Pete Stanton has been appointed by Dickinson State University (DSU) President Dr. Thomas Mitzel to serve as the director of intercollegiate athletics.
Stanton has served as the interim athletic director since 2017, a role he assumed in addition to his role as head coach for Blue Hawk football, a position he has held since 2013.
“These past two years as interim athletic director, Pete has done an incredible job balancing the responsibilities of leading both the athletic department and football,” said Dr. Mitzel. “Before making this appointment, I spoke personally with each coach. Pete has a wide base of support and I am confident he will continue to lead the athletics division forward in a positive manner.”
Stanton earned a bachelor’s degree from DSU and a master’s degree from Montana State University. His experience as a student athlete, coach and administrator has prepared him for this role.
“Our athletic department looks forward to continuing to work with the dedicated coaches and student athletes at Dickinson State University,” said Stanton. “We are also eager to continue to build our relationships with the community, region, and all the Dickinson State alumni across the nation and globe. Our goal is to give our student athletes a tremendous experience as well as being very competitive at the conference and national levels in all sports.”
Stanton is a native of Baker, Montana. He moved to Dickinson in 2000 to begin his collegiate coaching career. He has coached men’s and women’s track and field as well as football.
Stanton was named the NAIA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field National Coach of the Year for four straight years from 2003-2006 after leading the Blue Hawk men to national championships in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and runner-up finishes in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. His 2004-2006 teams were inducted into the DSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Stanton was selected as the 2003 and 2006 North Dakota Sportscasters and Sportswriters College Coach of the Year and his 2004, 2005, and 2006 men’s track team was selected as North Dakota Male College Team of the Year. He has been named the Conference Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year 10 times since 2002. He led the Blue Hawk men to conference championships in track every year from 2003 to 2012. He was named NSAA Conference Football Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Stanton was inducted into the DSU Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 2004.
