University of South Dakota - Springfield
Encyclopedia
The University of South Dakota at Springfield was a state supported university in Springfield
, South Dakota
that was founded in 1881 and closed in 1984. It started as Southern State Normal School, became Southern State Teachers College in 1947, Southern State College in 1964, and finally the University of South Dakota at Springfield in 1971.
The campus is now home to Mike Durfee State Prison
, which is named for a star athlete and teacher at the school.
Mel Tjeerdsma
, a national championship-winning football coach at Northwest Missouri State University
and 2006 president of the American Football Coaches Association
, was an alumnus.
The school mascot was the Pointer.
Yankton College
, a private college also in South Dakota and also originally established in 1881, also closed in 1984, and its campus became the site of a federal prison.
Springfield, South Dakota
Springfield is a city in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1092 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Springfield is located at ....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
that was founded in 1881 and closed in 1984. It started as Southern State Normal School, became Southern State Teachers College in 1947, Southern State College in 1964, and finally the University of South Dakota at Springfield in 1971.
The campus is now home to Mike Durfee State Prison
Mike Durfee State Prison
The Mike Durfee State Prison is a South Dakota state prison for men on the campus of what was University of South Dakota at Springfield, United States.-History:It is named for Mike Durfee who was a standout athlete and teacher at the school....
, which is named for a star athlete and teacher at the school.
Mel Tjeerdsma
Mel Tjeerdsma
Mel Tjeerdsma is a retired American football coach. He served as the head coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas from 1984 to 1993 and at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri from 1994 until his retirement after the 2010 season. In his 27 years as a head coach, Tjeerdsma...
, a national championship-winning football coach at Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
and 2006 president of the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
, was an alumnus.
The school mascot was the Pointer.
Yankton College
Yankton College
Yankton College was a small liberal arts college in Yankton, South Dakota, affiliated with the Congregational Christian Churches .Founded in 1881, it was the first institution of higher learning in the Dakota Territory...
, a private college also in South Dakota and also originally established in 1881, also closed in 1984, and its campus became the site of a federal prison.