The record-breaking University of Sioux Falls receiver went on to win three national titles and post a 69-3 record as head coach at his alma mater before several offensive coordinating jobs in Div. I led to head coaching gigs at Fresno State, Washington, and Alabama.
Perhaps you're familiar with Kalen DeBoer's 124-20 career record and 86 percent winning clip and the two College Football Playoff appearances of the last three years. His new seven-year extension with Alabama places him among the Top 5 highest-paid coaches in the sport at $12.5 million per year.
The quarterback who threw DeBoer the ball stayed in Sioux Falls and coached in high school and professional indoor football — where he won 11 titles in 21 seasons with the Storm — in addition to playing a substantial role on DeBoer's USF staffs during that 69-3 run.
Perhaps you're also familiar with Kurtiss Riggs, the football director of the Sanford Sports Academy, which continues to develop youth and prep players, churns out college football players at every level, and provides ample opportunities for those players to become more visible to colleges. And then, there's the decade he has spent as a local TV analyst on live high school and college broadcasts, which has led to his emergence as in IFL game analyst for Yahoo Sports.
And, maybe you're well aware these two men were the best of friends in college and still are to this day.
But what you may not know is how it all came to be. How did DeBoer and Riggs end up at USF, then become the Montana and Rice of the NAIA in the mid 1990's?
After separating for a decade, the two then combined to make USF's offense a runaway train during those dominant DeBoer-led USF years. What were some of those headset discussions like?
The two Cougars take us back in time in the latest Happy Hour.
DeBoer sticks around to further explain Riggs' football prowess and genius as a coach and announcer, then talks about:
* Being a softball dad to Alexis, who was a first-team All-Big Ten softball player at Washington the last two seasons
* How a crushing, blowout playoff loss after his first season as USF' head coach — the season before the first of his three USF national titles may help him navigate how he'll react to Crimson Tide's bruising 38-3 Rose Bowl loss to eventual national champion Indiana.
* How his coaching experience at USF has helped him handle the NIL/portal landscape and constant roster turnover
Before all this, Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer joins the Happy Hour host for a Thirsty Thursday at Orion Pub, where they discuss:
* South Dakota State's baseball matchup with Nebraska in the NCAA Regional
* Recently announced national TV games for SDSU and USD football this season, plus what nine nationally televised games could do for NDSU
* How one legendary Minnesota sportswriter reacted to the Golden Gophers hiring now-former Augustana coach Gretta Melsted
* The Sioux Falls Stampede's perfect ending to a special Clark Cup season
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