University of South Dakota Athletics

Brian Alderson wandered away from the farm at times in his life but never too far away and never for too long.
 
It is no surprise then to find this 2019 inductee into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame spending a lot of time these days tending to the crops and raising cattle on the same stretch of land near Hartford, S.D., that his father did, as well as his grandfather and his great-grandfather.
 
That's not how life after college started out for this two-time All-American left tackle, a two-sport standout at West Central High School who helped lead the Trojans to state titles in basketball and football as a junior and senior.
 
It's how it is now, though, and the son of Larry and Joyce Alderson is grateful.
 
"At a certain point you realize the hustle and bustle of being part of the modern workforce doesn't lead to a very active family life, which is something that farming can provide," he said. "I thought that was more important than the kinds of cars we were driving or what we were wearing."
 
Alderson returned to the farm shortly after graduating from college when his father had a heart attack. Then he left and returned when his father had another one. He's been there ever since and says Dad is doing well. The younger Alderson also works as a crop insurance adjuster now that he's refined his cattle feeding operation to the point where he had some extra time.
 
He and his wife, Erin, (they celebrated their sixth anniversary on Aug. 24) have boys, Evan (5), who just started kindergarten, and Lincoln (3).
 
"They definitely seem more athletic than I was at the same age," Alderson said. "I attribute that to their mother."
 


Alderson was part of the Coyotes' 2005 North Central Conference champion team best known for its offensive volatility. With Wes Beschorner at quarterback, Stefan Logan at running back, Derek Gearman at wideout and a veteran offensive line, the Coyotes were an explosive operation, averaging 583.3 yards and 49.7 points a game.
 
Anchoring the left side was Alderson, a 6-7, 290-pound former high school tight end who evolved into one of the school's best ever. Though he wasn't bending the needle on the measurables that football types often connect to success on the field, he had good feet he attributed to all the time he spent on the basketball court growing up.
 
"I remember Coach Ed Meierkort talking about me in a speech one time," Alderson recalled. "He said 'Well, if you're looking for someone who is going to dominate the weightroom, if you want him to bench 400 or 500 pounds, Brian Alderson is not your guy. But if I had a car on my foot out in the parking lot, there's nobody I'd rather have out there to lift it off.'"
 
He was able to take the lessons of the farm to the football field. It sounds simple, and maybe it is, but difficult to deliver to the extent that Alderson did.
 
"You see a big pile of hay or dirt and you know you have to move it," he said. "You have your gloves or your shovel and there's nobody else you can turn to. That's all on you. You have to have a work-ethic where you're accountable. Ultimately, that's what really translated from the farm to football. It's that accountability -- it's 'I'm going to do my job and I'm going to do it really well.'"
 
Two years after Alderson graduated, he returned to watch a game at USD and a young offensive tackle on the team surprised him by coming up and talking to him about his playing career.
 
"The guy told me that while USD was recruiting him, they showed him a lot of film of me," Alderson said, laughing. "He said I was unbelievable."
 
It was a 19-year-old Tom Compton, who is now in his eighth season in the NFL. In hindsight, it qualifies as a proud moment, but there were a lot of those. And now there's another one coming up.
 
"I remember so many great offensive linemen who came before me and came after me," Alderson said. "I remember at the time wondering if I could be as good as they were. Then you look up and you see your name at the top and you wonder what the heck happened."
 
When Alderson got the news he was headed for the Hall, a wave of football memories returned. Life on the farm gives a married father of two youngsters plenty enough to think about without replaying memories of the old days, but it's pretty cool when your school takes care of that for you.
 
"You forget about that noise you heard every football season," Alderson said. "Your joints start to ache and you hear this ringing and hey, it's game time. When I got the call, all the old juices started coming back. Pretty exciting for an old guy like me who forgets in day-to-day life what that was all about. It's pretty nice to be reminded of it."
 
Alderson is set for induction into the Henry Heider Coyote Hall of Fame in a ceremony to take place Friday, Sept. 13, at the Muenster University Center on the USD campus. Anyone who would like to attend the ceremony can RSVP to Jessica.J.Wingen@usd.edu by Sept. 6. Cost is $40 per person. Coyote football is set to host Houston Baptist in a 2 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 14, inside the DakotaDome.