FULL STIG CHAT! John Stiegelmeier on Jacks spring, Dan Jackson, Chase Mason, Jimmy Rogers at Iowa State, NDSU's FBS move, and the book about his life

What is a man? Such a simple question, yet it yields so many different answers. One answer came from the patriarch of South Dakota State's football empire. It was printed in a page with the same title in the MAD manual — MAD, as in "Making a Difference"—which John Stiegelmeier gave to each player during fall camp throughout his 26 seasons at the helm. It was more of a guide to life than to football. So, what is Stig's definition of a man? You can find that out in one of the 300 pages of his biography, "Stig and the Rise of South Dakota State Football," authored by Tanner Castora and released last October. It is also a question "Stig" answered his latest hour-long Happy Hour conversation. Other topics covered: * Last Saturday's spring football game, followed by the wedding of SDSU All-American offensive lineman and current Pittsburgh Steeler Mason McCormick. The event served as a 2022 and '23 Jackrabbit national championship teams reunion that featured an A-list of SDSU legends, including Stiegelmeier's heir apparent Jimmy Rogers. * Dan Jackson's "natural" ability as head coach and Chase Mason's development at QB1 * Jimmy Rogers' move to Iowa State and how Stig feels about his SDSU heir apparent becoming emotional at his ISU introductory press conference in describing what Stig and SDSU meant to him * The reality of how money drives the modern college football world, why it mattered when he was at SDSU, and why it shouldn't matter as much as it seems * His decision to open up with deeply personal stories about his life and the people closest to him in the book As always, the conversation feels like a coffee klatch with a friend, offering both light moments that make you smile and the coverage of heavy topics that make you think. He's The Man, man.