SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Athletics Department will host a reunion banquet on Saturday at the USF Sports Complex (Bob Young Field) for the 1996 and 2006 football teams that won NAIA football championships.

A program will be led by master of ceremonies Tom Frederick, USF's long-time radio voice, and will include comments from USF all-time wins leader Bob Young, former player and head coach Kalen DeBoer, now offensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan, and a host of others from those championship teams.  

In recognition of those teams, here is a feature story about the championship teams and USF football's long tradition of excellence. Of note, the 1996 championship team has already been inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame (2006) while the 2006 championship football team will be inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 23.

From NAIA to NCAA DII – Building of a Winner

?When two old friends visited his Phoenix home in 1983, Bob Young sensed something was up.

Young was happy to see his college buddies, Reed Beier and John Rice, who like Young had been all league players for USF in the early 1960s. It was a visit that would change the face of football at the University of Sioux Falls and the course of Young's life, among others.

The recruitment of Young to the small faith-based campus stirred the gridiron ghosts. It brought change in ways that are still evident today. It was the beginning of a long road to a championship and the start of an unprecedented run of success for a program now defined by winning.

An NAIA title in 1996 was followed by three more from 2006-09, leading into the transition to NCAA DII. A 2009 road 28-13 win over DII power North Dakota, now in FCS, and 69 wins in its final 71 games at the NAIA level, indicated the Cougars were ready to move to DII.  

"So when we took on UND, it was Kalen's (DeBoer) third year (as head coach) I believe, everybody said, 'you're nuts, you're nuts, you're nuts.'  There was one guy here in town who was a basketball coach for the opponents here in town saying if they ever get into Division II I'm leaving town and there is no way they are going to beat UND," said former USF Director of Athletics Willie Sanchez, who engineered USF's move to NCAA DII. "We went up there and we won.  We not only won and handily, and the talk around town was 'geez, these guys are really good.'  What I am getting at is that was another significant moment, beating UND because we ceased being that small school that wasn't any good, we were good and now all of a sudden people took notice," he said.   

When USF made the move to DII clearly doubters existed in Sioux Falls, not dissimilar to those questioning SDSU and NDSU's move up to DI in 2004. Like SDSU, the Cougars proved naysayers wrong.

Over the five years in DII, USF, has gone 40-15 with a 35-11 mark as a member of the NSIC. The current head coach Jed Stugart, who is 53-16 with USF, has continued the tradition of excellence, set in place by Young and built up by DeBoer.

As USF celebrates the reunion this summer of the 1996 and 2006 national championship football teams on July 8-9, it is a program that has made winning its calling card.
Since 1994 and including the transition to DII, USF has had 22 straight winning seasons, an incredible run, unmatched by any team in the region. In those two plus decades, the Cougars won four national NAIA championships, 19 league titles, and has posted a 37-11 postseason record. In addition, USF has recorded 15, 10-win seasons. 10 unbeaten regular seasons, two NCAA postseason berths, 265 wins since 1988, and 173 since the turn of the century.  

A winding road

?When the 1960 team, coached by Don Ewen (12-19-1, 1958-61), finished 6-2, the Cougars – then called the Braves -- had recorded just its fourth winning season since the first game played in 1902 against the University of South Dakota (33-0 loss). It was a team, which included Young, Beier and Rice, that outscored opponents, 188-151.

In the following years, success was mixed as a bevy of head coaches patrolled the USF sideline. In the 1960s and 1970s, USF had compiled several winning seasons including the 1966-67 teams that were 6-3 and 7-2. In 1978, USF changed its mascot name from Braves to Cougars.

Measurable progress was made with coach Dave Schroeder (24-25-1, 1977-82), including an 9-1 campaign in 1982. After setting a school record for wins in a season, Schroeder left for a job at Evangel College.

It was what brought Rice and Beier to Young's front door. Because they knew that continuity and loyalty to the program was needed, Rice and Beier viewed their old teammate as a perfect fit. They understand that Young was a faith-driven man, who epitomized servant leadership. In time, many others would connect with Young and be influenced by his mentorship long after they left USF.

For Young, the decision to come back to Sioux Falls wasn't without a little trepidation. He weighed leaving a comfortable life in Phoenix for what was an unsure thing with his alma mater. He was just named District Manager of the Year as an insurance businessman after a successful coaching venture at Maryvale High, where he was 72-23-5 and twice named Phoenix high school coach of the year. Plus he had a beautiful home and his family was comfortable. Obviously as a Beresford, S.D., native, Young had a love for his home state and USF, where he earned a degree in 1961.    

"I think I was kind of the last resort or something. It was a new challenge to move back out of Arizona," said Young. "I mean we had a beautiful home and everything in Arizona and to pick up and leave down there and the nice weather and everything and come back into what was probably that first year was one of the worst winters in South Dakota history. Boy, did we question our move at that point (laughter), but the second year was very successful," he said.

He took over a program that didn't have a home field and just a 60-yard practice field just outside Burton Hall, a military barracks like building. The weight room was dilapidated and located in a poorly ventilated location in the basement of Pierce Hall. The team's equipment needed upgrading and Young would have to find a path to success while also teaching mathematics.

The Program     

Reality was that Young didn't come into a program that was broke. Schroeder had led the Cougars to consecutive winning seasons and its first nine-win season (9-1) in school history in 1982. In fact Schroeder's teams were 15-4-1 over the course of the 1981-82 seasons with the 1981 squad winning the school's first-ever conference title – South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (5-1). In 1982, USF earned a #12 ranking in the NAIA DII poll and Schroeder was the NAIA District 12 Coach of the Year.   

