University of South Dakota Athletics

John Roning served 10 years (1961-71) as athletic director at The Unversity of South Dakota, in which he led the program to athletic excellence. Upon arriving in 1961, Roning inherited a USD football program, which had only one victory each season the two previous years 1960-61, and a basketball program, which was beginning to slow descent after a national championship in 1958. Roning resurrected both programs. Roning left USD to become the second commissioner of the Big Sky Conference in 1971 before his retirement in 1977. He later served as the director of Customer Relations with the Citizens National Bank in Boise, Idaho through 1982. Roning played end for the University of Minnesota football team during Coach Bernie Bierman's "Golden Days," graduating in 1935. He later coached in Minnesota's prep ranks and spent three years at Gustavus Adolphus College before returning to his alma mater for graduate work. He served with the Navy during World War II. Roning twice won Skyline Conference Coach of the Year laurels. He served as the last football coach at Denver University before that sport was abandoned at the school.