Bob Nielson on "State vs U" rivalry, "Vermiracle," building USD into FCS contender, John Stiegelmeier, in-state recruiting

Happy Hour with John Gaskins · Oct 28, 2026 · 31m

Nielson, an Iowa native who led five programs to the playoffs and four to at least one conference title in his 33 years of head coaching at six different schools, gave his perspective on his relationship — we dare say friendship — with John Stiegelmeier and plenty of thoughts and memories from USD's rivalry with SDSU.

What did Nielson see from his own perspective when he arrived at USD following five other successful coaching stints in Div. III, Div. II, and most recently at FCS Western Illinois?

The Coyotes had not experienced a winning season since 2011 and had lost all four of its games…