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Jun. 17—JAMESTOWN — For the first time in many years, Randy Hedberg has some free time during the summer and will be coming to Jamestown to be inducted into the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 21, at the Jamestown Civic Center.
"It's quite an honor being a native North Dakotan and growing up here and starting my playing career and coaching career in North Dakota and finishing my coaching career in North Dakota has been a really big honor for me," Hedberg said. " ... It's been a great career both as an athlete and a coach. I'm extremely flattered by the honor. ... It's a neat deal."
Hedberg is one of four people who will be inducted into the North Dakota Hall of Fame at 5 p.m. on June 21. The other inductees are Sheri Kleinsasser Stockmoe, Tim Olson and Greg Eslinger.
Hedberg has a connection to one of the inductees, as he coached Kleinsasser Stockmoe's brother, Jim, when he played at the University of North Dakota.
Hedberg said he was first contacted about being inducted into the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame last year but declined the invitation because of his coaching commitments.
Hedberg is being recognized as both a coach and a player. The Parshall, North Dakota, native played college football, baseball, basketball and track and field at Minot State University before the quarterback was drafted by the Tampa Buccaneers in 1977. He played two years for the Buccaneers before spending time with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers.
Hedberg is one of two players in Minot State history to be drafted into the NFL, alongside offensive guard Terry Falcon, who was drafted in 1978.
"I came from a small town out in the northwest corner of North Dakota, Parshall, North Dakota," Hedberg said. "I thought I was going to be a basketball player going into college but I ended up probably having a little bit more success in the football side of it in college and then ended up getting drafted into the National Football League. I guess that's the proudest moment I had as an athlete is getting drafted into the National Football League from a very small school like Minot State. Going to a small school helped me because of the opportunity to play more than one sport which I did at Minot State."
Hedberg's NFL debut came during his rookie year against the Philadelphia Eagles when he threw for 66 yards.
After his NFL career ended, Hedberg was an assistant coach at his alma mater before becoming the head coach in 1982.
In 1985, Hedberg served as the head coach for the Beavers football, men's basketball and baseball teams. During that season, he coached his younger brother, Rick, on the football and basketball teams.
Hedberg then left Minot State to be the offensive coordinator at the University of Central Missouri and then the University of North Dakota from 1990 to 1998. He stayed in the region after that, serving as the head coach at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota from 1999 to 2007. He then moved to Southern Illinois before joining the coaching staff at North Dakota State University in 2014 as the quarterbacks coach and associate head coach.
Hedberg served in his role with the Bison until he decided to retire in January.
"There's been a lot of changes in college athletics and I looked at the '23 season that we had at NDSU and I wasn't very pleased with how it ended and different games that the Bison played in," Hedberg said. "I wanted to go in '24 and we were able to accomplish all those things I wanted to accomplish in '24 and finished off with a national championship and getting back the Dakota Marker from the South Dakota State-NDSU rivalry, and bringing that back to Fargo is an important part of it. Those are things I really relished about it and capped off my year, the coaching career."
Hedberg said he already misses coaching but he and his wife have used the time off to travel. He said they plan on going to games around the country this fall.
When North Dakota State opens its season at home on Sept. 13 against Southeastern Missouri State, it will be Hedberg's first time in a while that he will be watching a game as a fan.
"I haven't been a fan very often watching the college game other than on my couch. I plan to be at some games in the stands or on the sidelines to watch too," Hedberg said. "So that's exciting. ... I went down and watched our quarterback Cam Miller play in the East-West Shrine (Bowl) game ... that's probably the first game I've been to as an actual fan in ... a lot of years ... you know what I found myself doing? Watching the secondary play the whole time because that's what I do. As a coach that's what I do in the press box. I watch the secondary and try and help the quarterbacks with coverage and all that as they come off the field."
Hedberg said he is happy with the opportunity to coach at all the places he has.
"I think the biggest thing as an athlete — getting to play as many sports as I did," Hedberg said. "I played three sports in college, I played football, basketball and baseball for four years at Minot State and that was a very important and why I went to a small school for that opportunity and then coaching wise, starting out coaching and moving up to the different institutions that I was at. The highlight of coaching has been the last 11 years I've spent at NDSU. During that time, contributing to seven nationals in an 11-year span is pretty exciting and a very rewarding time."