Football at USF began 114 years ago when the Cougars, then called the Braves, lost to the University of South Dakota, 33-0 in Vermillion.  USF didn't play another game for nearly a decade. In 1911, USF restarted football and lost its only game -- to Huron, 24-9. Another break from football ensued. Four years later, USF had two games with a 41-0 win over the Pipestone Indians the school's first-ever victory.  

In 1916, USF played seven games, finishing with a 3-2-2 record. Among the wins was a 46-0 defeat of Augustana, which began what would turn into a significant city rivalry although little notice was made of it at the time. To this day, Augustana doesn't recognize the loss to USF in 1916. But the game is recorded in Augustana own annuals, located in the Western Heritage Center on the Augustana campus, as the first football game played against USF. That season was the first winning season in school history. It was just one of three winning seasons until 1960.

While the records are spotty, the first known head coach at USF was former USD football great T.R. Johnson whose USF team finished 0-2 in 1919.  In 1924, Frank McCormick took over at USF, compiling a 4-18 mark in four seasons. McCormick, a Wagner, S.D., native played at USD and later in the NFL (1920). He was also one of the co-founders of the American Legion Baseball program and coached at Columbus College before moving onto Minnesota as Director of Athletics (1933-50).

It wasn't until 1928 that USF experienced another winning season. In his first season new head coach Francis Olson led the Braves to a 3-1-2 record. Six years later (1934) Olson directed USF to its best mark to that point, a 6-1-1 mark. That 1934 team outscored opponents, 108-35, registering five shutouts and held six opponents without a point. In 1935 and 1937, USF had .500 seasons but the Cougars didn't register another winning season until 1960. After Olson left in 1934, USF had seven different coaches with a combined 23-108-5 record.  In fact, USF had a 29-game winless streak (0-28-1) from 1949-53.

Making of a champion
When Young arrived on campus, he found a program that had made some significant progress. A year after the 9-1 season, Young guided the team to a 5-4-1 mark in 1983 which was followed by an 8-3 record in 1984. Eventually, through some up and down seasons, Young transformed the squad into a playoff team.

?In 1988, USF had its first-ever unbeaten regular season at 10-0 and earned its first playoff berth, falling to Northwestern College (Iowa), 14-9. The playoff loss was a bitter pill to swallow after an unbeaten regular season. But there would be more up and down moments before USF turned the corner.  When the program did so, it would come after Young himself incorporated change in his own coaching scheme. In 1994, Young had his team back in the playoffs but a first round loss to Minot State, 20-13, ended the season at 8-3.

Young realized that even with success his team was need of a little change. He had a quarterback, Kurtiss Riggs, who was more of a thrower than a runner and with Kalen DeBoer, Jeremy Gardner, among others, he could complement a running game with a passing attack. So, his run-based offense was replaced.

"The success of our offense probably goes back two years when Coach Young knew that we had a group that really didn't fit his coaching style," said Riggs. "We had always ran the option before that, and I most definitely was not an option quarterback. Plus, we had a lot of great skill guys that we could spread the ball around to," said Riggs, who ranks first all-time in career passing TDs (85) and second in passing yards (7,329) in the USF record book.  "So Coach Young asked Jae Woo Sim to come back and coach the offense and that was really the catalyst for our success offensively.  Everyone knew their role and we were able to call a lot of our plays at the line of scrimmage.  And, rarely did we ever make a mistake offensively," Riggs said.

In the offseason between 1994 and 1995, the Cougars shifted their scheme. It was a move that would pave the way for a run of success undaunted in 22 years. At the same time, USF made a significant change as a school. In 1995, Sioux Falls College transitioned to University of Sioux Falls.

In 1995, the Cougars, led by Riggs, cruised to an unbeaten regular season and picked up a first round playoff win, the first in school history with a 41-23 verdict against Hastings College. But the season ended in a 42-17 loss at U-Mary in the second round of the playoffs. It was a dominant year with a 477-to-158 points per game differential, including all 11 wins by double digit totals (11 points or more).

The change to a spread offense was a hit as Riggs threw for a school record 3,017 yards with a school record 28 TDs, breaking previous marks held by USF Hall of Famer Ed Koester with 1,907 yards in 1987 and 15 TDs in 1989. DeBoer set a school record with 83 receptions and became USF's first-ever 1,000-yard receiver (1,176). The Cougars, which had nine players earn all-league honors, set 18 team and individual records, including victories in a season with 11. On defense Phil Porter established an interception mark with 10 picks. Rated #2 nationally, USF won the SDIC before reaching the NAIA quarterfinals.

The second round playoff exit caused frustration among players and the coaching staff. Going unbeaten and reaching #2 in the national poll with USF's first-ever win in the playoffs was not enough. None of the team members blamed anyone but themselves. There wasn't anyone dismissive of results due to a shabby weight room, lack of home field and a small practice field. Rather, they made a commitment in the offseason to getting better, training harder and in turn, rectify matters. They were focused on finishing strong. With the playoff loss to U-Mary, this team, and coaching staff, felt they were close and began preparing for a something special in 1996.

