Football Championship Subdivision champion North Dakota State visited the White House and toured the U.S. Capitol on Monday.
Among the approximately 150 members of the Bison football program (including 108 players) to make the trip to Washington D.C. was Superior graduate Ross Kennelly, a sophomore long snapper for NDSU.
"It was amazing, it was something I won't ever forget," Kennelly said. "It was an honor getting invited. Not many people have the opportunity to be invited to the White House, so it was a surreal experience and I'm thankful to be part of it."
President Donald Trump met the team in the morning and following that visit, the Bison traveled to Capitol Hill to be honored at a luncheon hosted by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
A Capitol tour followed.
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While at the White House, Trump was presented a Bison team jersey with the No. 45 (Trump is the 45th president) by starting quarterback Easton Stick. Trump pointed out Stick and his outstanding record as a starting quarterback.
The White House visit typically is reserved for FBS programs - Clemson visited following its college football playoff win - but Trump issued an invitation to the Bison, who defeated Eastern Washington 38-24 in the FCS title game in January.
With a skeleton kitchen staff on hand amid the federal government shutdown in January, Trump treated Clemson to a boatload of burgers, fries and such. And on Monday, he stuck with the menu for North Dakota State's visit.
"Everybody's making a big fuss about it (fast food)," Kennelly said, "A funny story behind that is the White House was going to take care of the food, but President Trump kind of overruled them and basically said, 'I know these guys, I know they like to eat, so we're going to feed them.' "
The Bison, who have won seven of the past eight national titles, had a spread of food from Chick-fil-A, McDonald's and Domino's.
"We could have had chefs - we could have - but we got fast food," Trump told the team. "I know you people very well."
The tour of the White House also included a rare visit to the Oval Office.
"He invited us in groups of 20 into the Oval Office for more photo opportunities, and from what I heard from the staff, that doesn't happen very often," Kennelly said. "With the amount of history, and just imagining some of the discussions that have gone in that room, it was cool to get to go in there."
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While some Clemson players stayed home from the White House trip in protest of Trump's policies, all of the Bison players attended, coach Matt Entz said.
"This isn't a political trip, this is a Bison trip and, personally, I sold it as two things: It's one more opportunity for the 2018 team to be together, but also in my mind the start of the 2019 season and the things we're going to do together," Entz told the Grand Forks Herald.
Kennelly echoed his coach.
"My first trip to D.C. was pretty cool," Kennelly said. "You get to see a lot of history and a lot of breathtaking views. I made sure to free up a ton of storage on my phone so I could take a lot of pictures and videos."
