College Football Memories A Walk, Day, and World War II. Down memory lane. And I'm referring to my former college because I've got with me today someone who is currently up in Moorhead, Minnesota. Don't go anywhere. You don't want to miss today's show.
With me today, Don Growth, Don, welcome to the Man Up Show.
Well, thank you, Nakia. My pleasure to be To be on with you today, well, man, listen, ever since you reached out to me, you know, you had emailed me and kind of enlightened me to some things you're doing up there and the fact that your brother played on the same teams as I played. And man, you just piqued my interest. And then I've been excited ever since we've talked and about getting you on this show. This is going to be fun today.
I will have a blast reminiscing with you. And, you know, I got to watch a lot of your football games that you played for the Dragon.
Well, yeah, I mean, before we came on air, you were talking about that and how your family traveled to all the games, high school, even all your brothers' college games. And, of course, he played across the line from me. And we'll dive more into that here in a little bit. But you were reminding me of probably how many times we went head to head or went up against each other, especially in practice. And some of the names you were throwing out before we came on air.
I mean, man, talk about a trip down memory lane. This is amazing.
So, Don, you're up there in Moorhead, Minnesota. And, of course, you're the director of development up there for the athletic department and the MSUM film. Foundation, we'll dive more into that. Which let me just say from the onset, Like, I refuse to call it MSMU just for the. I know I just did, but.
I'm like, whenever they made that name change, I'm like, uh-uh, it's Moorhead State University. I'm sorry, I am not calling it anything else but that. And you can call it MSU, Moorhead State University, and our new president, Timothy Downs. Is all set on that too. He goes, I'm not sure why they would have changed that back there, how many years ago?
He said because this is Moorhead. State University. Yeah, well, kudos to him. If you ever see him, tell him there's one fan of his out there that is like, yes. Because when I saw that, I'm like, 'Cause correct me if I'm wrong, but like, man, Cato has like the exact same letters or what right.
And I'm like, and they and they do, but you know what? They they decided, I guess. not to change to Minnesota State University. Dash Mankato.
Okay. The p and the president up here at Moorhead at the time made that choice and said, well, Minnesota State University dash Moorhead, you know, emphasizes the more head, but technically it doesn't because it just Muddies the water, but it waters it down. I don't care what that president said.
Now, didn't you have the current president or did there was one I seem to remember from alumni newsletters or something that was actually petitioning trying to get it changed back, but for whatever reason didn't get it done or something? Am I right on that? Yeah, that was Ann Blackhurst, and she was the president just before our current president, Timothy Downs.
So, Dr. Downs.
Okay. Yeah. And honestly, you know, they never made Bemidji State change their name. Yeah, just like it's just or Winona State. Yeah, like, right?
Like, come on, like, what's up with that? You know, and so, well, anyway, on that, moving on, I digress. Moving on.
So, so, um, so you're, you're, you're up, you're, you're part of the uh, uh, you know, the director of development of athletics, and you're up there very, very involved. Uh, I know, but you, you you've had a T V background as well as a radio background. Yeah, take a minute. Twenty two years with in television and thirteen years in radio yourself. Highlight a couple of things from from from that part of your career, Don.
Well, when I got done with my time here at Morridge State looking for a job, I had to find something that was going to pay the bills. I had a baby on the way and needed a job and uh got into got into sales. and the marketing and advertising business um with a radio station uh early on and uh local radio station um uh across the river in in Fargo, uh W D A Y. And then uh after that, Ended up with a company, Meyer Broadcasting, and NBC of North Dakota.
So, and I worked. In that industry, also on the marketing and advertising side of things.
So it wasn't on air, I don't have a face for that, but that's okay. And then um And then the last 13 years I spent with a uh a story that I had gotten pulled away from the television. and uh hired over at uh a company called Midwest Midwest Advertising and Midwest Communications that own KFGO, which is a Uh heralded Radio station across the country. In fact, hundreds of awards, but Spent the last 13 years there and then And then something just kind of popped up over here at the university, which I had never really left in the sense of I was always doing something with either the football program broadcasting sports, doing football games. Saturdays at home.
Doing all of the TV broadcasts and on-air stuff for. for the football program over here.
So I always had my foot in the door, if you want to put it that way, over here at Moore State University. All of a sudden there was this position that somebody alerted me of and And then uh uh had a cup of coffee and All of a sudden, um Maybe you'd like to do this job and By golly, a year ago in August, I was interviewed and uh came back home to the university and I'm having a blast as Director of Development for the Athletic Department.