?"We didn't have flashy stars.  We didn't have a guy that you knew was the one that would take over a game and win it for you," said Riggs, now the head coach for the Sioux Falls Storm and owner of the Riggs Passing Academy. "But what we did have was a collective group that when playing together was unstoppable and the guys knew that.  Offensively and defensively, everyone bought in quickly. The playoff loss in 1995 was really tough, but it was also eye-opening because we knew how good we were and how good we could be.  So, as the summer led into the '96 season, the players put in the commitment to get better. Then, as the season approached we knew we were going to do something great that year," added Riggs who threw for a school record 3,993 yards and an NAIA record 55 TDs in 1996.

Confidence and experience were factors as the Cougars prepared themselves to step up.  For seniors like Riggs and DeBoer, among many others, they felt a sense of urgency as they faced their final year of collegiate football.

From the start, the Cougars, ranked 8th in the NAIA DII preseason poll, dominated, racking up a 58-6 win in the road opener over Concordia College in Seward, Neb. Defensive back Chuck Morrell's 63-yard pick six opened the scoring and Riggs threw for 295 yards and five TDs, including three to DeBoer, who finished with six catches and 171 yards. The defense didn't allow a TD until the fourth quarter and gave up just 164 yards in total offense. The 58 points scored tied a school record (Dr. Martin Luther King College, 1972).

In week two, sophomore running back David Ruter rushed for 222 yards with three TDs, including a 81-yard jaunt, while Riggs threw for 264 yards and three TDs as USF rolled up 618 yards in total offense for a 42-12 win at Taylor Stadium in Jamestown, N.D. Larry Wilson had 3 ½ sacks for the defense, which held the Jimmies to just seven yards rushing.

A week later, The Cougars, ranked #7 in NAIA, hit the road again and emerged with a 49-29 victory over Midland Lutheran, sparked by 21 points in both the second and fourth quarters. USF, which moved up to #5 in the national poll after the victory, set seven school records with 673 yards in total offense. Riggs threw for 441 yards and six TDs earning his first-ever NAIA DII Offensive Player of the Week. In the record-setting week, DeBoer had a school record 13 receptions for 146 yards and a TD. Jeremy Gardner had seven receptions for 144 yards and four TDs, which tied Larry Skogerboe's 1967 record for TDs in a game. Chris Snyder led the defense with 13 tackles.

The team, which scored 50 points or more eight times in 1996, rolled past Huron, 50-14 in the SDIC opener at Huron in week four. The Tigers entered the game with the nation's total offense leader – Don Fellows – but USF's defense shined, not allowing a Huron score until the fourth quarter. While USF rolled up 530 yards in total offense, Huron was held to 241, including just three yards rushing (13 attempts). Riggs threw for 319 yards and four TDs.

In week five, USF was faced one of its most difficult games. In a game at LeMars, Iowa, The Cougars had to rally for a 20-13 win against Westmar. The Cougars trailed 13-6 at halftime and needed a pair of TD runs by Lamar Westbrook, who had 15 carries for 106 yards, in the final 11 minutes to edge past Westmar. The Eagles had a shot to tie the score late but Snyder broke up a pass in the end zone on fourth down.

After the road scare at Westmar, the Cougars had their first home game which was played at Howard Wood Field. USF, ranked #3 in the country, cruised to a 54-7 victory against Dakota State. USF picked up its sixth straight win by erupting for 34 points in the second quarter and led at the break, 48-0. Ruter led the offense with 12 carries for 166 yards and two TDs, including a 71-yard scoring jaunt to open the scoring in the first quarter. DeBoer had seven receptions for 135 yards and two TDs.

The Cougars put 50 points on the board again in week seven with a second straight home win. Riggs completed 30-of-45 passes for 332 yards (516 yards in total offense) and four TDs as USF took a 52-7 victory against Black Hills State in moving to 7-0. DeBoer had 12 catches for 122 yards and a TD for USF which outscored BHSU, 31-0 in the second half.  The defense held BHSU, which was the 5th ranked passing attack in NAIA, to 182 total yards, including setting a school record with -45 yards rushing on 23 carries. That game at home – Howard Wood Field - was the final one of the year.

At 7-0, the Cougars clearly had found their winning mojo. And the faith-based campus was buzzing, recalled Dean of Theology Dennis Thum.

"Watching those guys from week to week, hopefully drawing closer to God, you know I saw something.  I remember one day in particular watching them as we are getting close to the playoffs and they are really tight.  You can just sense it in the room (Chapel).  They cared about each other; and these are some guys that I have had in class, some of them pretty rough around the edges, but they were becoming men in a very team-oriented way," said Thum  "I remember thinking to myself, 'This is what we are trying to do here.'  And, then, they go on the road for these tough playoff games, under very adverse circumstances sometimes and they just keep winning and everybody is hoping for one more game, as faculty and staff, enjoying the journey, especially in a culture that kind of puts sports in an idolatrous role. But back then, there was a time when football just transcended being a game for on the campus," said Thum. 

It was a time, Thum related, when USF was starting to gain some momentum coming out of the 80's where the economy had been turbulent.

"There was a lot of new energy on campus, a lot of great students showing up and something happened that year that I still say is more than just a game.  It had a profound effect on people and there was so much joy with it and gratitude and humility," Thum said. "There was no swagger back then.  There were just a bunch of students doing the best they could and loving the process, and I think loving each other and it was fun to watch."

It was a team that formed a bond and cohesion that carried them through tough times and kept them on task.

