By Matt Gade

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — It’s the greatest sport ever invented.

That’s how St. Thomas More’s Craig Nowotny described his passion for the game of football.

A passion that has guided the 71-year-old to his 50th year of coaching football in some aspect.

“They don't build 100,000-seat stadiums for basketball or any other sport, but football,” Nowotny said. 

For the past 21 years, Nowotny has been a mainstay for the St. Thomas More Cavaliers football team, serving as their defensive coordinator.

Up until last season, Nowotny was also the Activities Director for STM before retiring at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

“I tell people, I can sleep in until 10 o'clock and I get up and have a bite to eat, and then I get to watch film for the rest of the day until practice,” Nowotny said. “I think I've been a little bit more prepared. As AD, I didn't have quite the time to watch as much film as I have this year. It's been good.”

Those years of experience have been a blessing for third-year head coach Austin Hagen, who said he relied heavily on Nowotny during his transition to head coach.

Nowotny, who was still the Cavaliers’ Activities Director, said hiring Hagen as the head coach was a “no-brainer.”

“Every step of the way, I had a lot of questions, learning and things like that,” Hagen said. “I was probably in his office bugging him more than he probably wanted me to be, but he was always there to just lend an ear, lend a hand, whatever it might be. He just wanted us to be successful all around. And he did whatever was necessary to make that happen.”

“The reason Austin was such a great hire is because he gets along with the kids so well,” Nowotny said of Hagen. “The kids respect him. They like how he relates to them… and he was in the building. I think it's critical that a head coach be in the building.”

Over the course of the past 50 years, this year is extra special for Nowotny. 

Nowotny will be recognized by the South Dakota High School Football Coaches Association for his 50th year during halftime of the Class 11B state championship game on Friday.

Which just so happens to feature the undefeated Cavaliers as they return to the DakotaDome for the first time in more than a decade, as they meet Elk Point-Jefferson at 2 p.m. in Vermillion.

“This probably has been the most nerve-racking year, just because I knew with the athletes we had that we had a chance to go to Vermillion. Not so much for myself, but I just wanted these kids to experience that it is an unbelievable experience to play in Vermilion, to play for a state championship,” Nowotny said. “They are great kids. They work hard, very coachable, extremely likable, just a great, great group of seniors we have this year.”

Nowotny’s journey in the coaching profession started with nine-man football in Bristol before moving to Adrian, Minn., over to Black Hills State University, then St. Thomas More.

“I was a head coach of a nine-man team, and got fired and went to Adrian, Minnesota, where I was an assistant and a head coach for five years at Adrian. I left there because I wanted to try coaching in college. 

“I was at Black Hills (State) for 10 years, and I got fired. And if you coach football, you’re gonna get fired, that's the way I look at it. But both times I got fired, it turned out to be a better movement going forward. When I got fired, St Thomas More opened it up, and it has been a blessing.”

When Nowotny came to St. Thomas More, Nowotny had an immediate impact.

Nowotny is very detail-oriented, sets high expectations and has a passion for the game.

“I think immediately, it was a good bond as far as coaching,” said Wayne Sullivan, who was St. Thomas More’s head coach when Nowotny was hired. “It's funny, because coach and I would get in knock-down, drag-outs during games, but hug it out at the end, because we both wanted the best outcome. He was always passionate about the game. So I can understand why he is able to do it for 50 years.”

Sullivan and Nowotny found quite a bit of success together, leading the Cavaliers to six trips to the DakotaDome between 2004 and ‘14. 

“Those teams and all the teams, even the teams that didn't make it to the dome or didn't make it very far in the playoffs, they were all good kids and that's what the game of high school football is about. It’s about the kids,” Nowotny said. “It's not about the coaches.”

Sullivan said Nowotny’s attention to detail, planning, preparation and creating a stand of expectation is why the Cavaliers’ defenses are always prepared.

It’s that attention to detail that also made Nowotny a good activities director, according to Sullivan.

“My philosophy was that the head coach is in charge of their program, grades seven through 12. If they need my help, I will gladly give it to them. I tried to be a coach's AD,” Nowotny said. “I want them to know that I have their back and I will help them be successful in any way I can.”

While Hagen and Nowotny have a different dynamic than Nowotny shared with Sullivan, Hagen said Nowotny being the defensive coordinator has made him able to focus on the offense and not worry about defense.

“I couldn't tell you half of our checks defensively,” Hagen said. “He's got that all under control. He does a wonderful job, and I can put a lot more time to the offensive side of things. And, yeah I rely on him a lot and don't let him fool you. He's got a great offensive mind.”

As Nowotny and the Cavaliers gear up for the Class 11B state championship game against Elk Point-Jefferson and getting over that hump of 0-6 in title games, Nowotny said he knows there are 20 other teams that would trade places with the Cavaliers just to be able to have that chance to play in a state championship.

When asked if this would be Nowotny’s final season of coaching, he said, “I’m leaning that way,” but added, “If coach Hagen asked me to stay on, I will probably coach.”