A smile shoots across Bob Young's face when he thinks about his two grandsons playing for the University of Sioux Falls football program he built into a football power.
“It is a little bit like a dream come true,” said Young, a legendary coach who led the Cougars to their first of four national titles (NAIA) in 1996. “It is one of those unexpected blessings that come with the decisions you make in your life.”
When A.J. Garrow, a freshman wide receiver from Brandon, S.D., decided to attend USF to play football and study sports management this past year, it brought him together with his cousin Matthew Young, a sophomore quarterback from Phoenix, Ariz., battling for a starting position with the Cougars.
As a result, Bob and Diane Young received a gift of sorts and the rare chance to see grandsons play on the same team and at USF Stadium where the field is named for Coach Young.
“It is really exciting,” said Diane Young. “I never dreamed it would happen. We hope and prayed for it and it came to be.”
While growing up, the cousins would commiserate on visits about perhaps one day playing together. “During visits, we would talk about it,” said Young, whose dad David (mother, Georgina), a highway patrolman in Arizona, is the son of Bob and Diane Young. “Really, we didn't think it would come to reality,” said Young, a criminal justice major.
With Brandon, S.D., and Phoenix, Ariz., some 1,410 miles apart, the gathering of cousins in Sioux Falls seemed a bit improbable. But, Matt took the first step, accepting a scholarship offer from USF head coach Jed Stugart after a standout career at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix ended in 2012 As a prep standout, he helped lead his team to the 2011 state title and to the 2012 quarterfinals as a senior. Once on campus, Young quickly made an impression with USF. As a true freshman, he played key minutes for a Cougar program, completing 33-of-62 passes for 417 yards and two TDs while adding 105 yards rushing and a TD.
“Honestly when I got here, I was walking on campus and it didn't really hit me that a lot of people don't know what my grandfather did here. He built this program and a tradition of success that we hope to carry on,” said Young.
While Young was contributing to USF during a 6-5 season, his cousin A.J. was completing a brilliant high school career in which he finished fourth in 11-man ranks with 144 pass receptions, including 57 a year ago when Brandon Valley reached the AAA semifinals. Garrow, who played for his highly successful father, Chad, had set a state record with 14 catches in a playoff game last year.
As A.J., whose mother Melissa is the daughter of the Youngs, and Matt, began fall practice they were together in an unlikely scenario but one they are proud to be part of.
As the start of the season kickoffs against Minot State at noon on Saturday, both cousins are proud to don the purple and white colors for the NCAA DII Cougars as they play on the field named for their grandfather.
“It is a great honor,” said Garrow. “It is really something only you can dream about – playing on the same field named for my grandfather. Now, I have to strive to be the best player I can be.”
Being the best players they (Garrow, Young) can be is a part and parcel within the family makeup. It was that factor that played the pivotal role in bringing these cousins together. Finding a place on a successful football program that owns four national championships and 20 consecutive winning seasons is more than the want to make it happen. It takes talent, focus and heart, which USF head coach Jed Stugart saw in recruiting both players to the USF program.
“I think it is really special that this has happened,” said Stugart. “This is a way for the Young family tradition to carry on at this school. We have so much respect for what Coach Young has done and we are just trying to build on that,” he said. “They were both recruited here based on their own merits not because of the linkage to Coach Young. That is what is really pretty neat about this situation. Both are talented football players and good Christian men,” said Stugart.
The Young legacy, which carries on with the season opener, dates back to 1957 when Bob Young, a Beresford High School graduate and three-sport standout, arrived on campus to play football for Don Ewen. While at USF, he played a number of different positions from running back to offensive guard before actually finding his way line linebacker where he earned all-league honors.
After graduating in 1961, he coached at Garretson (S.D.) and Hawarden, Iowa before taking over at Maryvale High in Phoenix (72-23-5), twice earning Phoenix Coach of the Year. He took over USF head coaching duties in the spring of 1983 and when he retired 22 seasons later, he had turned a program with a .276 winning percentage into a national power at the NAIA level with an overall mark of 172-69-3. He led the school to a conference title in his second season and led the USF to 13 in total. His teams won 27 straight games in the SDIC and had a 34-straight game winning streak in the GPAC.
After his retirement in 2005, USF President Mark Benedetto honored Young by dedicating the football field in his honor during halftime of the Cougars' 50-6 win over Dana College on Sept. 4, 2007.
As he thinks about the prospect of his grandsons playing at USF, it creates a sparkle in his eye. “We have never put any pressure on them to choose to come here (USF) but we did pray for it,” said Bob Young, who continues to carry strong feelings about a university and its people dear to his heart.
“When I think about everything, including the players and coaches who dedicated themselves to winning national titles and conference crowns while I was here and after I retired, I am in awe of it all,” he said. “My belief was always that winning is a byproduct when you have the right approach psychologically, spiritually and with community service. To see that carried on is something you really appreciate,” he said.
As he thinks about the possibility of his grandsons as teammates with the future prospect of being on the field together, Young has a good feeling inside especially because of his grandsons' leadership qualities and that he can watch them continue to grow up close.
Already the cousins are making a difference in the community. Both worked at an FCA Summer Sports Camp and learned a lot from the experience. “Kids teach you a lot more than you teach them,” said Garrow.
It is a lesson Bob Young learned a long time ago and is pleased that his grandsons are focused in the right way. “The way they are developing offer a positive influence for their teammates and others they come into contact with. That is really special.”