"You know you look at the schedule at the beginning of the year and, you know we're going to be spending a lot of time on a bus together," said DeBoer, who earned All-America honors in 1996 and later coached the Cougars. "I think we all knew our spots on the bus and we would get the card games played. We all had our partner, you know, when it came to the tournaments cause we were going to be on bus rides for a long time and that's what (bonding) makes the whole run so memorable and made it so much fun.  I mean I think that's why we're so close to this day," he said.

As week eight hit, USF's bond would be tested in a road trip out west. In the days leading up to a matchup with South Dakota Tech, the conditions looked favorable for USF to take on a team that did not have a win yet in 1996. The Cougars were on a roll offensively and the defense was shining.

But, weather can shift quickly in the state of "infinite variety," and it did, making playing a game a major challenge. As longtime USF administrator Sid Kortemeyer noted, the conditions quickly deteriorated from Friday to Saturday.

"The Black Hills is notorious for clipper systems coming in for a day," said Kortemeyer. "On Friday when we did our workouts it was beautiful in the 50s and 60s and gorgeous. It started raining about 10 pm at night and just kept getting worse. It was the old Dakota blizzard thing. On game day, the conditions included sleet and snow. It was turning into a bad day and not a good one for football," he said.

On Saturday morning, Kortemeyer went to the official's locker room to inquire about playing conditions and whether the game could proceed. "I asked them under what conditions is a game unplayable. I mean there were sub-zero temperatures, heavy snow and dangerous wind chills," he said. 

He tried to get hold of the SD Tech A.D. to see if the game could be moved to Sunday. "He was running a volleyball tournament up the hill at Tech's facility and I couldn't get a hold of him. This was before the sophistication of cell phones and stuff," said Kortemeyer.

"He came down just before game time and said we think we need to play," he said.  "So, when you're on the field the wind is just biting and the sleet is just biting into your face and as the conditions got progressively worse, you know it was going to be tough. You just worried about injuries or frostbite," he said.

At halftime the referees wanted to stop play which upset Kortemeyer. "I was as mad as I've ever been in my life because we knew the conditions were horrible and unplayable before the game started. Now they wanted to suspend play," he said.  "By the grace of God, they tried to run a reverse out of the end zone and Travis Dumke got him for a safety and we won, 8-6. It was the Bastogne (WWII – Battle of the Bulge reference) of college football. We had kids treated for hypothermia.   Of course, the next day, true to form, was beautiful," noted Kortemeyer.

Despite the conditions, USF scored first when Ruter had a 10-yard scoring run. That was it for the explosive USF offense, which mustered just 124 yards in total offense. SD Tech tied the game on a TD pass in the third quarter but couldn't convert a two point try. In the fourth quarter, USF's DeBoer fumbled with the snap and with the rush nearly upon him, nailed a 52-yard punt that rolled to the Tech one-yard line. It was a play that set up the final score of the day. On a second down play, Tech attempted a reverse with USF defensive lineman Travis Dumke, true to his name, dumping wide receiver Ryan Cadwallader in the end zone for a safety and the win. In total, Tech had 22 rushing yards and 45 yards in total offense.

The next week, USF's offense reminded everyone, just how good it was. In a 65-30 romp over Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, Neb., USF set a school record with 678 yards in total offense (still ranks second) and scored double digit points in all four quarters. Riggs completed 30-of-39 passes for 457 yards and eight TDs, which tied the DII mark for TD passes in a game. He set single game records for passing and total offense and later earned his second NAIA DII Player of the Week honor. DeBoer, too, had a record-setting day with 15 catches for 182 yards and three TDs. Gardner had six catches for 133 yards and three TDs while Ruter led a rushing attack that piled up 221 TDs as he had 114 on 15 carries and a TD.

In moving to 10-0 with a dominating 55-16 victory over Dakota Wesleyan at the DakotaDome, the #2 ranked Cougars showed they were ready for the playoffs. In the win over DWU, USF led 28-0 at half and 48-7 after three quarters. Riggs threw for 359 yards and five TDs and broke future NFL QB Trent Dilfer's record of consecutive passes thrown without an interception. Riggs, who appropriately completed a six-yard pass to DeBoer to break the mark, would eventually run his streak to 290 before the streak ended.

1996 Playoffs – A run for history

In that first title run, head coach Bob Young told his team in the preseason: "First be the best, then you will be first."  As the playoffs were to unfold, a second preseason mantra took special significance and that was to "finish it."

As the #2 Cougars were to face U-Mary, squad members had to feel a little Déjà vu. In 1995, an unbeaten USF team headed north to face the Marauders with their season ending in a 42-17 setback. In the 1996 first round playoff game, the Cougars flipped the script. With Ruter setting an NAIA playoff game record of 315 rushing yards on 33 carries with five total TDs, USF dominated Mary in the second half in a 56-19 victory. Ruter broke USF's rushing game record of 256 set by Steve Pickerl against Westmar (21-20 win) in 1979. While Ruter was the player of the game, it was a conversion return by Damon Olson that was a turning point in a close first half. Olson's return gave USF a 23-19 lead after which the Cougars ripped off 33 straight points. Riggs had four TD passes although his pass streak without an interception ended at 290.

The Cougars opened a 31-14 lead as they defeated longtime nemesis Northwestern College, 52-21, in the playoff quarterfinals at Orange City, Iowa to advance to the national semifinals. It was a milestone win as the Cougars advanced past the second round for the first time and ended a 17-game losing streak to Northwestern that dated to 1967 (35-7 W). In the victory, USF's defense had six sacks and six interceptions, including a 95-yard TD interception return by Phil Porter. In addition, USF set a school record by holding Northwestern to a -49 yards rushing on 23 carries.

