University of South Dakota Athletics

Jack Van Arsdale, a Navy pilot during World War II, was a significant contributor on the North Central Conference championship football team in 1947 (shared title with Iowa State Teachers College, which became Northern Iowa). Van Arsdale, who enrolled at USD in 1946, was a member of the team that went 4-0 in league play and finished 7-2 overall. Van Arsdale, formerly of Huron, now of Mount Prospect, Ill., took advantage of the blocking set up by Coyote all-American Howard Blumhardt when the Coyotes operated out  of the single-wing offense. "Jack was a jack of all trades. He could throw, run, punt, block... do anything you asked of him.," said head coach Harry Gamage. "He was always the type of fellow who could come through in the pinch and surprise you."