Roaming the sideline with a stat sheet, St. Michael-Albertville football assistant Darrell Skogen, a mainstay with the Knights throughout five decades, jotted down the final defensive play on his clipboard.
After that, he was mobbed.
Hugs came from players, fellow coaches, and, of course, head coach Jared Essler, when the Knights captured their first-ever state championship in football last fall.
“I thought about how long Darrell had probably waited for something like that,” Essler said later at a rally for the team, coaches and parents at STMA High School. “He’s been such a big part of the program for such a long time. To get a championship, finally. It just made us all happy.”
Chances are, if you raised a child in STMA, grew up here, or have lived here long enough, you’ve heard of Mr. Skogen.
Not only is he a coach, but he’s a beloved (by most) teacher, in District 885 for 41 of his 46 years as a teacher. Not only is he known for his antics in the classroom, but for his humor outside of it.
The STMA legend fits in with names like MaryEllen Barthel, Earl Baumann, Gregg Greeno and Tim Anfinson – all giants in the city’s history of education.
So, as Skogen nears the end of his career – he’s retiring in June – the STMA video production crew captured the essence of Skogen with this fantastic video.
(Click the link above if you can’t see the video in the viewer below).
Darrell Skogen – on STMA’s Mt. Rushmore of Teaching from Jox2Pose on Vimeo.