At 12-0, the #2 Cougars headed to Springfield, Mo., to face #5 Evangel in what was a third consecutive road playoff game. The Cougars defeated an athletic Evangel squad, 28-22, holding off the Crusaders in the fourth quarter. USF built a 20-0 lead but Evangel answered with 15 points in the third quarter. Ruter, who led USF with 30 carries and 164 yards, scored a one-yard TD with 8:30 to play for a 28-15 lead but Evangel quickly answered with a 40-yard TD pass. Larry Wilson, who had eight tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery, had the interception late that sent the Cougars to its first ever NAIA title game. While the offense was explosive (454 total yards offense per game in playoffs), coach Scott Underwood's defense was dominant in the first three rounds, limiting opponents to 60 rushing yards on 95 carries.

Reaching the championship brought out a special feeling of accomplishment. But it wasn't enough. The pinnacle of their season and the program's success to that point would happen a week later in the NAIA Championship. Facing the #6 ranked Western Washington, which ended the year 11-2, the Cougars met a team that had just defeated #1 ranked Findlay (Ohio), 28-21, ending a 24-game winning streak. It was a school significantly larger that Sioux Falls with an enrollment of 11,000.

The size of school and who they beat that didn't matter to the Cougars. USF gained control in the first half and ran away with a 47-25 decision to capture its first title. Riggs, DeBoer, Ruter and the defense all stepped up to ensure the win. After falling behind 6-0 early, the Cougars answered with big plays from Riggs and Ruter to take a 27-13 halftime lead. In the first half, Ruter had a nine-yard scoring run and two TD receptions (64, 20) from Riggs. In the third quarter, DeBoer stepped up with a TD reception and a 54-yard TD run to basically put the game on ice with USF leading, 41-13. DeBoer, who later caught a 13-yard TD pass, finished with 10 receptions for 131 yards. Gardner also had six catches for 131 yards while Riggs was 25-of-33 for 431 yards and five TDs.

For Coach Young, it was a culmination of a very special year.

"We didn't have a lot of numbers - I mean our depth was maybe one extra offensive lineman, two at one time, but none of them went out with the season-long injury. So when I look back on it and I think about how much depth we had to go through a season, and we didn't have a field to play on, it was a blessing because we had built such tremendous team chemistry on trips," said Young, USF's career wins leader at 172-69-3 (.711) and 1996 NAIA National Coach of the Year. "It helped that a lot of our players were fairly close to the Sioux Falls area, and the parents and the following of our team was phenomenal. I mean those people went hundreds of miles to follow us, and so we a lot of times almost outnumbered the opposing teams' fan support. I think what took place that fall as I look back on it, it's just you know, one of those milestones, benchmarks in life that I needed to stay in coaching as long as I did It was an affirmation of well done, faithful service that showed you are on the right track," added Young, who was named conference coach of the year eight times at USF.

At the end of the day, the 1996 would prove to be when USF turned the corner and set the stage for continued success that continues into 2016. In a 14-0 season, USF set a school record for wins while taking 10 wins on the road.

In reflection, USF President Mark Benedetto, who came to USF just after the team won the 1996 title, the championship was a remarkable achievement given the factors the teams had to overcome.

"I'm like how could it be that we won a national championship, went 14-0 and really we only had one fulltime coach," said Benedetto. "It was just an amazing accomplishment. We have got kids who aren't spoiled and the coaches especially, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to win. I think a lot of it has been the mentality and kind of the inner heart of our people here at USF, believing that we don't have to have everything given to you, you could earn it," he said.

The Cougars scored 636 points and allowed just 227. In fact, USF outscored foes, 364-to-92 in the first half alone. It was a team that rolled up 6,863 total yards (490.2 per game), including 4,144 (296.0 ypg) through the air. Defensively they gave up 3,921 yards or 280 per game, with just 55.3 yards rushing per game. Twelve times in 1996, the USF defense held an opponent to under 100 yards, including all four playoff opponents. The defenae recorded 51 sacks, 25 interceptions and 25 fumble recoveries with an incredible plus 27 turnover margin.

Riggs (265-400-3,993 yards, 3 int., 55 TDs), who was named the NAIA Player of the Year, Gardner (50 receptions, 953 yards, 16 TDs) and DeBoer (99 receptions, 1,372 yards, 17 TDs, all school records at the time) were named first team All-Americans while offensive lineman Andy Harrold and Porter (40T, 2 int.) were second team All-Americans.  The Cougars also had 10 first-team all-league players including Riggs, Ruter (226-1,726-19 TDs), DeBoer, Gardner, Travis Eldridge, Harrold, Porter, Wilson (63T, 12.5 sacks, 2 int.) , Ray Smith (58T, 3 int., sack) and Travis Dumke (56T, 7.5 sacks, 3 FR).

Chasing championship #2
Following the 1996 championship, the Cougars were honored and the school held held a ring ceremony.

The feeling of accomplishment was felt across USF and the city. The Cougars had the first football national title of any kind in South Dakota.

