BOB YOUNG memorial

Relatives, friends, and well-wishers gathered at the Stewart Center on the campus of the University of Sioux Falls February 4, 2023, for a visitation service honoring the life of Robert “Bob” Young, who passed away January 25, 2023. Young was a longtime USF athlete, coach and educator. His visitation was open from 1 pm to 4 pm Saturday afternoon, and hundreds of people flocked to the gymnasium to pay their respects to Young and his family. Young’s faith and kindness impacted countless members of the community throughout his time in Sioux Falls.

USF’s Senior Athletic Administrator, Ken “SID” Kortemeyer, met Bob Young in the spring of 1983, when the school was still Sioux Falls College. Young had just been hired as the new head football coach, while Kortemeyer was the Equipment Manager, Sports Information Director, and Trainer. The two men formed a close bond throughout their time at Sioux Falls College. “We worked together for 21 years, and did things that no other athletic director and coach would do, but that’s the way it was,” he shared with a laugh. They went on several recruiting trips to Wyoming together, which were filled “with a lot of road time” through which he became close with Young’s family. Now, after over 40 years of friendship, Kortemeyer fondly recalls some of his favorite things about Bob, the most significant being his ability to relate to people. “He was a Christian man,” Kortemeyer said, “that wanted to knead that love of the gospel into people’s lives. He always knew how to reach out and reach people where they were at.”

Todd Knutson was a senior captain and member of the search committee for the Cougar football team when Young was hired to be the new Coach. He played under Young for one year before graduating. “Bob was the one who led me to the Lord,” he says, “my senior year he made a great impact on my life, as he did with everybody he came in contact with… he was an incredible blessing to a lot of men and women.” Reflecting upon his days of playing, he recalled “[Bob] was a person that was very graceful.” Knutson explained, “there were always young men that would be in trouble, end up in jail, but Bob was always the first guy down there. He’d bail them out… give them a little chewing out, and then he’d tell them how much he loved them.” Knutson later returned to Sioux Falls and coached alongside Young for two years. After that, he became the National Vice President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. During his time there, he hired Young to conduct FCA Coaches Ministry in South Dakota. “He was such a gentle, spirited man,” Knutson said, “but yet he was also a powerful force. He was the kind of guy you didn’t want to say ‘no’ to.”

Countless others stopped by the Stewart Center to honor one of USF’s greatest. Young’s visitation was a come and go affair, but many people chose to stay longer and share their personal stories of Young. The University of Sioux Falls will also host a Celebration of Life Service at Bob Young Field on June 3, 2023.

BY: ABBY WHITTINGTON