by DSU student Hailey Entze
Behind every great football coach is an even greater football coach’s wife. That’s not exactly how the saying goes but maybe it’s how it should. Just ask Susan Biesiot. She will be the first to tell you that she has the utmost respect for any coach’s wife especially since she spent close to 40 years as the wife of the legendary Blue Hawk football coach, Hank Biesiot.
Hank and Susan Biesiot, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past summer, moved to Dickinson after Hank was hired to coach football and baseball at Dickinson State. Travis Haakedahl supervised Susan while she did her student teaching at Lincoln Elementary to finish her teaching degree from UND.
Susan stayed at Lincoln to teach first grade for four years before she put teaching on pause to stay home with her two boys, Vince and Tony. When she returned to teaching, she taught in the first kindergarten program at St. Patrick’s Elementary School for another handful of years before accepting a position at Roosevelt Elementary. She continued to teach kindergarten at Roosevelt up until her retirement seven years ago.
To some, the thought of teaching over 20 kindergarteners at a time might sound like their worst nightmare but not to Susan. “I liked teaching kindergarten because it was their first experience in a big school, so I wanted to make it the best,” she said. She must have accomplished that goal since to this day she’ll still hear “Mrs. Biesiot” when she’s out and about. It’s usually followed by something the former student did in Susan’s classroom that has stuck with them throughout the years.
Besides being a kindergarten teacher, Susan has carried many other titles. Wife, mom, Queen of Peace Catholic Church choir member, CCD and confirmation leader, baseball coach’s wife, and last but not least, football coach’s wife. It’s a “not least” type of title because as anyone can probably imagine, being the wife of any kind of coach isn’t the easiest thing in the world. All those nights and weekends spent alone could get quite lonely, but Susan figured out early on how to combat it. “If you’re a coach’s wife you spend lots of time by yourself,” Susan commented. “At Football Conventions they have luncheons for the wives. If I ever had to speak at one I would say, ‘Find your interests and cultivate them, because of the time by yourself, it’s easier to be busy.’”
Even though she handled her everyday activities and schedules mostly by herself, Susan was a Blue Hawk fan. Hank’s job at Dickinson State introduced the Biesiot family to other Blue Hawk fans and families of players who became lifelong friends. Susan enjoyed many rides with these friends to different universities. She was also always grateful for her friend Eileen Johnson who babysat the boys on those long days.
Hank and Susan on their 50th
Though, it may be surprising to some that Susan, the dedicated coach’s wife that she was, didn’t know a lick about football at first. When Susan first started going to games she sat next to Deb Conlon, who was shocked to find out the coach’s wife knew next to nothing about the sport. “She [Debbie] said to me in the beginning, ‘Don’t you know anything about football? You’re a football coach’s wife!’ I said, ‘He didn’t marry me because of what I knew about football,’” Susan said with a laugh. From that moment on, Deb kindly took it upon herself to teach Susan the ins and outs of the game while they sat in their favorite spot in the stands. The same general area they try to sit in today when they go to games.
Even after the impromptu football lessons, Susan could still be heard up in the stands shouting her go to phrase “Defense. Defense,” or “Run it down the sidelines. Don’t go down the middle!” The latter of which became her most famous play idea. Though she could be found in the stands at every game, home or away, she may have been missing at different intervals. “I would get so nervous during those games, wanting Hank and the Blue Hawks to win, that a lot of times I would just go to the restroom and stay there,” Susan said. She’d usually come out to find the team had scored a touchdown in her absence, but it didn’t matter that she’d missed it as long as they were winning.
After 40 years of being involved with football at Dickinson State, Susan has discovered it means more than just a fun way to pass a Saturday afternoon in the fall. To Susan, Blue Hawk football means tradition and community. Between coaches, players, and fans, it’s a bond that never breaks no matter how much time passes. Whether it’s today or 40 years ago, the pride people have for the Hawks will never go away. Hank and Susan alike still have players come up to them to chat about the good old football days. Which isn’t to say they’ve completely left the world of football. Love of Blue Hawk football is still deeply rooted in the Biesiots. They can still be seen at tailgates and football games cheering on the Blue Hawks.
Now retired life, while still busy, is a nice change of pace for Susan. She enjoys traveling, playing bridge, golfing, gardening, reading and hanging out with her grandkids. “There’s never a dull moment,” Susan commented. Even though it’s been a few years since she’s been in the world of coaches’ wives, she still holds them in the highest regard. “I respect any coach’s wife. While you’re [the coach] on the road, your wife is the one at home. Raising the kids. Getting them to all their different activities. Making sure everything runs well. Supporting you. I think any coach’s wife should be saluted for being behind that guy, for making him successful.”
If that’s true, the salute to Susan Biesiot is long overdue. With over 200 career wins and a building named after him, it’s no doubt Hank Biesiot was successful. He probably couldn’t have done it without the love and support of Susan, because a great coach is nothing without a great wife.
Susan kissing Hank’s picture on the side of a Toyota pickup wrapped in Blue Hawk decals that Dan Porter let them drive for a year.
