Men's basketball

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David Lee (1980s)

record book

Dive into the program records and see the all-time greats who established them.

Soccer trophy 2022 Central Region champions

trophy case

Browse the trophies claimed by Bemidji State Athletics, from the college's early years to today.

BSU Gymnasium panorama

team home

Explore every corner of the program, from schedules and stats to rosters and news.

Conference championships

1939-40

NIC

1940-41

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1941-42

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1950-51

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1951-52

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1956-57

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1966-67

NIC

2003-04

NSIC

2011-12

NSIC

2013-14

NSIC North

NCAA Tournament appearances

2004

2012

NAIA national tournament appearances

1940

1941

Sweet Sixteen

1942

Elite Eight

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Arnie Johnson (12) bulldozes between an official and a defender on his way to the hoop during a Rochester Royals game. Generations later, Johnson remains the only Bemidji State graduate to ever play in the NBA. (Courtesy / Bemidji Pioneer)

Unrivaled royalty: Arnie Johnson still reigns as only BSU Beaver in NBA history

In the Bemidji winters of yesteryear, he pioneered the first Bemidji State Teachers College dynasty. And nine years later, he and the Rochester Royals were kings of the basketball world. Meet Arnie Johnson: the only Beaver in NBA history.

Bemidji High School and Bemidji State Teachers College once faced off in a "City Championship" series, which tipped off 100 years ago today. The high school boys swept the series and claimed the prized silver cup to match. (Courtesy / Bemidji Pioneer)

Bemidji High, Bemidji State faced off in ‘city championship’ series 100 years ago today

Local basketball fans had a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in 1922. The hottest ticket in town was so rare, in fact, that it hasn’t returned in the century since. Bemidjians packed inside the town’s new armory for a battle of two fresh rivals: Bemidji High School and Bemidji State Teachers College.

Men's basketball team (circa 1921-1923)

Bemidji State hoopers have authored a rich history in 100 years of play

One hundred years ago, Bemidji State Teachers College explored a new venture for the very first time: fielding a basketball team.

Men's basketball team (1940)

The good, the bad and the quirky of Beaver Athletics

With over two dozen athletic programs and a century to work with, Bemidji State has had its fair share of oddities pile up.

Men's basketball team (1940)

Hoops set the stage for athletics boom at Bemidji State

F.P. Wirth may have taught history for a living, but he also created it on the hardwood. Wirth coached for two seasons, going 12-15 overall but more importantly establishing a program that raised the forefathers of Bemidji State Athletics.

The Dec. 10, 1935, edition of the Bemidji Daily Pioneer. (Courtesy / Bemidji Pioneer)

When Bemidji State almost played the Globetrotters

An 85-year-old telegram, names like "Jack Frost" and "Soup Graves," and a basketball team from Harlem combine for one crazy tale.