Kalen DeBoer talks about how much his USF team wanted to win for his coach Bob Young

SEATTLE, WA (Dakota News Now) -We heard from Kurtiss Riggs and Brian Hansen last night about their college football coach Bob Young. And the incredible impact he had on so many lives before passing away yesterday at age 83.

Today I had Kalen Deboer on Calling All Sports and the Washington Huskies football coach reflected on his days in Sioux Falls as a player on the national championship team in 1996, and eventually as the guy who replaced Bob when he retired in 2004. He went on to win 3 more NAIA championships with the Cougars before moving up the ranks to a Power 5 school in Seattle.

But no-one has had a greater influence on his life than the guy who recruited him from Milbank. And much like Stig’s Jackrabbits, they really wanted to win for their coach who was a father figure to so many.

Kalen DeBoer says, ”I felt like it was almost like you felt you were letting him down. He bever really had to get after you, you just felt bad if you were letting him down if something didn’t quite go as planned or you didn’t accomplish and do things the way he wanted it done. We just cared and loved him so much because we knew the care he was pouring into all of us as people and how hard he was working to put a football team together.”

Kurtiss Riggs talked about how much he learned from Bob when it comes to developing relationships. And Brian Hansen saw Bob’s people skills in action after Bob retired working with coaches for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

The one thing everyone saw was the genuine love he had for others.

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