Two local players and three coaches with ties to the Sioux Falls area learned Tuesday they’ll have to take their football talents elsewhere.
St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Crookston — both Div. II schools who compete with Augustana and the University of Sioux Falls in the Northern Sun conference — announced the shutting down of their football programs, effecitve immediately.
What might this mean for Augustana’s football future? Click here to hear KWSN’s Craig & John discuss
The Huskies are doing it to meet Title IX requirements while the school faces a $5 million budget deficit, including a $1.6 million shortcoming in its athletics department. Cutting football will save SCSU $1.5 million.
Former Augustana player (1983-87), Augie assitant (1988-92), and USF defensive coordinator (1993-96) Scott Underwood had been on the SCSU coaching staff for 19 seasons, the last 12 as the head coach. Ten of those 12 seasons resulted in winning records, with Underwood’s overall mark finishing at 86-52.
“(It’s) a hard day,” Underwood told the St. Cloud Times, holding back tears after his final meeting with the Huskies late Tuesday afternoon.
“You don’t think of (the end) as how it went down today. It’s not how you figure it’s the last time you get to see the kids that you coach.”
To hear SCSU alumnus and Augustana/USF writer Matt Zimmer’s reaction on KWSN, click here.
SCSU wide receivers coach Joey Nelson is a Sioux Falls Washington alumnus who previously coached a season at Dakota State — where he played in college — and from 2010-16 and ’18 at Sioux Falls Roosevelt under his father Kim Nelson, South Dakota’s all-time high school football wins leader.
Two of the Huskies were sophomores out of Tea Area H.S. — Payton Conrad and Jeremiah Makaununiu. They were the only South Dakotans on the roster.
Crookston had struggled mightily in both the financial and win columns for years.
Offensive coordinator Jared Hottle had just completed his first season after guiding the Golden Eagles offense after five seasons of success in the same role at Dakota State, where he also played.
Only one Crookston player was from South Dakota, according to the online roster: Redshirt freshman Reece Walno of Spearfish.
Along with axing football, SCSU is cutting men’s golf and women’s golf, and will add men’s soccer. This will take the overall athletic program offerings from 19 to 17 – six male and 11 female sports – at the beginning of the 2020 academic year. The changes directly impact about 115 students, seven head and assistant coaches, and two graduate assistant coaches.
