Bob Young has never measured his success by the number of wins or losses.

And he's never viewed himself as a gifted athlete or coach.

But take a look at the record books or ask any of Young's football coaching peers or former players, and they'll offer a much different view.

Young, 69, is one of eight who will be inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame at the organization's annual banquet April 4.

The Brandon resident will be inducted with golfer/coach Peggy Kirby of Sioux Falls, basketball player Lisa Van Goor of Lafayette, Colo., track sprinter Lee "Lefty" Hisek and Olympic trapshooter Frank Hughes, both who will be honored posthumously.

The Hall of Fame, established by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association in 1968, will boast a membership of 195 when these eight join the elite rank this spring.

"You feel honored, but at the same time you realize there are so many good things that had to happen and you had to surround yourself with good people to get this recognition," said Young, the winningest football coach in the history of the University of Sioux Falls. In his 22 seasons with the Cougars, Young compiled a 172-69-3 record, including a national title in 1996.

Young gives credit to an assortment of assistants who worked for very little and players who committed to a program that couldn't pay big scholarship dividends.

"When you look at the assistant coaches that are now the coaches at USF, they are strong, young men who I've built relationships with that I look forward to maintaining the rest of my life," he explains. "It goes a lot deeper than the wins and losses."

Brandon Valley football coach Chad Garrow has come to know Young in a variety of roles: as a player, an assistant coach and son-in-law. Through those associations, Garrow knows Young is deserving of the Hall of Fame recognition.

"It's a great honor for him, Garrow said. "He has so much respect from so many in the coaching profession, so obviously, he's a well-deserving recipient of that award."

Garrow, however, knows his father-in-law is a humble man.

"Awards have never meant a great deal to him. He's always worried more about the player and the person - that's always been more important to him than any win or loss," he adds.

In his 22 seasons with the Cougars, Young's crowning joy was winning the NAIA Division II national title in 1996. The Cougars went 14-0 that season. "I'd be lying if I didn't say winning the national championship in '96 wasn't my proudest moment," Young shares. "As a young man, you have a dream of winning a state championship. But to win a national title, that's one of those experiences in life and your football coaching career that you dream of, but never know is possible."

In addition to the national crown, Young guided USF to nine South Dakota-Iowa Conference crowns and four Great Plains Athletic Conference titles. Under Young, the Cougars made 10 NAIA postseason appearances, including nine of his last 11 seasons. The Cougars were NAIA runners-up in 2001 and were unbeaten in regular season play six seasons under his leadership.

In 2004, Young ended his 22-year coaching career at USF. It was one of the toughest decisions he ever had to make.

"It seems when you're coaching and you have a good program going, and people believe in what you do, to tell them I was going to leave was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do," he said.

What eased Young's mind was handing over the head coach duties to Kalen DeBoer, a former player and assistant coach to Young.

"If I were to paint a picture of what the program would be like after I retired, it's exactly what I would like it to be," Young says.

On Saturday, the Cougars won their second NAIA crown by sidelining Carroll (Mont.) College 23-7. It's the second NAIA title won by the Cougars under DeBoer, who's accumulated a 52-3 record in his four seasons as head coach.

Prior to coaching at USF, Young was 72-23-5 at Maryvale High School near Phoenix, Ariz. Before his stint in Arizona, Young coached a year at Garretson High and two years for a junior high program in Hawarden, Iowa. Playing both linebacker and offensive guard from 1957-1961 at USF, he was an all-conference player and team MVP his senior season.

Young credits his string of football success stories to a variety of sources. First and foremost, his wife of 48 years, Diane.

"She's been an understanding wife and a good helpmate," he notes.

Young also credits the work ethic he learned as a farm boy growing up near Beresford.

"In so many ways, when I look back, it's the work ethic I developed being raised in South Dakota," he informs.

And he gives credit to the relationships he's built with coaches, players and most importantly, with God.

"My spiritual life is really important to me, and I've always felt like God played a big role in the quality program we were running (at USF)," he informs.

Young has left his mark on the Brandon Valley football program in the four seasons Garrow has been at the helm.

"From the time I took over, he's had a great influence on not only me, but on Coach Freking, our offensive coordinator, and our players. … he just has such a presence about him."

Young has a different view. "It probably did me more good than it did them," he said. "When you coach all those years, you like to stay tied in. I've appreciated the relationships I've had with Chad and Bill Freking and (Lynx quarterback) Austin Sumner. It's been a pleasure to work with him and watch his development."

Young willingly took a step back from the Lynx sidelines this past season.

"Brandon Valley's football program is at a point where I needed to step aside - they have their offense rolling," he said.

That was evident by the numbers the Lynx put up and the records they set in their 2008 campaign. But that didn't keep the long-time coach from checking in on the program from time to time.

"When coaching is part of your life, the old concept of X's and O's never leaves you," he shares. "I love to sit down once in awhile with Chad or Kalen and talk about things, and I still enjoy watching film to see if we could make some things work."

Much of Young's time is now spent in his role as the Coaches Ministry Director for South Dakota's Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

"I've always had a heart for ministering to coaches," Young explains.

Young got the call for the job from former USF and NFL kicker, Brian Hanson, the state FCA director.

"After I was done coaching, he asked me to come back because he knew of my connection to coaches … it was just a natural tie," Young said. "I think this is God's way of saying well done for your good and faithful service."