The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux Hockey tradition is one of the oldest and most successful Division I programs in the United States. Students, fans, and alumni have now come to expect the winning excellence that is Fighting Sioux hockey. The Fighting Sioux hockey tradition was the product of two co-founders, the late Glenn “Red” Jarrett and the late Calvin Coolidge Marvin.

Jarrett, an All-American halfback on UND’s 1930 football team became the football coach and athletic director in the spring of 1947. Jarrett then decided to make the move from club hockey. UND and the city of Grand Forks did not immediately stand by Jarrett’s decision because UND already had two men’s sports in football and basketball.

Jarrett went ahead with his plan and got the Michigan athletic Director, Fritz Crisler, to agree to a two game series against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Jarrett worked hard to line up a schedule with other established hockey programs and scheduled games with Minnesota, Colorado College, and Michigan Tech.

Marvin, a native of Warroad, Minnesota, recalled one of their early conversations: “Red said, ‘Cal get me a team, and I’ll get you a schedule. ‘I said, ‘Red, get me a schedule and I’ll get you a team.”

While Jarrett set up the schedule for the Sioux, Marvin worked tirelessly to recruit players around the area. Marvin got the Johnson brothers-Russell “Buzz” and Milton “Prince”-who were already on campus playing for the semi-pro Grand Forks Amerks. Bob Murray a World War II Veteran and a native of Warroad, Minnesota, like Marvin was brought in to play goalie. Sticking with the Warroad theme were wings Gordon “Ginny” Christian and Wesky “Frisky” Cole, as well as George Dickinson and Ted Wilson. Standouts from Crookston, Minnesota, supplied center Jim Medved and defensemen John Noah and win Bill Sullivan.

Marvin a defensemen also served as an assistant coach to Don Norman. Marvin along with a cast of others that included the McKinnon brothers, Joe Silovich, Jim Doyle, Bob Krumholz, Art Foreman, and Robert “Monk” Monroe a student manager from Enderlin, North Dakota.

This group of individuals were essentially a pickup team wearing used UND football jerseys and other makeshift equipment but these men were not just any pickup team.

UND’s first collegiate game was at Michigan, who went on to win the first NCAA hockey tournament. The Wolverines went on to lose only two games that season, one of them was the season opener against UND. The Sioux won 6-5 in its first collegiate game against Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The first season, the Sioux compiled an 8-4 record against the top college teams that included Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado College, and Michigan Tech.

Since 1947 the Fighting Sioux have gone on to hang seven NCAA National Championship banners in the Ralph Engelstad Arena.