VERMILLION, S.D. -- Three individuals with impressive coaching credentials and area ties are finalists for the South Dakota head football coaching position, according to an announcement today by Joel Nielsen, Director of Athletics at The University of South Dakota.

The finalists include Bill Bleil, tight ends coach at Northern Illinois; Ed Meierkort, head coach at Wisconsin-Stout; and Shannon Currier, head coach at Concordia St. Paul. Each of the candidates will be brought to campus for interviews on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 11-12, at The University of South Dakota.

Public forums with the candidates will be held from Dec. 11-12, including Bleil, 9 a.m., Thursday, Hoy B Room, Coyote Student Center; Meierkort, 9 a.m., Friday, Frankenfeld A Room, Coyote Student Center; and Currier, 1 p.m. Friday, Frankenfield A Room, Coyote Student Center. The candidates will also meet with the search committee, members of the football team, Nielsen and university administration.

"This is a solid group of finalists," said Nielsen, who is serving as chair of the football search committee. "They have ties to this area and all have an understanding of what it takes to win at the Division II level. We are anxious to hear their game plan on restoring winning football to a South Dakota program which is rich in tradition."

Bill Bleil - Tight Ends Coach, Northern Illinois

Bleil, a native of Remsen, Iowa, is the tight ends coach for the 10-2 Northern Illinois Huskies, which is a member of the Mid-American Athletic Conference. Bliel has previous head coaching experience, including a tenure as head coach at Western Carolina (NCAA Division I AA) from 1997-2001. At Western Carolina, he was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2001 when the Catamounts finished 7-4 and fourth in the league. It was only the 11th time in the nine-year history of the school that WCU had won seven or more games. Bliel, 23-32 at Western Carolina, was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at South Dakota in 2002. He also coached the offensive line at Pacific from 1992-95 and handled offensive line duties at Northwestern (Big Ten Conference) in 1990-91. He also served as defensive coordinator at New Mexico Highlands. Bliel earned a B.A. in physical education in 1981 from Northwestern (Iowa) College in Orange City, where he was a standout linebacker, twice earning all-district honors.

Shannon Currier - Head Coach, Concordia St. Paul

At Concordia-St. Paul, Currier has put together an impressive 32-12 record in four seasons as head coach after taking over a squad that had been 25-49 in the previous eight years. This season, Currier was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year as CSP (8-4 overall) tied Winona State for the league title with a 7-1 mark in the NSIC. Prior to this season, he had two consecutive third place finishes in the NSIC. During Currier's tenure, his squads have been ranked in the top 25 of Division II each of the last three seasons. A native of Cosmos, Minn., he played quarterback at Hamline (Minn.) University, where he earned a physical education degree in 1993. He also spent six seasons as an assistant coach, including serving as offensive coordinator at Minnesota-Crookston and Southwest State. He joined the CSP staff in 1999 as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

Ed Meierkort - Head Coach, Wisconsin-Stout

Meierkort has a long record of success as a head coach, including a 29-11 record in the last four seasons at Wisconsin-Stout (Division (III). A 1981 graduate (B.A. degree) from Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D., Meierkort was the 2000 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year and the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year after leading Wisconsin-Stout to a 10-1 record, including a 7-0 mark in league play. That same season, Meierkort led Wisconsin-Stout to just the 11th perfect conference mark in the WIAC since 1965, while also earning an invitation to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The WIAC conference is one of the toughest Division III conferences in the nation. Meierkort has been at Wisconsin-Stout since 1993, compiling an overall mark of 55-53. He also served as an assistant (assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator, defensive coordinator, strength coach) at Southwest State from 1983-89.