 Gronowski at a post-game press conference in 2023 | |
| South Dakota State Jackrabbits–No. 11 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Junior |
| Major | Mechanical Engineering |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | Naperville, Illinois, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games |
|
| High school | Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Illinois) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| |
Mark Gronowski is an American football quarterback for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
Gronowski grew up in Naperville, Illinois and attended Neuqua Valley High School. [1] As a senior, he completed 132 of 194 pass attempts for 1,663 yards with 15 touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 846 yards and 12 touchdowns. [2] Gronowski committed to play college football at South Dakota State, which was his only Division I scholarship offer, over offers from Butler and Valparaiso, which play in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League, and from Division II Quincy and Bemidji State. [3] [4]
Gronowski's freshman season at South Dakota State (SDSU) was postponed from the fall to the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19. [5] He was named the Jackrabbits starting quarterback going into his freshman season. [6] Gronowski passed for 1,584 yards and 15 touchdowns and also rushed for 577 yards and seven touchdowns. [7] He was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Offensive Player of the Year, as well as the conference Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, at the end of the season. [8] South Dakota State advanced to the 2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, but Gronowski suffered a serious knee injury on the first offensive drive of the game and the team lost 23–21 to Sam Houston State. [9] [10] He used a medical redshirt for the 2021 fall season to recover from his injury. [11]
Gronowski returned as SDSU's starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2022 season. [12] [13] He was named second-team All-MVFC as the Jackrabbits returned to the FCS National Championship Game. [14] [15] [16] Gronowski was named the games Most Valuable Player after dominating the Bison, completing 14 of 21 pass attempts for 223 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 57 yards and one touchdown in a 45-21 victory over North Dakota State. [17] He finished the season with 2,967 passing yards and 26 touchdowns with five interceptions and also rushed for 408 yards and 12 touchdowns. [18]
Gronowski won the Walter Payton award as a junior. [19] South Dakota State repeated as FCS national champions and he repeated as the Most Valuable Player of the FCS Championship Game after completing 13-of-21 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown with an interception and rushing eight times for 62 yard and one touchdown in a 23-3 win against Montana. [20]
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| South Dakota State Jackrabbits | |||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 10 | 8–2 | 108 | 188 | 57.7 | 1,565 | 8.3 | 15 | 3 | 151.1 | 83 | 577 | 7.0 | 7 | |
| 2021 | DNP (Injury-ACL) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 15 | 14–1 | 232 | 356 | 65.2 | 2,967 | 8.3 | 26 | 5 | 156.5 | 111 | 408 | 3.7 | 12 | |
| 2023 | 15 | 15-0 | 209 | 307 | 68.8 | 3,058 | 9.9 | 29 | 5 | 179.7 | 93 | 402 | 4.3 | 8 | |
| Career | 40 | 37−3 | 549 | 851 | 64.6 | 7,590 | 8.9 | 70 | 13 | 163.6 | 287 | 1,387 | 4.8 | 27 | |
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represents South Dakota State University in college football. The program competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The Jackrabbits play their home games at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on South Dakota State's campus in Brookings, South Dakota. South Dakota State is considered to be among the few perennial powers in the FCS. South Dakota State is also one of only 13 FCS schools to host ESPN's College GameDay. For the 2019 GameDay matchup, the No. 3 Jackrabbits hosted the No. 1 North Dakota State Bison, where they would lose in a close battle 23–16 after losing their starting QB to a season ending knee injury. The Jackrabbits currently have a 12-year streak of qualifying for the FCS playoffs, the second-longest in the country at the FCS level. South Dakota State are two-time national champions. They achieved their first national championship win in school history on January 8, 2023. Then a year later on January 7, 2024, they repeated by defeating Montana (13–2) with a score of 23–3 and finished with a perfect 15–0 record.
The 2011 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 15th-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for fourth in the MVFC. South Dakota State played their home games at Coughlin–Alumni Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.
The 2013 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 17th-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 9–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a four-way tie for second in the MVFC. South Dakota State received an at–large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Jackrabbits defeated Northern Arizona in the first round before falling to Eastern Washington in the second round. The team played home games at Coughlin–Alumni Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.
The 2014 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 18th-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 9–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the MVFC. South Dakota State received an at–large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Jackrabbits defeated Montana State in the first round before falling to fellow MVFC member and eventual national champion, North Dakota State, in the second round. The team played home games at Coughlin–Alumni Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.
The 2017 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 21st-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 11–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the MVFC. South Dakota State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first-round bye, the Jackrabbits defeated Northern Iowa in the second round and New Hampshire in the quarterfinals before losing to James Madison in the semifinals. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.
The 2020 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 24th-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, sharing the MVFC title with Missouri State. South Dakota State received an the MVFC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Jackrabbits defeated Holy Cross in the first round, fellow MVFC member Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals, and Delaware in the semifinals before losing to Sam Houston State in the NCAA Division I Championship Game. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.
Jabril Cox is an American football linebacker for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Dakota State, where he won three FCS championships and was named the MVFC defensive player of the year before playing the 2020 season with LSU.
Cade Johnson is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at South Dakota State.
Pierre Strong Jr. is an American football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Dakota State.
Christian Justus Watson is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Dakota State, and was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Chris Oladokun is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Florida before transferring to Samford then to South Dakota State.
The 2022 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led John Stiegelmeier in his 26th and final season as head coach, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 14–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the MVFC title. South Dakota State received the MVFC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where after a first-round bye, the Jackrabbits defeated Delaware in the second round, Holy Cross in the quarterfinals, Montana State in the semifinals, and fellow MVFC member North Dakota State in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game to win program's first national title. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.
Tucker Kraft is an American football tight end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Dakota State and was selected by the Packers in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Zach Lujan is an American football coach and former player who is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Northwestern Wildcats football team.
The 2022 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 37th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 3rd straight season with 11 teams, and was the last as the conference added a 12th team for the 2023 season.
Jimmy Rogers is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). After playing college football for the Jackrabbits, he served as a graduate assistant with them for two years before joining Florida Atlantic in 2012. He returned to South Dakota State in 2013 as linebackers coach, later receiving a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2019, the position he served in until being named head coach in 2023. He closed his first season as Jackrabbit head coach by leading his team to the NCAA Division 1 FCS National Championship in Frisco, TX, January 7, 2024.
Isaiah Davis is an American football running back for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
The 2023 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented the South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 15–0 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the MVFC title for the second straight season. South Dakota State received the MVFC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where after a first-round bye, the Jackrabbits defeated Mercer in the second round, Villanova in the quarterfinals, Albany in the semifinals, and Montana in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game to win program's second consecutive national title. South Dakota State outscored opponents 146-15 in the four playoff games, completed a wire-to-wire season as the No. 1 ranked team in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and extended the team's winning streak to 29 games. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.
The 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 38th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 12 teams, as the conference added Murray State over the offseason. It was also the last season with 12 teams for now, as it was announced in May 2023 that Western Illinois would be leaving the MVFC after the 2023 season for the Ohio Valley Conference.
Mason McCormick is an American football offensive lineman. He played college football for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.