Robert "Bob" R. Young (April 10, 1939 – January 25, 2023) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

former player, coach, and Christian spiritual leader. A native of

Beresford, South Dakota Beresford (; ) is a city in Lincoln and Union counties in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The population was 2,180 as of the 2020 census. The southern two-thirds is part of the Sioux City, IA- NE-SD Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the north ...

, he served as the head football coach at the

University of Sioux Falls The University of Sioux Falls (USF) is a private BaptistChristian university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. In fall 2014, the university enrolled a total of 1,142 undergraduate students and ...

from 1983 to 2004, compiling a record of 172–69–3. His 1996 Sioux Falls Cougars team won the

NAIA Football Championship The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Football National Championship is decided by a post-season playoff system featuring the best NAIA college football teams in the United States. Under sponsorship of the National Associ ...

. His football teams were also NAIA runners-up in 2001, semifinalists in 1997, 2002, 2003, and quarterfinalists in 1995, 1998, and 2004. Young won nine

South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference The South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) was an NAIA-associated collegiate athletic conference that ceased operations following the 1999–2000 academic school year when it merged with the North Dakota College Athletic Conference to form ...

(SDIC) titles and four

Great Plains Athletic Conference The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located ...

(GPAC) titles. His teams ran off conference winning streaks of 27 games from 1994 to 1999 and 34 games from 2001 to 2004. He is the winningest coach in

Sioux Falls Cougars football The Sioux Falls Cougars are the athletic teams that represent the University of Sioux Falls, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing the Northern Sun Intercolle ...

history. Young was considered to be a spiritual leader within the lives of former players, often hosting virtual meetings with them to provide mentoring and spiritual guidance.

Head coaching record

College

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Bob 1939 births 2023 deaths Arizona State University alumni High school football coaches in South Dakota Players of American football from South Dakota Sioux Falls Cougars football coaches Sioux Falls Cougars football players High school football coaches in Iowa High school football coaches in Arizona People from Beresford, South Dakota