Happy Monday and Happy Sixth of July!
As we continue to celebrate America's 250th & the holiday, enjoy conversations All-American football players: USD running back Charles Pierre, Jr., before his season-ending injury and SDSU's
Quentin Christensen, the cattle farming offensive lineman who became a folk hero among Jackrabbit fans even before an outstanding 2025 that led to million dollar deals at major conference schools he decided to turn down so he could return to Brookings with best friend Chase Mason and chase a national title in 2026.
These chats are a terrific primer to next Tuesday's Missouri Valley Football Conference Media Days, where Sioux Falls Live and KSFL-TV will be providing a bunch of live interviews with the top players and coaches in the league to get ready for the 2026 season— chats that will also be posted on Happy Hour.
Happy Hour will return with new shows tomorrow (Tuesday). Get ready for an all-time SDSU legend on Wednesday!
Charles Pierre, Jr. - June 3, 2025
Remember this guy?
He was the MVFC's top rusher and the first USD player to rush for over 1,000 yards when he sprang for 1,244 yards in his sophomore season of 2024, earning him Third Team All-America honors from Phil Steele and honorable mention All-America from the Associated Press. Of course, he was also first team All-MVFC.
In Happy Hour's enjoyable and engaging chat with the laid back Orlando native in early June 2025, Pierre gave us a glimpse into his childhood in Florida, his "alien leg," how he ended up in Vermillion, and how he was ready to tear it up in 2025 as a junior.
Three months later, in USD's second game, Pierre suffered a season-ending injury at Lamar that cleared the way for backup L.J. Phillips to immediately skyrocket his way to the top of the MVFC and FCS rushing charts, earning Phillips All-America honors and an NIL payday at Iowa.
This chat with Pierre will wet your whistle for his reset in 2026, and for a near-future conversation with him about going through the injury and his hunger to burst back on the field.
Quentin Christensen - Jan 22, 2026
Why in the world would he do that?
So many have asked that question about South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason and All-American offensive lineman Quinten Christensen after learning both players turned down at least one offer of $1 million in NIL money to transfer to a Power Four school.
Mason explained his decision to stay at SDSU in a Happy Hour conversation in December.
Thursday, January 22, was Christensen's turn. Playing a position in such high demand in the SEC and the Big Ten, the in-state senior-to-be from Wessington Springs (two hours from Brookings) could have taken life-changing money and potentially raised his NIL stock by competing at a higher level.
Christensen explains why his SDSU experience and the connections he has made with the program outweighs finances. One of those connections is with former teammate and current Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Mason McCormick, who took Christensen under his wing when "Q" was a freshman.
Hear about what Christensen learned and continues to learn from McCormick along with what the "605 Hogs" and the 2025 Jackrabbits learned in a topsy-turvy 9-5 season, the first under Dan Jackson. It included the death of running back Nate White before the season started and the foot injury to Mason that started a four-game losing streak after a 7-0 start.
"Q" offers his perspective on Jackson and the influence coach John Stiegelmeier still casts on Christensen and the players three years after "Stig" retired.
The Happy Hour conversation begins with a trip back in time to Christensen's upbringing on the family cattle ranch in Wessington Springs and the influence his parents — both athletes — had on his development in football and wrestling.
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