Coach Ginn's record soon to pass to Stiegelmeier
It's taken John Stiegelmeier a lifetime to catch Ralph Ginn – not that that was the goal. For now, the two are tied atop the list of most wins in a career by a South Dakota State football coach: 113.
Ginn grabbed the record in 1954 – before Stiegelmeier was born – and more than doubled any of his predecessors by the time he finished in 1968. Four years later, he died of colon cancer.
As soon as Saturday evening, Stiegelmeier will set a new standard, the No. 10-ranked Jackrabbits (2-1) continuing their push toward a fourth FCS playoff berth before a standing-room-only crowd at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. If the mark does fall then, a few on hand will think of Ginn, too, admiring the far-off standard that he set.
The school, the game, and the country were different then, although that's not to say Ginn doesn't share some similarities with his soon-to-be successor.
"He was like a father to a lot of us," said Wayne Rasmussen, who played for SDSU from 1961-63. "He was a disciplinarian, but he was always fair. And he was a great man. He wouldn't ask you to do anything that he wouldn't have done himself."
While the Internet assures that the Stiegelmeier era will be remembered in detail, Ginn's days have been left more to the imagination, personal memories filling in the blanks. These are the facts: An Iowa native, Ginn led the Jacks from 1947-68, moving over from Brookings High School. (He worked in the prep ranks for more than 15 years.) In 22 seasons, he went 113-89-9 with nine North Central Conference titles and 14 NFL draft picks.
Matt Sutton played in the early part of the Ginn era. An undersized offensive lineman, he quit the team in his freshman year only to be talked into giving it another shot by Ginn during a chance meeting on campus the next fall. Sutton obliged and went on to letter for the 1951 team that went 9-0-1 and set school records for rushing yards in the season (3,685) and total offense per game (437.7). Those marks still stand and Sutton remains a loyal booster.
By Sutton's recollection, Ginn believed in basic football (and profanity-free language), while being open to change. He visited the University of Missouri to learn the split-T offense – that's three players behind the quarterback and wide splits between the linemen – from innovative coach Don Faurot, the namesake of the Tigers stadium. Coincidentally, SDSU played there to open this season.
"That's the only reason I was able to play," Sutton said of the scheme. "I wasn't physically capable otherwise, but they were able to take advantage of traps and pulling and different things."
By the time Rasmussen arrived, Ginn was accomplished and well-regarded. That helped recruiting. Also, Ginn wasn't averse to sharing talent. He let top players such as Rasmussen compete in basketball and baseball in addition to football; he'd even go to the games to show support. That policy applied at home, too, as Arnie Ginn, one of Ralph's two children and only son, was a three-sport athlete at Brookings High. He was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2012 – and played basketball and track at SDSU.
The Ginn-led Jacks peaked from 1961-63, winning or sharing three NCC crowns in a row and going a combined 24-5-1 with non-conference victories over the likes of Colorado State, Toledo and Arkansas State. Still, the timing could have been better. The NCAA Division II playoffs didn't start until 1964, coinciding with the start of a five-year slide that marked the end of his tenure. SDSU probably didn't get the kind of regional or national run of subsequent NCC powers.
"He was always optimistic about his new recruits and the upcoming team," said Arnie, who lives in Illinois. "He seemed to be able to forget a loss and go forward to the next game."
That remained true to the end. After coaching, Ginn worked with the state arm of the American Cancer Society – reportedly, he helped raise a then-record $133,000 in 1969 – and got into politics. He was elected Commissioner of School and Public Lands in 1971 only to die in office the next year at age 65.
To this day, SDSU has a coaching award and trophy room named in his honor.
A 1979 SDSU graduate, Stiegelmeier never met Ginn. But he's heard stories, most of them based in admiration more than, say, fear or humor. Just this week, Stiegelmeier got an email from former Jacks captain Dave Porter, revealing that the generally private Ginn wrote letters to him when he was stationed in Vietnam. They always seemed to arrive at just the right time.
Porter also expressed pleasure in Stiegelmeier tying the mark and said that Ginn would approve of his thoughtful approach.
"That was in an era when there were probably 3-4 coaches (on staff) and probably 150 (players) on the team," Stiegelmeier said. "Some of them were back from the war – it was unique, a lot different than this era."
Still, a win is a win. For at least a few more days, Ginn has as many as anybody in SDSU history.
"Ginn stressed it was a privilege to play college football," Sutton said. "I believed it and I think most of the guys on our team did."
At a Glance
Measure of success: With a win Saturday, coach John Stiegelmeier (113-82) will surpass Ralph Ginn (113-89-9) for the career wins mark at SDSU. Ginn, an Iowa native who coached the Jacks from 1947-68, led the team to nine conference titles.
Saturday: UW-Oshkosh,
6 p.m., Coughlin-Alumni Stadium
Ralph Ginn
Years: 1947-68
Record: 113-89-9
Extras: nine conference titles
John Stiegelmeier
Years: 1997-current
Record: 113-82
Extra: one conference title, three playoff berths