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Nick Stazer (55), seen here playing for Slippery Rock University, now coaches tight ends for Division II Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. Butler Eagle File Photo<\/p>\n
Even when not pitching his college\u2019s football program, Nick Stazer<\/a> sounds like a brochure reads.<\/p>\n The 2018 Butler graduate, now the tight ends coach at Black Hills State University<\/a> in Spearfish, S.D., speaks glowingly of his current station, six hours away from the nearest major city, Denver.<\/p>\n The area reminds Stazer of Pennsylvania. He said it has a Midwestern feel.<\/p>\n \u201cThe town, it\u2019s actually incredible,\u201d Stazer said. \u201cI know I sound like I\u2019m recruiting, but I do love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n Stazer, a former three-year offensive line starter at Slippery Rock University, realizes he\u2019s in the infancy of his coaching career. He\u2019s happy with the progress he\u2019s already made, taking the small step from being a graduate assistant to coaching the Yellow Jackets\u2019 tight ends in just one season. He\u2019s in it for the joy the journey brings him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Related Article: SRU\u2019s Stazer taking shot at reaching next level<\/p>\n <\/a> Related Article: Stazer becomes solid piece of The Rock<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt definitely just takes someone that loves football but also is willing to do the rough work,\u201d Stazer said. \u201cA lot of guys, I think, that want to get into coaching, they want to be immediately a position coach that just coaches football. At the Division II level, you\u2019re never just going to coach football.<\/p>\n \u201cUnless you\u2019re the son of a NFL head coach or you\u2019re a guy who played in the NFL for 12 years, you have to be willing to load buses, fix helmets, do all the stuff that you don\u2019t necessarily think about. … You have to love the little, stupid moments that aren\u2019t necessarily what you signed up for.\u201d<\/p>\n 2018 Butler graduate and former Slippery Rock University offensive lineman Nick Stazer coaches a game for Black Hills State University last season. Submitted Photo<\/p>\n Black Hills State competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. It went 6-5 overall last year and 5-4 in league play. Stazer also serves as a recruiting coordinator for the program, dealing with all of the logistics that go into hosting prospective players. His responsibilities aren\u2019t as glamorous as the scenery around him is beautiful.<\/p>\n His apartment, he said, \u201cis 200 yards from the (Black Hills) National Forest. It\u2019s a big touristy area. We\u2019re 20 minutes away from Sturgis, South Dakota.\u201d The town has a downtown-type hub with shops and restaurants. Stazer\u2019s girlfriend, Reena, moved in with him recently after graduating from SRU. He\u2019s enjoyed showing her around.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s stuff to do. It\u2019s not completely remote or anything,\u201d Stazer said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a suburb without a city.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s also the latest stop on a road he wouldn\u2019t have stepped onto without taking a risk.<\/p>\n Stazer dealt with concussions playing football in junior high, leading him to give the sport up. His mother didn\u2019t want him to play for his own safety, but he felt the itch and joined the Golden Tornado his senior year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Related Article: 25 in 2025: Top athletes, coaches, teams and stories in Butler County sports since 2000<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n After a season starting as a lineman on both sides of the ball, he spent a year on Pat Narduzzi\u2019s Pitt team as a walk-on before transferring to Slippery Rock University. He started 26 games at guard and another six at offensive tackle for Shawn Lutz\u2019s crew.<\/p>\n While at the Rock, Stazer developed an appreciation for the team aspect of the game and eagerly anticipated Monday game plan meetings after poring over film. At that point, he planned on being a teacher, but he changed course, applying for several graduate assistant jobs. A former SRU teammate of Stazer\u2019s knew of Black Hills State head coach Josh Breske, lending a hand.<\/p>\n Stazer\u2019s been tasked with advertising the Yellow Jackets to recruits in Southern California. The state doesn\u2019t have any Division II football programs, so options are limited for players who aren\u2019t plucked by Division I schools.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing about Division II is it kind of ends where we\u2019re at,\u201d Stazer said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing, really, west of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Thirty-two of the 121 players listed on Black Hills State\u2019s 2025 roster are from the Golden State.<\/p>\n
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