Huitink legacy honored Oct. 23-24

Doug Huitink carried a moniker of the "smallest starting tackle" in the old National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II North Central Conference.

The heart and will of the late Morningside University gridiron alum were immeasurable.

"It didn't matter who he or those offensive lines had across from them," long-time friend and Delta Sigma Phi fraternity brother Larry Mason reminisced. "They just went out and created holes against whoever they were playing, and Doug was a huge part of that. That group enabled Dave Bigler, an M Club Hall of Famer, to become one of the program's first 1,000-yard rushers and, at the time he left school, to be the season and career rushing record holder." 

Mason noted that his leadership qualities didn't end on the football field, either.

"Our fraternity group stayed close up until his death," he said. "He was still kind of our leader – helping plan out our yearly fishing trips to Canada and any events we had going on when the guys all got back together."

"He was and will always be my best friend," he added. "I miss the camaraderie we had throughout our lives. I think it's wonderful that a scholarship for a football student-athlete is being made in his memory. Whip was loyal as any grad at Morningside."

Doug's daughter, Kara (Huitink) Coquillon, and the family created the Doug Huitink Memorial Scholarship in the wake of his passing last November.

"Dad loved Morningside," she said. "We felt it was important to pass that love along with a permanent memorial." 

According to Jonathan Blum, Morningside University's Director of Gift Planning and Donor Advising, the scholarship will go to a football student-athlete each year.

The Huitink family is also paying tribute to their father this weekend, as the No. 3-ranked National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Mustangs face off against Great Plains Athletic Conference foe Dordt University. They'll be recognized during the game, and gatherings are set at Bob Roe's Point After Saturday afternoon and in Ireton Sunday, Oct. 24, with a memorial service.

"We are so grateful to everyone at Morningside," Kara continued. "It was such a special place for Dad and all of our family. We had been waiting for the right time for a weekend like this and knew it had to be around a football game. He was such an avid fan, and so many of his friends are from his playing days."