Heinitz reflects on upcoming induction into SD Sports Hall of Fame

Longtime Brandon resident and former Augustana University head football coach Jim Heinitz will be inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 22 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

Heinitz is the longest-serving and winningest football coach in Augustana history with 81 victories over a span of 17 years. He was originally named the head coach for the Vikings in 1984 and served for eight years. He returned to Augustana in 1995 to resume his coaching career.

He led the Vikings to consecutive NCAA Division II playoff appearances in 1988 and 1989 and was named the North Central Conference (NCC) Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1992.

A 1972 graduate of South Dakota State University, Heintz played for the Jackrabbits and was an All-NCC linebacker before joining the coaching staff at the University of Sioux Falls as an assistant basketball and football coach for the Cougars.

It was there where he and his wife Becky began their family as head residents at Kroske Hall on the USF campus in central Sioux Falls. Their first two children, Stacy and Adam, were born while Jim and Becky were residents in the dorm from 1973-76.

“They remodeled the mail room in that dorm for another bedroom for us because we kept having kids,” Heinitz said with a laugh.

After USF head football coach Al Molde moved on from Sioux Falls to take the head coaching position at Minnesota Morris, Heinitz joined the high school coaching ranks. 

He coached as an assistant football coach at Sioux Falls Washington for four years. He was also the head girls track coach, and in 1977, he led the Warriors to the Class AA team title. He then went to Rapid City Stevens for one season before returning to Sioux Falls as an assistant under legendary head coach Jerry Miller at Lincoln for three seasons from 1979-1981.

And then it was Augustana where Heinitz took the Vikings into the ultra-competitive NCC, arguably one of the top Division II football conferences in the country at the time.

“That’s probably one of the things I cherish the most,” Heinitz said of competing in the NCC. “It was really tough, especially at Augie where we didn’t have the scholarships and certainly didn’t have the budget that the state schools had.”

When Augustana competed in the NCC during the Heinitz era, it was a difficult opponent each and every Saturday. The Vikings were lining up weekly against the likes of North Dakota State, South Dakota State, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska-Omaha and Northern Colorado.

Because of that hefty schedule each year, Heinitz is not only Augustana’s winningest coach, he’s also holds the record as with the most losses, 82-102-1.

He had that record near .500 midway through his tenure at Augustana, but the NCC schedule was a daunting task in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

“Our first 11 guys at Augie were always pretty good,” Heinitz said. “We just didn’t have that depth that you needed in the North Central. One year we started with UND, NDSU, Northern Colorado and Nebraska-Omaha. It was just murderer’s row sometimes…just bang, bang, bang. It was tough. But I wouldn’t want to exchange it for anything else. It was wonderful and so much fun. It was tough, but it sure was fun.”

After leaving Augustana, Heinitz served as the CEO of Furniture Mart USA. He also served as Brandon’s interim Mayor in 2021 and 2022. Since then, the 74-year old said he’s been enjoying retirement.

No doubt he’s left a lasting impact at Augustana. The playing surface at Kirkeby-Over Stadium on the campus of Augustana is named in his honor, Jim Heinitz Field.

This fall, two of his grandsons, Thomas Scholten and Sam Scholten, are taking to that field as members of the Vikings. Another grandson, Jake Heinitz, plays for Dell Rapids St. Mary High School. The Cardinals played at Augustana on the same field last Friday.

“I’m happy that my kids and grandkids can see this,” Heinitz said. “I like it being Jim Heinitz Field, I just don’t want it to be Jim Heinitz Memorial Field.”

He has two other grandsons playing football this fall in Jack Lowry, a junior at Sioux Falls Roosevelt, and Drew Heinitz is competing in South Dakota Junior Football. Heintiz’s granddaughter, Ella Heinitz, is competing as a junior sprinter on the Augustana women’s track and field team next spring.

“That’s where retirement is really nice, being able to watch the grandkids compete,” Heinitz said. “I’ve been playing a lot of golf, and I’ve enjoyed that. But it takes a while to get used to. When you’re active and always on the go, you have to slow down a little bit.”

Add it all up, and it’s been a life well-lived for Heinitz. And he’s quick to point out what made it all happen, including his induction into the Sports Hall of Fame.

“The one thing you do when you get into something like this is you have a chance to reflect on all the people that helped you,” he said. “The awards are nice, but the relationships you make along the way far outweigh any kind of an award you can get. I’ve said many times that God has provided more than I deserved and I’m grateful for him and the experiences he’s allowed me to have. Coaching was certainly a gift from God, there’s no question about that. They say everybody gets their 15 minutes of fame, I guess. I’m sure glad to get my 15.”