Oct. 15—GRAND FORKS — UND football and hockey fans will be out in full force this weekend, as Saturday's football game and both games of the hockey series are sold out.
UND hosts South Dakota State in football at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Alerus Center, where capacity is 12,347. At Ralph Engelstad Arena, the Fighting Hawks host Bentley at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 6:07 p.m. Saturday. REA's capacity is 11,568.
The three events will feature more than 35,000 combined fans across a 24-hour window.
"It's an unprecedented weekend," UND deputy athletic director Erik Martinson said. "There are a lot of cool promotions and plans for a fun weekend that have come together for this. It's a perfect storm for fans who want to get in as much as they can."
UND's last sellout of the Alerus Center was 2025 against North Dakota State. The Jackrabbits come to Grand Forks as the No. 1-ranked team in the FCS, while UND enters as No. 11 in the FCS after falling from No. 4 after last Saturday's defeat at then-unranked Northern Iowa.
UND has planned a 'White Out' promotion for the football game, encouraging fans to wear white.
"People circled this game on the calendar," Martinson said. "We saw high ticket sales from the beginning. South Dakota State has fans coming up, too, so credit to that fan base for their travel."
The weekend also has a bit of a homecoming feel as the football program will honor the 25th anniversary of the 2001 NCAA Division II national championship team, while the hockey program will recognize former star Mark Taylor on Saturday.
Friday's hockey game serves as the Heroes Among Us game, which honors police, firefighters, healthcare workers, EMS and military from surrounding communities.
It's also UND Family Weekend across campus, which delivers yet another reason for boosted attendance.
"UND Family Weekend is a good one for the city of Grand Forks and the university to show off," Martinson said. "It's a chance to say, 'Hey, this is the place to be.'"