But like was experienced with the 1996 team, a little time would pass before another team would bring home a national championship. It wasn't as if they didn't get close.
In 1997, the Cougars with lot of momentum from the title win had a 12-2 season but lost in the national semifinals to Williamette, Ore., 17-7. USF reached the quarterfinals in 1998 before losing to Olivet Nazarene, 37-34, in an 8-3 season. The Cougars made it back to the playoffs in 2001 in a 12-2 season, reaching the championship game but falling to Georgetown, 49-27. In that season, they captured a thriller in the first round, edging U-Mary, 27-21. In that season, the Cougars began a 40-game winning streak in league play that would extended into the 2005 season.

In 2002, USF had an unbeaten regular season, led by NAIA player of the year Nick Kortan. However, they lost in the national semifinals to Carroll College, 20-17, after edging past Mary, 13-10 in the quarterfinals.

A year later, the 2003 Cougars again posted an unbeaten regular season before capturing two wins in the playoffs. In the semifinals, USF lost a heartbreaker to Northwestern Oklahoma, 16-13. In 2004, another unbeaten regular season ended in a 24-3 loss to Azusa Pacific in the national quarterfinals. The loss came after a playoff record 72 points in a win over Tabor.  

After the 2004 season, Young decided to retire after leading the team to eight conference titles, six unbeaten regular seasons and 10 playoff appearances.

With Young stepping aside former USF wide receiver and assistant coach Kalen DeBoer took over the reigns of the program. He was joined at the hip by defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell and quarterbacks coach Kurtiss Riggs, all members of the 1996 championship team. With Jon Anderson also joining the staff, those four coaches would lead the team to four national title appearances and three NAIA championships in the next five years.

Right away, the Cougars had another standout year but the 2005 season ended with a big thud in the playoff semifinals. An 11-2 season ended with a 55-0 loss to Carroll College in those semifinals.

The loss to Carroll College was frustrating to the coaches and players but like the loss in 1995, gave the team a focus to get better. It served as a marker on what they needed to do to win another title, remembers DeBoer.

"We started a little slow in 2005 but began to find our winning ways until we face Carroll College," said DeBoer. "They had become somewhat of a dynasty with three straight national titles. We lost 55 to nothing in a national semi-final game.  And, getting on the plane that night I just remember thinking we are 55 points behind the team that will probably win a national championship which they did.  Now when you look at it, they were locked and loaded with a lot of seniors on that team. So I give our players, all the credit in the world for not putting their head, you know, between their legs and just kind of you know, walking away," he said.

For DeBoer, he had a team that learned from that difficult game and immediately prepared themselves to get better.

One of those players was Dusty Hovorka.

"It all started in 2005 when we got romped by Carroll College, which by the way, the last time that our offense has been shut out," said Hovorka, who today is USF's offensive coordinator. "This was the first summer in 2006 where we had somewhere around 35 guys who consistently showed up together to workout, do strength conditioning, and throw. I think that is when we really felt like you had a group of seniors and even younger guys who bought in, who knew that it was going to take sacrifice of some things that you hadn't given up before, that it was going to take those things to reach the level that we wanted to reach."

"From that moment and even into fall camp, it was a seamless transition of knowing your teammates, knowing your relationship with a quarterback, knowing the relationship in the run game between the running back and the offensive line.  We came into that camp with a different type of mentality.  I think that's where we felt a supreme amount of confidence going into that season," said Hovorka.

As the 2006 season unfolded, Carroll College, which had won four straight titles and 16 consecutive playoff games, was perched at the top of the preseason polls. St. Francis (Ind.), which had a 41-game regular season winning streak in tow was #2, and USF was ranked #3.

?In the opener, the Cougars roared with a 49-7 decision against Concordia, Neb., jumping to a 23-0 lead at halftime and putting up a 20 spot in the third quarter. Quarterback Chad Cavender opened his career at USF by hitting 16-of-24 passes for 335 yards and three TDs. Hovorka had six catches for 123 yards. Defensively, the Cougars allowed just 113 yards in total offense, including 48 rushing yards on 36 carries.

Week two produced USF's first shutout of the season as the Cougars took a 32-0 victory over Hastings College at Lloyd Wilson Field in Hastings, Neb., capitalizing on a 23-point second quarter. Led by Mike Dvoracek's 32 carries for 177 yards and two TDs. The defense produced its first defensive TD of the season when Brady Schwebach had a fumble recovery in the end zone.

Cavender was back at it in week three as the Cougars rolled, 41-7 over Briar Cliff in Sioux Falls. He completed 22-of-32 passes for 377 yards and three TDs. Two receivers, Trey Erickson (7-124-0 TDs) and Hovorka (6-151-2 TDs) had 100-yard receiving games. The defense held BC to 146 yards in total offense, including -8 yards rushing in 16 carries.

USF rolled to another victory in week four as a 28-point first quarter led to a 51-17 road win over Dana College in Blair, Neb. Dvoracek rushed 21 times for 146 yards with a TD. Cavender had three TD passes while Hovorka had his third 100-yard receiving game of the season.

Another 50-point outburst followed in USF's 50-3 victory over Midland Lutheran College in Sioux Falls. Dvoracek rushed 23 times for 135 yards and three TDs while Cavender had 256 yards passing with three TDs, two to Hovorka.

The Cougars were tested in moving to 6-0 with a 17-14 decision over Northwestern (Iowa) College in Orange City, Iowa. Down 14-0 in the first half, USF scored 10 points in fourth quarter, including a three-yard TD by Dvoracek (30-127-TD) with 10:24 to play that tied the game. A 40-yard field goal by Matt Lindgren with 5:52 was the difference as the Cougars picked up a key road win over a team that came into the game unbeaten. USF's defense held Northwestern to 188 total yards, including 86 yards rushing.

