It was 1977 and John Gregory, then South Dakota State University’s football coach, had a decision to make. A fresh-faced undergraduate in his coaching class wanted to help out with the football team, but Gregory wasn’t sure if he should hire him.
“(Gregory) told me, ‘I got this kid who wants to coach, but I don’t think he played college football,’” said then defensive coordinator Mike Daly. “We weren’t even sure if he had played high school ball.”
Regardless, the kid was given a chance. John Stiegelmeier, a physical education major from Selby, moved his desk into Daly’s office to learn about coaching football.
“That’s where he spent the next year,” Daly said. “If he wasn’t in class or wasn’t sleeping, he was in that chair. He just worked hard and did everything we gave him and more.”
That was the official start of Stiegelmeier’s coaching journey. Forty-six years later, Stiegelmeier ’79, now the all-time winningest coach in SDSU’s 100-plus years of intercollegiate football, has retired on top.
Champions at long last
On Jan. 8, around 4:10 p.m. in Frisco, Texas, Stiegelmeier was drenched. His ceremonial Powerade bath signaled SDSU’s first-ever national title, the conclusion of the greatest season in SDSU’s football history.
Daly (left) and Stiegelmeier embrace during the waning moments of the 2022 FCS National Championship game. Daly was the man responsible for getting Stiegelmeier his start in coaching.
First to embrace Stiegelmeier was Daly. The championship—the result of a decades-long climb—was an emotional moment for both of them.
“He turned around and saw me, and we just embraced,” Daly said. “That was a great hug and a great, great moment.”
It was an emotional moment for many in the stands that day, especially the 300-plus contingent of former players. Kyle Minett ’10, a Jackrabbits running back from 2007-2010, was among them.
“It was emotional for me and for a lot of former players because of the amount of work that so many people have put into it,” Minett said. “Stig was front and center of it all. He’s held true over good times and rough times. It was a storybook ending.”
For other former players, like Jake Wieneke ’18, there was a sense of relief when the final whistle blew.
“I was so excited for Coach Stig, first and foremost,” Wieneke said. “He put in so much work through all these years … It was just amazing for him to get that championship.”
Through thick and thin
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for SDSU football. During the Division II era, SDSU made the postseason one time, in 1979, when Stiegelmeier was a student coach. Following Daly’s resignation, Fred Oien, then SDSU’s athletic director, chose to promote from within, and on Dec. 20, 1996, Stiegelmeier was named the 20th head coach in SDSU football history.
“I don’t have a crystal ball I can look into and predict wins and losses, conference championships or playoffs,” Stiegelmeier said in 1996. “But there are a couple things I can predict: we’re going to believe in things, excel in our roles, work hard to reach our potential, feel like a family and do things with class and character.”
Stiegelmeier said he was going to stick to his principles and let the rest take care of itself. The Jacks made slow, incremental gains. Six wins there, seven wins the next year, eight another. SDSU football was moving in the right direction.
In 2004, the university made the decision to transition to Division I athletics. The move, at the time, was controversial and had some questioning if Stiegelmeier was up to the challenge.
Stiegelmeier ignored the critics and built the program by putting relationships first and football second. The rise wasn’t meteoric, but by the mid-2000s, it was clear that this was a new era of Jackrabbits football. With the help of facility upgrades and renewed support, Stiegelmeier took an upstart program and turned it into a bonafide powerhouse.
“I keep thinking back to 2004 and wondering how this was going to work out,” Stiegelmeier said following the championship. “Well, this is pretty sweet how everything worked out.”
By his side through the years has been wife, Laurie, who kept him anchored through the good times and bad. If you ask anyone around the program, they will say she was as much a part of the program’s rise as John was. 
“Simply put, SDSU is a better place because of John and Laurie Stiegelmeier,” said Justin Sell, SDSU’s director of athletics.
“Their impact goes far beyond wins and losses or championships because of the family culture they have fostered throughout their time here, and by building a program based on character hard work and excellence in all areas.”
