South Dakota State head coach John Stiegelmeier will announce his retirement in the near future, according to a report Thursday from ESPN. Defensive coordinator Jimmy Rogers will replace him, according to the report.
Stiegelmeier has led the program since 1997, when the program competed in the Division II North Central Conference. He exits 26 seasons later, an FCS national champion.
In between, Stiegelmeier guided the Jackrabbits to five conference championships and 11 consecutive FCS playoff appearances. SDSU laid multiple knocks on the door before finally busting through this season, with five FCS semifinal berths in the past six seasons. South Dakota State faced Sam Houston for the 2020 national title, played in the spring of 2021, and defeated rival and perennial FCS champion North Dakota State earlier this month to hoist the trophy.
The 2022 season was the perfect season to go out on: the Jackrabbits went 14-1 losing only 7-3 to Iowa, knocked off No. 1 North Dakota State in the Fargodome on Oct. 15, spent the rest of the season at No. 1, and were never seriously challenged en route to their first title. Stiegelmeier's team beat No. 23 Delaware 42-6, No. 7 Holy Cross 42-21, No. 3 Montana State 39-18, and No. 4 North Dakota State 45-21 on their path to the crown.
A certain future College Football Hall of Famer, Stiegelmeier exits with a 195-112 record. The Jackrabbits went 62-18 with the five semifinal berths over Stiegelmeier's last six seasons.
Stiegelmeier is a South Dakota native and a South Dakota State graduate who spent nearly his entire adult life as a Jackrabbit. After finishing his playing career, Stiegelmeier jumped into coaching as a student assistant in 1979, then returned to the program as defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator in 1988. He never left.
Rogers is, in many ways, the younger Stiegelemeier. He was a 2-time all-conference player for the Jackrabbits from 2006-09, captaining the first FCS playoff team in school history. Rogers spent 2012 as a graduate assistant at Florida Atlantic but re-joined the program in time for the 2013 season. In 10 seasons on staff, Rogers has coached linebackers, special teams, and currently serves as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
Prior winners selected Rogers as the 2022 FootballScoop FCS Coordinator of the Year.
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