Phil Hansen-North Dakota State's "Ragin' Buffalo"
Oakes, ND native Phil Hansen cherishes time with the NFL & Bills
By: Ross Blilie
07-15-23
When you grow up in a small town that only has a bar, a gas station, a grocery store, a church, a small school and a post office, you don't expect to make it out of town. Unless you make a choice and have the determination to leave. For Phil Hansen, a native of Oakes, North Dakota, he wanted to play football.
Upon graduating from Oakes High School in 1987, Hansen was recruited to play football for the Bison at NDSU. While there, he became one of the all-time greatest Defensive Linemen in NDSU history. At the time, the Bison played in the North Central Conference within Division II of the NCAA. As you know, now they play Division 1 football within the Football Championship Subdivision. In addition, they compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. Moreover, Hansen helped the Bison win two NCAA National Championships in 1988 and 1990.
During their championship wins in '88 and '90, the Bison were undefeated in both seasons going 14-0. According to the website Bison Athletic Hall of Fame, Hansen recorded forty-one quarterback sacks in the regular season over the course of his three seasons at NDSU tying a school record. However, according to the North Dakota State University Football career history record books, Hansen is actually listed as number four under the category "Tackles for Loss" with forty-eight. Former Los Angeles Chargers Linebacker Kyle Emanuel is listed number one for recording fifty-eight tackles for loss from 2011 - 14.
As far as Quarterback sacks are concerned, Hansen recorded thirty-five between 1987 and 1990. He is number three on that list. Kyle Emanuel is actually tied with Jerry Dahl with thirty-five and a half sacks. From 1987 to 1990, the Bison's win-loss record was 42-7-1.
Prior to joining the Buffalo Bills in 1991, Hansen played in three All-Star games; the East-West Shrine game, the Blue-Gray game, and the All-American Classic. He was also the top vote-getter on the defensive line on the NCAA D-II "Team of the Quarter Century."
When the 1991 NFL Draft Report was released, they named Hansen as the Small College Defensive Lineman of the Year. In the Second Round of that year's Draft, the Bills General Manager Bill Polian liked what Hansen accomplished with the Bison so much so that he decided to choose him for his fifty-fourth overall pick.
It turned out that Hansen became a starter on day one and ended up playing eleven seasons in the NFL all with the Bills. Some of his accomplishments as Bill were that he had sixty-one and a half Quarterback sacks, 870 tackles, and played in three Super Bowls.
According to the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Hansen said that when he was drafted, he thought he was going to downtown New York. Instead, it turned out that he was going to the Western part of New York. One of his favorite stories he likes to tell his youth at his annual Football Camp is that each one of them has the ability to play hard and play the best they can. He motivates them by discussing determination, overcoming adversity, and becoming successful if you think about how successful "you" will be in the future.
In 2005, Hansen was inducted into the North Dakota State University Sports Hall of Fame. In 2010, he was honored by the Buffalo Bills. They plastered an action photograph of him on their "Wall of Fame" inside the stadium.
In 2001, Hansen decided to hang up his football cleats for good and concentrate on being the best father and husband he can be. He moved his family from Buffalo, NY to Detroit Lakes, MN. To keep his mind still on football, he became a football broadcaster calling games for the Bison and being part of the Craig Bohl Show. Currently, he still does color commentary for the Bison, but he also makes time for reffing high school football, basketball, and taking care of his family.
Ross Blilie is an avid NFL fan of the Minnesota Vikings since the 1990’s. He loves to talk about the NFL. He also enjoys attending the University Of North Dakota Men’s Hockey games in Grand Forks, ND. His hobbies also include bowling with his wife and friends, narrating audiobooks, fishing, and even sitting by a campfire with family at Lake Blackduck in Minnesota. You can find Ross on twitter & Instagram @Rossthenarrator. You can also check out Ross Blilie on #SoundCloud
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