Polasek's rise through the ranks to Mountain West rookie North Dakota St. was launched by hard labor‎

The effort and energy Tim Polasek has poured into North Dakota State's football program on the climb to the FBS can be easily sourced back to his rural roots. As a small-college quarterback on summer and winter breaks, and later to supplement a meager income as he launched a career in coaching, Polasek worked grueling jobs as a logger in the woods of central Wisconsin and on the overnight shift at a steel mill near his tiny hometown of Iola. “I learned a lot there: That could be you if you don't graduate college and pursue something,” said Polasek, who is 28-3 with the Bison since becoming head coach in 2024.