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"It's quite an honor being a native North Dakotan and growing up here and starting my playing career and coaching career in North Dakota and finishing my coaching career in North Dakota has been a really big honor for me," Hedberg said. " ... It's been a great career both as an athlete and a coach. I'm extremely flattered by the honor. ... It's a neat deal."
Hedberg is one of four people who will be inducted into the North Dakota Hall of Fame at 5 p.m. on June 21. The other inductees are Sheri Kleinsasser Stockmoe, Tim Olson and Greg Eslinger.
Hedberg has a connection to one of the inductees, as he coached Kleinsasser Stockmoe's brother, Jim, when he played at the University of North Dakota.
Hedberg said he was first contacted about being inducted into the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame last year but declined the invitation because of his coaching commitments.
Hedberg is being recognized as both a coach and a player. The Parshall, North Dakota, native played college football, baseball, basketball and track and field at Minot State University before the quarterback was drafted by the Tampa Buccaneers in 1977. He played two years for the Buccaneers before spending time with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers.
Hedberg is one of two players in Minot State history to be drafted into the NFL, alongside offensive guard Terry Falcon, who was drafted in 1978.
"I came from a small town out in the northwest corner of North Dakota, Parshall, North Dakota," Hedberg said. "I thought I was going to be a basketball player going into college but I ended up probably having a little bit more success in the football side of it in college and then ended up getting drafted into the National Football League. I guess that's the proudest moment I had as an athlete is getting drafted into the National Football League from a very small school like Minot State. Going to a small school helped me because of the opportunity to play more than one sport which I did at Minot State."
Hedberg's NFL debut came during his rookie year against the Philadelphia Eagles when he threw for 66 yards.
After his NFL career ended, Hedberg was an assistant coach at his alma mater before becoming the head coach in 1982.
In 1985, Hedberg served as the head coach for the Beavers football, men's basketball and baseball teams. During that season, he coached his younger brother, Rick, on the football and basketball teams.
Hedberg then left Minot State to be the offensive coordinator at the University of Central Missouri and then the University of North Dakota from 1990 to 1998. He stayed in the region after that, serving as the head coach at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota from 1999 to 2007. He then moved to Southern Illinois before joining the coaching staff at North Dakota State University in 2014 as the quarterbacks coach and associate head coach.
Hedberg served in his role with the Bison until he decided to retire in January.
"There's been a lot of changes in college athletics and I looked at the '23 season that we had at NDSU and I wasn't very pleased with how it ended and different games that the Bison played in," Hedberg said. "I wanted to go in '24 and we were able to accomplish all those things I wanted to accomplish in '24 and finished off with a national championship and getting back the Dakota Marker from the South Dakota State-NDSU rivalry, and bringing that back to Fargo is an important part of it. Those are things I really relished about it and capped off my year, the coaching career."
Hedberg said he already misses coaching but he and his wife have used the time off to travel. He said they plan on going to games around the country this fall.
When North Dakota State opens its season at home on Sept. 13 against Southeastern Missouri State, it will be Hedberg's first time in a while that he will be watching a game as a fan.
"I haven't been a fan very often watching the college game other than on my couch. I plan to be at some games in the stands or on the sidelines to watch too," Hedberg said. "So that's exciting. ... I went down and watched our quarterback Cam Miller play in the East-West Shrine (Bowl) game ... that's probably the first game I've been to as an actual fan in ... a lot of years ... you know what I found myself doing? Watching the secondary play the whole time because that's what I do. As a coach that's what I do in the press box. I watch the secondary and try and help the quarterbacks with coverage and all that as they come off the field."
Hedberg said he is happy with the opportunity to coach at all the places he has.
"I think the biggest thing as an athlete — getting to play as many sports as I did," Hedberg said. "I played three sports in college, I played football, basketball and baseball for four years at Minot State and that was a very important and why I went to a small school for that opportunity and then coaching wise, starting out coaching and moving up to the different institutions that I was at. The highlight of coaching has been the last 11 years I've spent at NDSU. During that time, contributing to seven nationals in an 11-year span is pretty exciting and a very rewarding time."
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