Hovorka had his fourth 100 yard receiving game of the year with his seven receptions for 109 yards. Defensively, Jason Glasco had three tackles and two interceptions.
The #3 Cougars improved to 7-0 with its second shutout as they defeated #12 Morningside, 24-0, in Sioux Falls. In the victory, the Cougars allowed just 140 yards in total offense, including 12 yards rushing on 24 carries. Meanwhile USF had 335 yards in total offense and rushing TDs from Hovorka, and Dvoracek with Fenceroy hauling in a 12-yard TD pass from Cavender, who was 21-of-34 for 243 yards. The Cougars recorded five sacks and picked off three passes, including two by Tyler Lodermeier and one by Letarius Lee, who had a sack and two TFLs.

The offense exploded again in a 51-7 week eight win over Doane College. The Cougars led 30-0 at halftime as Dvoracek had three TDs and finished with 102 yards rushing. Chad Cavender was 13-of-16 for 276 yards and three TDs as the Cougars had 469 yards in total offense while holding Doane to 166. Fenceroy had five catches for 104 yards and a 12-yard TD reception.

In the final two games of the regular season, the Cougars compiled a 93-0 scoring margin with a 52-0 victory over Nebraska-Wesleyan and a 41-0 conquest of DWU. Against Nebraska-Wesleyan, Erickson played a lead role with 327 all-purpose yards, including an 80-yard punt return for a TD. He also had nine catches for 94 yards and 173 return yards. Cavender hit on 26-of-35 passes for 309 yards and two TDs, both to Hovorka. NWU was limited to 92 yards in total offense on 48 plays with only 37 yards rushing. In the victory of DWU, Dvoracek had 15 carries for 166 yards but it was Cavender to Hovorka that was the show. Hovorka had eight catches for 166 yards and four TD receptions. He caught TD passes of 25, 11, 67 and 11 yards from Cavender, who hit on 19-of-28 passes for 291 yards and five total TDs (four passing).

At 10-0 entering the playoffs, the Cougars continued to shine in a 48-10 victory over #15 ranked Jamestown College as Cavender completed 20-of-26 passes for a career best 437 yards and had five TDs. In fact, he threw four in the first quarter as USF built a 27-7 lead and cruised to the first round win. Three receivers had 98 yards or more receiving as Mike Warren had five catches for 158 yards and two TDs, including an 88-yard pitch and catch with Cavender. Fenceroy had his second 100 yard receiving game with seven catches for 135 yards and a 30-yard TD reception. Hovorka had three catches for 98 yards and a pair of 45 yard TD receptions. In total, USF rolled up 579 yards in total offense and held Jamestown to 246 including 88 yards rushing.

?In the quarterfinals, the Cougars handily defeated rival and #13 Morningside, 37-7 for a second time in 2006 as Hovorka had nine catches for 109 yards and a TD. In the game, the Cougars outgained Morningside, 360-to-175, including 155-to-63 on the ground. USF opened the game with a 12-play, 96- yard scoring drive and added subsequent scoring drives of 54 yards, 65 yards, five yards, 28 yards and five yards. USF had two interceptions (Adam Paulson and Jason Glasco). Luke Hartman led the defense with seven tackles.

As the 2006 team edged closer to a championship, the competition become much tougher. In the semifinals, DeBoer and his team faced unbeaten and #5 Missouri Valley (13-0) on a bitter December 2 day in Howard Wood Field before 3,155 in attendance. After Missouri Valley scored first, Cavender hit Hovorka with a six-yard TD toss and a 7-6 lead late in the first quarter. But the vistors had the answer on a one-yard run by Jason Shoulder for a 12-7 halftime lead.

In 2006, the Cougars dominated with a 541-to-102 scoring margin and completely dominated the third quarter with a 148-to-14 advantage. In the playoffs, USF would not allow a single point in the third quarter and held a 41-0 margin.

Against Missouri Valley, the Cougars had a 10-0 advantage in the third quarter as a Warren hauled in a 55-yard TD pass from Cavender just after the second half kickoff and a 14-12 lead. Lindgren added a 27-yard field goal for a 17-12 advantage. But MVC answered with a one-yard run by David Allen with 13:22 to play. With a national title berth hanging in the balance, the Cougars put together an eight- play 54-yard drive in 2:22 and took a 25-18 advantage as Cavender connected with Fenceroy on a seven-yard TD pass with 6:08 to play. USF went for the two-point play with Cavender faking on a bubble screen and finding a wide open Hovorka in the end zone.

On the following possession, MVC moved the ball to the USF 47-yard line and ripped off a long run called back by penalty. The Cougars held and forced MVC, facing a 4 and 11, to punt with 3:32 to play. From there, USF used its ramrod at running back, Dvoracek to put the game away. He carried six straight times for 23 yards and converted a pair of 3rd and one plays. 

While MVC outgained USF, 367-to-353, the Cougars had the plays when they were needed. Cavender finished 20-of-33 for 272 yards and three TDs. Hovorka had eight catches for 82 yards and a TD while Warren had 95 yards on four catches and a score. Darren Quaile led the defense with nine tackles (six solo) with 1.5 TFLs and Letarius Lee had a sack and six tackles.

