{"id":18804,"date":"2022-07-19T05:33:41","date_gmt":"2022-07-19T05:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/former-bison-stoczynski-remembered-as-player-who-helped-start-ndsus-football-dynasty-inforum\/"},"modified":"2022-07-19T05:33:41","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T05:33:41","slug":"former-bison-stoczynski-remembered-as-player-who-helped-start-ndsus-football-dynasty-inforum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/former-bison-stoczynski-remembered-as-player-who-helped-start-ndsus-football-dynasty-inforum\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Bison Stoczynski remembered as player who helped start NDSU’s football dynasty – InForum"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FARGO \u2014 The first of nine NCAA Division I FCS national championships had to start somewhere for North Dakota State. There have been stars over the years. And then there was Scott Stoczynski, a backup defensive lineman who perhaps did more off the field for the first national title in 2011 than on it.<\/p>\n

A starter as a junior, he took on a reserve role and helped make his mark as a senior leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cScott was one of those guys that was willing to do whatever he could to help the Bison win,\u201d said Bison defensive line coach Nick Goeser, who came to NDSU in 2010. \u201cI have a lot of appreciation for those guys. And Scott would have admitted to you, he was never the most talented guy or dominant guy but he was willing to do whatever he possibly could. Guys like him were one of the main reasons we were able to turn those years around from ’09 to ’10 to winning a national championship in 2011. He was one of those reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadly, former teammates and coaches are paying tribute to Stoczynski, who died over the weekend in Texas from an automobile accident. Cole Jirik, the president of the Bison Football Players Association, reached out to the family on Sunday on behalf of former players.<\/p>\n

Stoczynski had 20 tackles, 4.5 for lost yardage, 2.5 quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery that championship season. He and defensive end Coulter Boyer were the lone seniors on a defensive line that was young and developing.<\/p>\n

Stoczynski’s best season was in 2010 when as a junior he started in all 14 games registering 47 tackles and a fumble recovery. That year ended in the FCS quarterfinals at Eastern Washington, but NDSU’s first foray into the FCS playoffs set the stage for a run of titles that is still ongoing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re the guys that flipped that switch,\u201d said Jirik, Stoczynski’s teammate on the defensive line. \u201cEverything was different, practices were different. That senior class changed this program.\u201d<\/p>\n

He became a state trooper with the North Dakota Highway Patrol from 2012-15 and was an adult probation officer in the Chicago area from 2015-17, according to his bio on LinkedIn.com.<\/p>\n

He entered the financial world from there and was a vice president at First Trust in San Antonio, Texas, the past three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe touched every guy on the team,\u201d Jirik said.<\/p>\n

That included the coaches. Former Bison assistant Tim Polasek points to Stoczynski’s willingness to be part of the triangle blocking scheme in front of the Bison punter. They have to be prepared to take on a heavy rush and leave defenders in their tracks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis ability and want to, to do anything to help the team,\u201d Polasek said. \u201cI had him on the punt team. He made the calls and was part of that shield, which wasn’t a fun job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funeral plans had yet to be finalized on Monday, Jirik said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was loved, he had a lot of friends on both sides of the ball,\u201d Polasek said. \u201cGreat teammate. He had the ability to be there for guys and hold guys accountable for the standards. “<\/p>\n<\/div>\n