South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen
STUDENT-ATHLETE CENTER RENAMED FOR COACH STIG
9/2/2023 11:00:00 AM | General
The north end zone facility at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium has been re-named in honor of longtime South Dakota State University football coach John Stiegelmeier. The announcement was made during pre-game ceremonies for Thursday night's season opener.
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"His football players graduated, they were great students, we know they were great athletes and they had character that was second to none — all inspired by Coach Stig," facility benefactor and former Jackrabbit football player Dana Dykhouse, whose name previously graced the building, said in a video announcing the name change. "We're proud to unveil something that will forever commemorate his commitment to the student-athletes here at SDSU."
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Completed in 2010, the newly named Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center marked the first stage of a master plan to dramatically modernize athletic facilities at South Dakota State University. Besides housing football offices, team meeting rooms and the Jackrabbits' locker room, the building also features an academic center, as well as strength and conditioning and sports medicine areas that were expanded with the addition of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in 2014.
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"Laurie and I, along with our entire family, are humbled beyond our imaginations by the dedication of the Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center," Stiegelmeier said. "Our major focus during the last two-plus decades was to positively invest in the student-athletes who were entrusted to us. The simple goal was to Make A Difference. Ideally, that happened, to some degree, for each student-athlete. Our sincere thanks go out to President Barry Dunn, Justin Sell and Dana Dykhouse for this honor."
A 1979 graduate of SDSU, Stiegelmeier served as head coach of the Jackrabbit football team for 26 seasons, culminating by winning the Football Championship Subdivision national title in 2022. He finished as the winningest coach in program history, compiling a 199-112 record in leading the Jackrabbits to 12 playoff appearances, including 11 in a row. He was honored as the recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award as the top coach in the FCS ranks during the 2022 season, as well as the American Football Coaches Association FCS National Coach of the Year.
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"The generosity of the Dykhouse family and the leadership of Coach Stig have been transformative for not only our football program, but the entire university," Director of Athletics Justin Sell said. "It's only fitting that the building Coach Stig spent countless hours in creating a national championship program bear his name and we thank the Dykhouse family for making it happen."
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Details of a future expansion to the Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center will be announced in the coming weeks.
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"His football players graduated, they were great students, we know they were great athletes and they had character that was second to none — all inspired by Coach Stig," facility benefactor and former Jackrabbit football player Dana Dykhouse, whose name previously graced the building, said in a video announcing the name change. "We're proud to unveil something that will forever commemorate his commitment to the student-athletes here at SDSU."
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Completed in 2010, the newly named Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center marked the first stage of a master plan to dramatically modernize athletic facilities at South Dakota State University. Besides housing football offices, team meeting rooms and the Jackrabbits' locker room, the building also features an academic center, as well as strength and conditioning and sports medicine areas that were expanded with the addition of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in 2014.
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"Laurie and I, along with our entire family, are humbled beyond our imaginations by the dedication of the Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center," Stiegelmeier said. "Our major focus during the last two-plus decades was to positively invest in the student-athletes who were entrusted to us. The simple goal was to Make A Difference. Ideally, that happened, to some degree, for each student-athlete. Our sincere thanks go out to President Barry Dunn, Justin Sell and Dana Dykhouse for this honor."
A 1979 graduate of SDSU, Stiegelmeier served as head coach of the Jackrabbit football team for 26 seasons, culminating by winning the Football Championship Subdivision national title in 2022. He finished as the winningest coach in program history, compiling a 199-112 record in leading the Jackrabbits to 12 playoff appearances, including 11 in a row. He was honored as the recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award as the top coach in the FCS ranks during the 2022 season, as well as the American Football Coaches Association FCS National Coach of the Year.
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"The generosity of the Dykhouse family and the leadership of Coach Stig have been transformative for not only our football program, but the entire university," Director of Athletics Justin Sell said. "It's only fitting that the building Coach Stig spent countless hours in creating a national championship program bear his name and we thank the Dykhouse family for making it happen."
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Details of a future expansion to the Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center will be announced in the coming weeks.
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