UND Today

University of North Dakota’s Official News Source

Potato Bowl in pictures

Fun and flavor of the annual spud extravaganza captured in images

UND Potato Bowl USA celebration, each year, is a signature town-and-gown event in the Grand Cities and on the UND campus. This year was no different. Despite some soggy weather to start off the week, the festivities made a strong comeback beginning Saturday just in time for the annual Potato Bowl Parade’s return to University Avenue and the big football game at the Alerus Center.

Check out the images below from Potato Bowl week. All photos by Mike Hess/UND Today.

After getting rained out last year, organizers of the 54th Annual Potato Bowl USA’s annual French Fry Feed collaborated with University officials to move the much-anticipated event indoors, in the Hyslop Sports Center on campus. The community seemed to appreciate the efforts by showing up en mass to consume thousands of pounds of deep-fried potato goodness.

Dozens of volunteers, including UND student-athletes, got right to work Thursday night, filling boatloads of fries and serving them to waiting public, which numbered in the thousands.

The Fighting Hawk took the lead, ahead of the UND Cheer Team, in the Potato Bowl parade down University Avenue.

UND Interim President Joshua Wynne (wearing cap) and First Lady Dr. Susan Farkas take time to pose for a photo with UND students during the Potato Bowl parade.

Tailgating fans at the Alerus Center “Stand Up and Cheer” to the sounds of the UND Pride of the North Marching Band, before the kickoff of the Potato Bowl football game on Saturday, Sept. 14.

A determined and focused Fighting Hawks football team makes its way through rows of tailgaters and the Pride of the North Marching Band, on the way to an eventual meeting with the Sam Houston State University BearKats. The Fighting Hawks would ultimately defeat the BearKats 27-23 in a thriller of a game that saw the UND defense rise up for a timely late-game stop.

UND students visit as they eagerly await the gates to open for the start of the Potato Bowl football game.

UND tailback James “Fargo freight train” Johanneson pushes his way into the end zone to put the Fighting Hawks up 7-0 against the BearKats at the Alerus Center on Saturday, Sept. 14.

Students in the UND student section of the Alerus Center cheer on their Fighting Hawks football team at the Alerus Center.

UND Fighting Hawks football players lift up wide receiver Travis Toivonen after he scored a touchdown to open the third quarter of the Potato Bowl football game.  The touchdown was the first-ever thrown by true freshman quarterback Tommy Schuster (6), in his collegiate career.