VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota head football coach Bob Nielson will lead a collective coyote howl in an attempt to break a world record Wednesday at halftime of the Coyotes' men's basketball game against Western Illinois inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
 
The collective howl will occur in conjunction with the University's second annual Unite for USD giving day, which will span for 1,862 minutes from Feb. 12 at 10:57 a.m. to Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. To that end, Fiegen Construction has given a generous $10,000 gift in support of Unite for USD that will be unlocked if the record is broken. Fiegen Construction is a longtime supporter of the University and has worked on several campus projects including the Inman House, Wagner Center, and currently the DakotaDome.
 
"The celebration and howl at halftime are both great representations of what Unite for USD is all about," said USD public relations officer Hailie Warren. "The most recent, documented howl record broken is 803 people howling at once, and the Coyote community is confident it can top it."
 
Tipoff for South Dakota and Western Illinois is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Wednesday is also student-athlete academic recognition night. Tickets are available by going online to GoYotes.com/tickets or by calling the Coyote Ticket Office at 605-677-5959.