Former SCSU Football Coach Opens Up About Sudden Retirement

The last football coach in St. Cloud State history, Scott Underwood, retired after just 4 games this season at Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall. Underwood joined me on WJON to discuss the reason for the sudden retirement and to reflect on his time at SCSU.

Retirement

The Mustangs, under Underwood, posted a 10-7 win over Valley City State on August 27 but were outscored 127-3 over the next 3 games. Underwood announced his decision to retire Sunday after Saturday's 59-0 loss to Minot State. He says after a discussion with administration, the 2 parties agreed that going in a different direction was best for the future of the football program. Underwood says "it feels like the right time to move in a new direction."

Good Time to Move On

Underwood has been coaching for 37 years and says he and his wife, Tamara, have had discussions about when would the right time to retire. He says starting 1-3 with 3 blowout losses did not play a role in his decision to retire at Southwest Minnesota State. Underwood was the head coach at Southwest MN State starting in 2022.

Long Drives

Scott and his wife, Tamara, live in St. Cloud. When Scott took the head coaching job in Marshall at Southwest Minnesota State, he got an apartment there but maintained his residence in St. Cloud. He admits it was a challenge being away from his wife as often as he was and looks forward to returning to full time living in St. Cloud.

Underwood at SCSU

Underwood coached 12 seasons in St. Cloud from 2008-2019 with a record of 86-52 as the head coach of the Huskies. His run at SCSU included 10 winning records and a NSIC coach of the year award in 2011. Underwood came to St. Cloud State in 2001 as the defensive coordinator on Randy Hedberg's coaching staff. He had been the defensive backs coach at the University of North Dakota prior to coming to St. Cloud.

SCSU's Last Football Coach

Underwood was the last head football coaching in the program's history at St. Cloud State. SCSU eliminated the football program after the 2019 season. Underwood coached at Southwest Minnesota State from 2022-2026.

Underfunded Program

Underwood indicates he wasn't incredibly surprised that the football program was eliminated in 2019 in St. Cloud. He says enrollment was down and the program was underfunded. Underwood says the NSIC in 2019 was a 24 scholarship league and SCSU was offering only 18 scholarships. Underwood says it was a tough time for the kids in the program, his staff and him. He never wanted to leave SCSU and stayed at St. Cloud State until 2021 because he had 2 years left on his contract. Underwood worked in facilities and management at SCSU for those 2 years.

May Not be Done

Underwood is not closing the door on a return to coaching or in a different position. He says coaching is a big commitment as he was accustomed to working 90 hour work weeks from July - Thanksgiving each year.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Scott Underwood, click below.