Black Hills State University Athletics

was head football and basketball coach at BHSC from 1936 to 1943. Prior to coming to Spearfish he coached at Warren, Minn. His 1936 and 1941 teams were second-place finishers in the SDIC. In 1940, the Jackets tied with Northern for the conference title. When World War II temporarily put an end to competitive athletics at the college, Birkeland left coaching to sell insurance. He died in 1984.