Stig and The Rise of South Dakota State Football

by Tanner Castora

In 1997, South Dakota State football was your everyday Division II program. Twenty-six years later, they were Division I national champions. This is the story of coach John "Stig" Stiegelmeier — the man who led the way — and the overlooked recruits who defied the odds, survived the grim transition to Division I, and steadily built a powerhouse program in the frozen plains of South Dakota. Discover how a program nobody seemed to believe in became the team nobody could beat. With over 135 interviews with Stig, former players and coaches, this is the definitive book on SDSU Football.

479 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2025

Reviews

[Mwalkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. One does not need to be a football junkie or a religious zealot to appreciate this depiction of a humble, simply good man as he lived his life following his dream and his passions. Castora kindly covered the raw human foibles and idiosyncrasies of an influential man to many, if not most, of us alumni from South Dakota State University and beyond.