So a lot of that is, yeah, all, you know, a lot of that is working with the athletic director, all the coaches. all the teams and all of their alumni groups And then, of course, the number one thing would be trying to increase the number of dollars for scholarships, for facility fit ups, for uh programs and and the ancillary things that You know, people just think Show up.
Well, they cost dollars.
So I do a lot of fundraising also.
Okay. Yeah, we'll make sure and. and highlight some of that. I'm reminded too, though, as you have uh returned back to to Moorhead, Minnesota that uh Your your your bride is a Fargo girl, I understand. Yes, she is, born and raised, but she's also a dragon.
So we got married. We moved across the river and ever since Uh it'll be thirty-six years coming up here in August. Wow, yeah. Congratulations on 36 years. And so a Fargo girl who went to Moorhead State University.
I love it. I love it. And what about children, Don? Tell us about your family. have three and then they are all growing now.
Oldest son was born in 90, so he's 35. Girls out there, he's still single and he's a doctor of physical therapy.
Okay. All right. Got to put a plug-in for the kid, right? Absolutely. And then.
Um he'd be a catch, that's for sure. Middle son, um both both the boys were were uh athletes. Uh Uh the oldest one was Hmm. spend a lot of time in In hockey, did not play collegiately, but played up in Canada. uh in the junior leagues okay after after high school and had a dream of Division One, but didn't quite get there.
But now he's He's a doctor of physical therapy and doing quite well on his own with a pretty good company here in the metro area. And then our second son was born in 1995. His name is Alec, and he today Is um Uh entering his It'll be four years coming up here. With the Fargo Police department.
Okay. And back, he graduated high school in 2014, and he played a year of junior hockey. um played one year of junior hockey and then ended up In um Um Ended up Coming to Moorhead State, played a couple of years of football. And um was uh figuring out that Yeah, maybe uh College isn't really his thing.
So he got his two-year degree. and went to the um Fargo P D Academy and flew through that. He'd already been in the Army too before he started college here at Marge State.
So he was a wide receiver. Fast. Again, a hockey player, football player in him. and a track guy. And then our daughter is the youngest.
She's now twenty-six. She works for the city of Fargo. She is also a dragon and a graduate back in 2020. during the pandemic. Um so she made us proud on that anyway.
and uh uh always does. And she is single and uh bought her first house uh the year after she graduated and uh And uh she works for the city in their communications and uh uh communications department.
So, yeah, there's we we have a storied history with Moorhead State. I'd say, yeah, yeah, both my mom and my father, and and that uh add in another uh twelve.
So there's fourteen of us. Wow, more head state likes you. Yeah, there you go. That's awesome. And yeah.
And and and what's your bride's name? Michelle. Michelle. And 36 years, man, that's amazing.
Now, you also, in addition to that, a T V and and a radio background, which which did you like more, by the way? Did you like being being involved in television or radio more? Did you have a favorite? You know, I would have to say that television was cool and it was fun. It was.
It was a lot Um You didn't you couldn't Pivot. and change really fast.
So like uh being in part of the marketing and advertising and and working with businesses that are wanting to grow and needing things to change for them, took a while wherein radio If If you wanted to change your message. And a business wanted to you know, change something, we could do it in hours. And we could change their message. Get out there and get them selling more of their stuff, you know?
So I kind of like that because of the uh Fluidity of it all. Flexibility and yeah. Yes, yeah, yeah. Radio, even, I mean. did a lot in the uh uh in my last probably fifteen to sixteen years in the business.
heavily into the digital world also.
So I'm digitally changed, trained on all of that. We did everything from... From uh um Connected to non-connected to everything under the sun, Nikita. Everything under the sun. That's pretty cool.
Now, you're still involved in a sense. You told me Game Day. You're up in the booth and you're doing color commentary for football games on Game Day. You bet. You bet.
After spending a few years early on after I was done, I coached and I coached some high school football too here in the metro area for Shanley High School. And Anyway, uh yeah, so I I went in the booth and uh for the college games and And uh it's it's kind of fun to bring about What's going on on the field from a player's perspective and also. Just a novice way. I mean, I'm able to explain things in a novice way, and it's a lot of fun. Yeah, and very impartial.
I love the dragons, but you know, when you're when you're doing something like a broadcast, You also got to give kudos to those players on the opposing team that are having a great game or doing things right. Right. Or at least you should. Yeah. Yeah, you should.
Yeah. I'm not a big homer when it comes to that.
So, but turn it off, and you bet I bleed red, that's for sure.