As the final seconds ticked away, DeBoer glowed in that his Cougars had returned to the title game. His team would have the chance that he had as a player back in 1996 - win anational  title . That feeling resonated strongly with the Milbank, S.D., native.

?"Here we were in the 2006 national semi-final game against Missouri Valley, just an amazing team all around. The weather was unforgettable about 10 degrees and a 35 miles per hour wind. I'll never forget that day," he said.  "It was one of those days where it defined who we were as a program, in that we're tough and we're hard-nosed and we're going to keep throwing punches. There I was having the team around me, and just finally being able to say hey we're going to Tennessee, we're going to play in a national championship and that was, that was maybe one of the best feelings in the world. These guys were going to get to experience what I had experienced a number of our other coaches experienced as players ourselves," he said.

With the victory, USF was headed to Savannah, Tenn., and Jim Carroll Stadium to face the unbeaten and top-ranked St. Francis (Ind.) Cougars in the 51st annual NAIA Football title game. It was the Cougars' first trip to the championship since 2001. 

In the 2006 game, the Cougars used their third quarter magic to create separation and take a 23-19 decision. Before 5,805 in attendance, the favored St. Francis squad, took a 7-0 lead by marching 80-yards on the opening drive. USF answered quickly, using just four plays and a 37-yard TD strike from Cavender to Hovorka to draw close at 7-6.
St. Francis regained the lead on a 12-yard TD pass to linebacker and sometimes tight end Brian Kurtz, the NAIA Player of the Year. But Yankton native Trey Erickson answered in sterling fashion with an 89-yard kickoff return for a TD.

Tied 13-13 at halftime, USF, which was outgained 349-to-214 in total yards, opened the second half with a 23-yard field goal from Matt Lindgren and added a Dvoracek one-yard TD run for a 23-13 lead. From there, the defenses took over with St. Francis scoring a TD on the last play of the game. Cavender, who was 15-of-21 for 155 yards, was the game's outstanding player. The defense was led by Matt Miller and Dan DeJong with 10 tackles each.

"I am proud of what we did in 2006 because it was a culmination of a lot of heartache, a lot of hard work, disappointments, things we didn't feel that necessarily went our way in some cases," said DeBoer, who was named NAIA and AFCA National Coach of the Year. "There was a tremendous amount of pride in what we felt like was the next step in building the program up to being a national contender year in and year out.  It wasn't an easy win but you know it was something that just the experience and the consistency that our team had offensively and defensive we just played a really good football game against another good football team and that championship started the string of championships to come in the rest of the 2000's."

For players like Hovorka, the championship helped him appreciate the hard work and sacrifice in the weight room and on the practice field was worth it. And, he felt that Coo Pride simply transcended the moment.

"I remember walking out on the field almost in a bit of like a daze, not sure what to do, who to hug, who to you know, all that kind of stuff.  It was just such a… I don't know, it was such a bizarre just kind of stopped in time moment. You start finding guys and talking and celebrating and everybody's in a big group taking photos with the national championship banner and the national championship trophy and it just continues to build and you just… we were just overwhelmed with you know, how much pride that we had in coming so far through a lot of disappointment," add Hovorka, who left USF as the school's most productive receiver ever with 291 receptions for 4,801 yards and 55 TDs.

More championships and transition to DII
In the years to follow, the Cougars simply dominated at the NAIA level, which led to university decision to move to DII.

In 2007, USF would finally get their home field -- USF Sports Complex – Bob Young Field, located at 69th and Cliff. Since that time USF has gone 54-4 at home, a remarkable level of success.

From a title game loss in 2007, the Cougars began their 42-game winning streak, including a 15-0 mark and national title in 2008. The 2009 team was nearly as impressive defensively but featured the school's best-ever offensive unit, rolling up 775 points in a 15-0 season.

After DeBoer left in 2009, the Cougars success continued with the 2010 team, led by first-year head coach Jed Stugart, recorded a 13-1 record and a berth in the NAIA championship. Then the transition to DII took hold and the winning has continued. Stugart has led USF to six straight winning seasons, including four in the NSIC, two postseason berths, 23 straight weeks in the national polls and the promise for greater rewards.

"I think you are seeing the same thing in the program now that I was experiencing back you know when our program took a big leap in '94, '95, '96 and so on you know, and it kept going up. You know this program always take everything to another level," said Young.

With a 20-4 record over the past two seasons and two postseason berths, the Cougars are making strides at the DII level. But it all started with those champions in 1996 and 2006. The tradition of excellence isn't lost on Stugart.

"Our next step is to, to add to that tradition, you know obviously every year every team in the country wants to win a national championship…you know like the great phrase that's been coined here and it's been a tradition here is 'winners win because that's what winners do' and that's why we don't even say that very often until the appropriate times because it's almost a sacred type of a saying because that's how much importance that saying says for our program," said Stugart, who is 53-16 at USF, a mark that ranks third behind DeBoer (67-3) and Young (172-69-3) in wins at the school.

As the program moves forward, USF Athletic Director Josh Snyder understands that the run of success in football has happened because coaches and student-athletes have honored the legacy by continuing to work hard on the field, maintained a strong focus on their academics and have stepped up as servant leaders.  

"Cougar Pride is understanding of the history and legacy that USF brings to the table, but also how we carry that forward," said Snyder. "We are so proud of the legacy that was here before us and we want to continue that legacy by going even further and being better and doing things the right way."