The Cougars won the 2009 NAIA Football National Championship with a 25–22 victory over the third-ranked Lindenwood Lions.
Additionally, the team secured the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship with a perfect 10–0 record.
Quarterback Lorenzo Brown was named the NAIA Player of the Year prior to the game.
They extended this streak to 42 games, which tied an NAIA record before losing in the 2010 championship game[2] After the season, DeBoer left to take the offensive coordinator job at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
He finished his tenure at Sioux Falls with a 67–3 record and three national titles.