Well, I'd say 12 or 14 of the family lineage there are dragons. And so, of course, you know. From the time we started talking, again, I mentioned, you know, and even before coming on air, you know, you're throwing some names out there, you know, Billy Moore and Mike Eggstran and Eccle and John Eccle and Matt, all these like, I was up there for the 20th year. They, they, our, our senior, my senior, our team, they, they, they basically, uh, I think they, uh, in the Hall of Fame up there, they put the whole entire team in the Hall of Fame because of the standout season we had that I I think to date I don't think has ever been matched you know before or since, if I'm not mistaken, you can correct me on that. No, you are correct.
Defensively, there hasn't been a team that has even come close Uh, average less than six points given up as uh a game. I mean, things like that. Um, two losses, one of them was that semifinal loss in the national playoffs, if you remember that. Oh, I unfortunately, I do, you do, right? It's for gorillas, you just can't like those guys, Pittsburgh State.
Come on, I'm just saying, oh, man, hey, you know, recently, hey, recently, I heard, like, I still stay in contact with you know, a few of the guys, my old, uh, actually, my old roommate and teammate, Al Stramberg. I hear from Al every now and then. Oh, I love Al. Yeah, yeah, Al, every once in a while, yeah, and Terry Phillips, uh, you know, one of the Rochester New Yorkers, and Paul Brigandi recently reached out to me and sent me a whole list of names and numbers. He had been with Bjorklund, our fullback, Randy Bjorklund.
Yeah, and man, I just again, I'm looking at names and I'm like, oh my gosh, I just so remember all these guys and all the incredible memories. And I, On that note, he had sent me some kind of plaque that Randy put together for himself, and I kind of forgot. But we had five shutouts in a row talking about our defense. Five in a row. That's how you give up less than six points a game.
Hello. And I'm like, I don't care what college level you're at, you know, division one, two, or three, or whatever, five shutouts in a row, anybody would have to admit, is pretty impressive. I mean, we had unbelievable. Of course, Billy Moore was a part of that defense, and so Al Stramberg and so many other amazing guys.
Now, you got an outstanding coaching staff, and you've had some good teams over the years. I know, you know, especially the staff. Like when I first met the head coach and And just really connected with him. And these guys, I guess what impresses me more, and I hope he listens to this interview, because what impresses me most about him and the entire staff Don is the principles they teach these young guys, not just on the field, but life principles off the field. Like I follow them on social media.
I've actually watched, I guess I probably heard you, I suppose, because I've watched some of the games online when I'm not out speaking and traveling and ministering. I've been able to catch a few of the games over the years live online, and that's been kind of fun to watch the games. You bet. Yeah, and I'll tell you that you say that about our current coach, Steve Lockway. Christian man.
stand-up guy. Um kids in school now. Nakira. compared to the years when you and I were in college. in the uh in the in the late seventies and the early eighties.
Um you know Grandfathered into the middle 80s for me because I got five, almost six years out of the deal. Yeah. But, um, Uh the difference in how kids are today. and the way that they need to be handled. And Coach Lockway has accountability.
Um Here's a good thing. And the football team ends up with pretty much 100 guys, right? And this past fall, this is a little kudos to Coach. and our whole coaching staff, all the sports. But Here's a little thing.
Um So, Lockway is a Christian man. I have seven kids, by the way. Good Catholic guy, and all of that, but family's famous. First and faith is number one. Um but All of our coaches lean and follow the line very, very tightly, and that is that these are student.
Athletes. Not athletes first. student athletes, which Back in our day, yeah, you might have called it a little bit of a flip. Where you were you were going there you know, you were going there to play football and College, the academics came with it.
Okay. But now it's just a little bit different, and our student athletes. I think this past fall semester, we had three hundred eighty eight Um student athletes, all sports, men's and women's.
Okay. And our kids Had a cumulative of 3.31 grade point average. These are college Now college? student athletes that have to commit their time and and and you know how we had to put in time and in the weight room and and and the meeting rooms and the right practice time and all of that. It's even tighter on these kids now than it ever was.
and they are performing, outperforming the whole rest of our university. The rest of the student body doesn't hold a 3.31 grade point.
So we're definitely doing things right in the athletics department up here and in our college. And I believe that all of the colleges and all of the programs. with all of the instructors and the deans. are doing a great job of Of educating our youth. To be productive in this world.
So, hats off to the whole university, but really to the athletic department. They have found a way. To really make things happen. And these kids are productive. They're going out and they are getting internships.
They're getting full-time jobs. And they're doing great. No, that's amazing. And by the way, thank you for pronouncing his last name. I could never get it right.
