Description The South Dakota Mines Hardrockers football program represents the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) in college football. In 2010, South Dakota Mines announced that it would end the school's affiliation with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to join the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division II beginning with the 2011 season as a probationary member and becoming a full member in 2013.
The Hardrockers also went by the "Longhairs" early in their history. They have played football since 1895 with hiatuses taken in 1896–1899, 1907, 1915, and 1942–1945.