Long-time Hall of Fame football coach Ross Fortier will be recognized at the Minnesota State University Moorhead football team's game vs. Minnesota-Crookston on Saturday. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Alex Nemzek Stadium in Moorhead, Minn.
Saturday is the inaugural game of the State Farm Red River Valley Showdown with Minnesota-Crookston.
Coach Fortier and Dragon alumni will address the team pregame. Coach Fortier and his family and coaching staff will be in the president's box, with an open-house style for players to stop in and talk.
At halftime will be an announcement of Fortier's achievements and a “Thank You” for his service to MSUM.
Fortier is the Dragons' all-time leader in football coaching wins, having compiled a record of 152-80-4 in 23 seasons as the MSUM head coach. Fortier guided the Dragons to nine conference titles and seven trips to the postseason.
His teams were nationally-ranked from 1979 to 1991, including holding the number one spot in the final NAIA Division I poll in 1981. Fortier created the NSIC Metrodome Football Classic in 1983 in order to showcase the league's teams, and also started the Snow Bowl.
Fortier served as MSUM men's athletic director from 1973 to 1993 as well. A total of 13 of Fortier's products signed professional contracts.
He was inducted into the MSUM Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999, and into the NSIC Hall of Fame in 2003. Fortier is also the member of the North Dakota State Athletic Hall of Fame, the NAIA Football Coaches Hall of Fame, the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame and the City of Bemidji Hall of Fame.
The annual Ross Fortier Golf Classic is named for him as well. Fortier has left a legacy of winning that is etched in the history of the MSUM athletic program.