So I know, I know. It's Coach L-A-Q. I know. Coach Lackway, hey, kudos to you from the Russian Nightmare, Nikita Koloff, aka. I won't say my birth name.
I think, hey, correct me if I'm wrong, at least the last time I was up there, Don, you know, speaking of grades, I was at the time one of the few academic first-team All-Americans up there my senior year. Graduated cum laude, which was a shock to me, my family, and everybody else, actually. But I did it. I did it. I accomplished that task.
Yeah, but they used to have in the field house up there, they had the plaques of all the academic All-Americans up there. And I don't know. You'll have to check and see if my mugshot is still up there somewhere. And it is. Oh, that's cool.
Well, I'm not going to give away my birthday. People are just going to have to travel to Moorhead, Minnesota, or buy the book. Buy my book, and you'll get to find out what.
Well, that was on a serious note, that was an amazing accomplishment. Speaking of student athletes and really those last couple years up there, and I tip my hat to Ross Forci. He was instrumental in helping me with that and achieving that accomplishment. And quite an honor at the time because I think there was only a couple, three guys prior to that in the entire school history that was first-team academic all-American. And so ironic for the Russian nightmare to be academic All-American, Don.
I'm just saying.
Well, I had fun. We had some great teammates, and of course, we were a team. But listen, we only got a few minutes left, but I do want to take a minute or two. Tell our folks what you're doing out there, how they can support Dragon Athletics. They don't even have to be a graduate of Moorhead State University, but they could support.
Take a couple minutes and tell us about what you're doing and what you're passionate about right now up there. You bet. We're in a phase right now where our facilities need some help. Our university is is uh you know the state university system doesn't have a lot of money left in Minnesota, so we're not going to see any of that.
So we're doing it on our own. And then we also are wanting to continue to build up our scholarship programs for all of our student athletes. And that's on my desk every day, too, on top things to do. But as director of development for the athletic department, I think I said it a little bit earlier that I work with the athletic department, the athletic director, the whole athletic office. along with all the coaches.
with all of the player groups and with all of the alumni groups. to help balance out budgets and make sure that we're getting the things that we need for our student athletes to be successful. And um Um Honestly, that's about it. I raise a lot of money. For the university and the athletic department, and that's where we're growing things right now.
And we have a president that is. is headlong into uh Uh the athletic departments And the athletics being a first Face of universities. He understands it. And um so It's really a number one priority out there for us right now.
So, right now, I'm sitting in a brand new alumni center. The Christensen Alumni Center right off on 707 11th Street South in Moorhead, right by the front gates, the main gates of the university. To get a hold of me, You can call me on my cell phone 701. four nine one zero one zero six Or Online. At don.growth at mnstate.edu.
And if you just want to go out and check things out, The foundation that I work for, I work I'm on loan to the athletic department from the foundation to the university, and our website is MNSTATE. Dot edu Slash Foundation. And there are Hundreds of ways to give and help support our student athletes here at the university and our Our needs for the athletic department.
Well, that's amazing, Don growth. And here's why I want to encourage all my listeners out there why you might want to prayerfully consider supporting Moorhead State University, not just because it's my alumni, my alma mater, because it is. I am a Moorhead State dragon, but you just heard what he said about Coach Lackwa, Steve Lackwa, a man of family, a man of faith, faith in family, and essentially in that order. His whole entire staff is instilling principles in these young men. And one of the most impressive things what Don just shared: 388 student athletes emphasizing the student first and the athletic second, and a 3.31 GPA.
Now, man, if you ever wanted to support an athletic program or a small college and make a difference and an impact, Moorhead State University. Is one that you need to put on your list. And when it comes to fundraising, Don, I know you're doing a great job up there. You're going to continue to do a great job. And it's been so much fun to have you on the show today and just to have this brief walk down memory lane there at Moorhead State.
I appreciate it, Nikita. And yes, anything that anybody wants to know about more at State University. Um give me a buzz. Connect with me online. through email.
Um And again, it's Don. Dot growth, G R O T H No W in there. Um at mnstate.edu is my email address too. Yeah, I appreciate you having me here today. And that website, real quick, one more time, real quick.
Uh my email address is Don D O N N Dot growth G R O P H At M N State Dot edu. Excellent Don Growth. Yeah. Director of Development of Athletics. Moorhead State University Appreciate you being on today.
Thank you. And to all of you out there in listening land, you guys are the best. You out there supporting the Man Up Show. And I hope you enjoyed this interview today, this conversation with Don, all the way up in northern Minnesota from down here in the south. Until next time, my challenge to you is to go out today and just have a God-filled, but live a God-blessed day today.
Yeah.