Legacy
While some will remember Stiegelmeier as the all-time winningest coach in program history or the guy who brought SDSU its first national championship, his true legacy will be the impact he had on the thousands of people who interacted with him. Ask any one of his former players and coaches, and most will say the same thing: He put people first and football second.
“(Stig) is one of those guys that genuinely cares about you and your family,” said Ryan McKnight ’11, a former offensive lineman and founder of the Jackrabbit Former Players Association. “He was trying to make you a better person, a better young man, a better citizen for society. … It didn’t matter about the awards or the accolades. He genuinely cared about wanting you to excel.”
“Coach Stig’s record will speak for itself, and winning a national championship in his final game is a storybook ending to an amazing career,” SDSU President Barry Dunn said. “More importantly, he positively impacted hundreds of young men and pushed them to be successful in the classroom, on the field and in life.”
Aaron Johnston ’05 (M.S.), head women’s basketball coach at SDSU, agreed. “I always appreciated John’s servant-leadership style in our department and toward the football program. It was never about his success. He truly led without ego. … When you hear former players and former coaches speak about their positive experience at SDSU, it is easy to see that John’s impact extended far beyond winning football games.”
Stiegelmeier is also notorious for birthdays. In his office, he kept a calendar with everyone’s birthday on it. Like clockwork, players, coaches, equipment managers—whomever—were sure to get a “Happy Birthday” text and a Snickers bar from him each year.
“I knew Stig still kept the calendar up-to-date and checked it because he would text me on my birthday years after I left,” said Josh Tutje ’14, who served as a student coach under Stiegelmeier from 2010-2013. “No matter who you are or what you did, Stig genuinely cared about every team member and was a role model for everybody.”
It’s the little details, not just birthdays, that Stiegelmeier remembers.
“(Stig) has a great memory,” said Zach Zenner ’14, SDSU’s running back from 2010-2014. “Whenever I run into him, he’ll remember and ask about my sister, who swam at SDSU, or he’ll remember meeting my mom on the weekend of my freshman orientation and a comment that she made outside Briggs Library.”
Another endearing part of Stiegelmeier’s legacy is how he stayed unapologetically himself. A Midwest fashion icon, he championed the socks-and-sandals look and would often be seen driving his 20-year-old moped—hockey helmet and all—to and from campus.
“Stig wore the silliest clothes around the facility. Sandals with long white socks, big khaki shorts, an old Jacks football T-shirt from the ’90s and a sweat-stained visor,” said Austin Sumner ‘15, a former quarterback for the Jacks. “One day after practice, we were walking back and he was wearing this old-school SDSU flat bill, also sweat-stained. I told him before I leave school, I need to get one of those hats from him. He took it off and handed it to me. I never wear it, but every time I see it, I think of Coach Stig and that day.”
Retirement
Stiegelmeier officially ended his career with 199 wins, but he says he got his 200th when longtime assistant Jimmy Rogers ’10/M.S. ’12 was named his successor. For a guy who built a program from the ground up, it’s a relief knowing it’s staying “in the family.”
What’s next for Stiegelmeier? That’s to be determined. His four grandchildren will keep him plenty busy, and he mentioned that his garden might need some extra tending, too.
“I told him to dust off the golf clubs and hunting gear,” Daly said. “Laurie is the one who you really got to worry about, since he’s going to be around all the time now.”
Whatever is next for Stiegelmeier—whether it’s chasing the grandkids around the yard, talking with friends at Hy-Vee, or calling up a former player on their birthday—one thing is for certain: Stig will remain uniquely himself.
“Laurie and I, with our family, want to thank South Dakota State University and SDSU Athletics for being blessed to serve as the head football coach,” Stiegelmeier said. “During our 26 years in this role, a lifetime of memories have occurred. Thank you to each and every one who has believed in us.”
Addison DeHaven
