Kim Nelson, former coach of the MHS Bulldogs, announced his retirement from high school football. Nelson served as a head varsity coach for 45 years in a row. He earned the title of the Winningest Coach in South Dakota History by amassing a record of 314-154. Milbank is where it all began.
Nelson joined the Bulldogs football team back in 1979, immediately after he graduated from Dakota State University in Madison. He led the Dawgs for eight years. Jeff Jones, MHS Class of 1981, recalls, “Coach Nelson shared his story with me that he was hired to be an assistant coach, but during the summer the previous coach resigned, and he was forced to take on the head role.”
Jones, who was voted MVP that year and was tri-captain of the Bulldogs along with Kraig Thorson and Joel Erdmann, says, “Milbank had a strong tradition of football, but struggled during the 70s. Coach Nelson created the environment and culture of a team and made it enjoyable for everyone. We had 17 seniors and went undefeated in conference play, which started a long run of Bulldog success in the 80s and 90s.”
Mark Leddy, MHS Class of 1980, agrees with Jones. “Kim Nelson really was a game changer for Milbank football! After being the dominant program in the state of South Dakota during the 60s, Milbank football had fallen on hard times in the 70s. Most years, they produced a .500 record at best. Coach Nelson went about changing this. He worked to inspire his football program with an understanding of how to win again.” Leddy goes on to illustrate his point: “My senior year, we were 2-7. Many of our losses were very close games, but we just did not find a way to win. In 1980, the team started 0-2, but finished at 7-2. Milbank won the NEC title with a (conference) record of 7-0. It’s hard to believe, Kim Nelson started his career with two wins and nine losses!”
It was Milbank’s first NEC championship since 1968, and Nelson was quoted as saying, “We found the key to winning football games is confidence…believing in your teammates and coaches and most of all believing in yourself.” That season the Bulldogs also racked up 1459 yards passing and 1482 yards rushing to set a new school record. Leddy alone rushed for over 100 yards per game to establish a new MHS record, and he broke the previous record, set in 1969, for the most carries in a season.
“I was one of his early All-Americans,” John Trevett says. “I played for him in 1980 and 1981. I have run into him over the years, and he hasn’t changed at all. He was an excellent coach and a great motivator. If you check out the wins in those two years, his success will speak for itself.”
Nelson appears to be unaware of the positive attitude he transmitted to his Bulldog players. He characterized his first year in Milbank as, “I quickly found out what I DIDN’T know about coaching and teaching! But I had great mentors –Cal Modin, Warren Quail, and Dave Bergan. Milbank was my first job right out of college, and I learned how to prepare better and communicate with my players better.”
He notes,” I have been back to Milbank – for a funeral and to visit. I think my coaching philosophy has also changed a few times since Milbank. I became more player centered and process centered.”
Leddy, however, reinforces the theory that Nelson was powerful from the get-go: “His presence at Milbank really made an impression on me. It showed me the difference a great coach can make. It’s not that we didn’t have good coaches in the 70s, but for whatever reason, their methods didn’t succeed. When Kim Nelson arrived, he instilled that desire in his players to do what they were coached to do and to believe in each other. He is really something special!”
Nelson went on to lead football programs at Rapid City Central, Sioux Falls Washington, and Edina in Minnesota. Wherever he went, he made a name for himself by winning and by creating innovative plays for the offense.
A mentorship between Nelson and another familiar name in Milbank started to unfold in 1993. Nelson was guiding Sioux Falls Washington, when he offered Kalen DeBoer his first coaching gig. DoBoer is now the head coach of the University of Washington Huskies and was chosen from amongst all the coaches in the nation as the 2023 College Coach of the Year. Nelson says, “Kalen had an unusual feel for calling plays as a first-year season coach. He had a lot of success at the sophomore level, especially since it was his first year out of college.”
In 2009, Nelson relocated to Roosevelt. He was in his fourth year at the helm in Edina, when Brent DeBoer – father of K. DeBoer – retired as the head coach of the Roosevelt Rough Riders. Nelson replaced B. DeBoer and he remained at Roosevelt until his retirement on November 28.
Nelson’s own prowess on the football field stretches back to when he was a state-championship quarterback at Lake Benton High School. Maybe he had a leg up on the competition because he grew up as the son of a Minnesota Coaches Hall of Famer, but his list of accomplishments speak volumes about his own ability and determination:
- 2014 National Finalist – High School Football Coach of the year
- 2004 National Finalist – Power of Influence Award
- One State Championship
- Five State Runner-up Finishes – One in Milbank in 1983/ SF Washington in 2002/ and SF Roosevelt in 2013, 2104, and 2017
- 10 Conference Championships
- 2007 Minneapolis Area Metro Coach of the Year
- 2011 South Dakota State Football Coach of the Year
- Seven- time Conference Coach of the Year
- 2012 through 2014 – President of South Dakota Football Coaches Association
- Nine years – Football Advisory Board
- Past five years – Executive Secretary of South Dakota Football Coaches Association
Nelson certainly has earned the right to hang up his cleats and rest on his laurels. But after tossing the pigskin around and being part of a team for over 50 years, the winningest coach in South Dakota plans to go for a little extra yardage. Nelson will be tackling a new challenge – his first position ever as an assistant coach. He’ll be aiding the offense, of course, but he’ll be moving up to the ranks of college football at the University of Sioux Falls.
Photos: Coach Nelson & Tuffy Homecoming 1980. Mark Leddy & Milbank Snowman #42. MHS 1980 Football Team. Coach Nelson in the hall of MHS.
Staff
