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NDHSAA Member School Alumni: Darin Erstad, former multi-sport standout at Jamestown HS

Editor's Note: NDHSAA Media Specialist Tom Mix will periodically feature former student athletes and participants of NDHSAA-sponsored sports and activities on the NDHSAA NOW website (www.ndhsaanow.com).

This week's NDHSAA Member School Alumni Spotlight shines on Darin Erstad, a 1992 graduate of Jamestown High School. Below is a list of accomplishments in his prep, collegiate and professional careers.

DARIN ERSTAD - PREP SPORTS STANDOUT AT JAMESTOWN HIGH SCHOOL

GRADUATION YEAR: 1992

HIGH SCHOOL

FOOTBALL – Sophomore (1989), Junior (1990), Senior (1991)

NOTE: Jamestown Senior High School competed in North Dakota’s Class A Division in football when Darin Erstad participated. At that time there were three divisions of high school football in North Dakota – Class A, Class B and 9-man.

Senior Season: 1991

  • Helped lead Jamestown High School to an appearance in the NDHSAA Class A state championship game (11/9/91). Final Score: Bismarck St. Mary’s 21, Jamestown 7. Jamestown finishes season 9-2.

  • Helped lead Jamestown High School to its first ever Eastern Dakota Conference championship in football (7-1 record in regular season)

  • Erstad caught two passes for 21 yards and kicked an extra point in title game.

  • Erstad was a two-way starter playing defensive back and wide receiver positions. He also served as the team’s punter and place kicker.

  • Successfully kicked a school-record 50-yard field goal during his senior season.

  • Kicked three field goals of more than 40 yards his senior season.

  • Converted 18 of 22 extra-point kicks

  • Averaged 41 yards per punt.

  • Finished season with six receiving touchdowns and five made field goals his senior season.

Junior Season: 1990

  • Despite being injured for a portion of the season, contributed to Jamestown’s season which ended with a 15-14 loss to Bismarck St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals.

HOCKEY – Sophomore (1990), Junior (1991), Senior (1992)

Senior Season: 1992

  • Finished season with 60 points (36 goals, 24 assists).

  • Helped Jamestown to a 14-11 record and third-place finish at the 1992 NDHSAA State Tournament

  • Finished the 1992 NDHSAA State Tournament with three goals and four assists (7 points) 

Junior Season: 1991

  • Helped Jamestown to a 5-4 overtime win over Bismarck in the third-place game at the 1991 NDHSAA State Tournament

Sophomore Season: 1990

  • Helped Jamestown qualify for the State Tournament. Jamestown finished 1-2 in three games at 1990 NDHSAA State Tournament and finished in sixth place.

Career

  • Finished High School Hockey career with 135 points (79 goals, 56 assists). 135 points and 79 goals both were school records at the time of his graduation. Erstad's career points school/program record has since been broken.

  • Finished with 19 points (10 goals and nine assists) in nine career NDHSAA State Tournament games.

TRACK AND FIELD – Sophomore (1990), Junior (1991), Senior (1992)

Senior Season: 1992

  • 1992 NDHSAA State Champion in the 110-meter hurdles (14.53 seconds)

  • 1992 NDHSAA State Champion in the 300-meter hurdles (38.85 seconds)

  • Never lost a hurdles race his senior season (1992).

HIGH SCHOOL HONORS/ACHIEVEMENTS

  • 1992 North Dakota High School Male Athlete of the Year – Award presented by North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association

  • 1991 North Dakota Class A All-State Football Team selection as a place kicker.

  • 1991 All-Eastern Dakota Conference Selection in Football (Senior year).

  • 1992 North Dakota All-State Hockey Team selection (Senior year).  

  • 1991 North Dakota All-State Hockey Team selection (Junior year).

  • Nominee for North Dakota’s Mr. Hockey Award in 1992.

POST HIGH SCHOOL HONORS/ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Drafted in 13th round (357th overall) in the 1992 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, but did not sign.

  • Played football and baseball at the University of Nebraska (1992-1995).

  • Member of Nebraska’s 1994 National Championship team in football playing punter averaging 42.6 yards per punt – 14th best mark in the nation that season.

  • Hit .410 with 19 home runs and 79 RBIs during his junior baseball season (1995).

  • Earned First Team All-American Honors in 1995.

  • Named a finalist for the 1995 Golden Spikes Award – given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States.

  • Named Co-Big Eight Conference Player of the Year in 1995.

  • Recipient of the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association’s Special Achievement Award in 1995. Award is voted on by members of NDAPSSA and is considered the organizations top honor since it was first awarded beginning in 1968.

  • Drafted No. 1 overall in the 1995 MLB Amateur Draft by the California Angels.

  • Played in MLB from 1996 to 2009 with three different teams (Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros.

  • Finished eighth in the 2000 American League Most Valuable Player voting finishing that season with 240 hits (league leader) and a batting average of .355 (second in A.L.)

  • Owns a .282 career batting average with 124 home runs, 699 RBIs in 1,654 games.

  • Member of the Los Angeles Angels team that won the 2002 World Series.

  • Entering the 2019 Major League Baseball season, was still the American League single-season postseason record holder for total hits (25 hits in the 2002 Postseason).

  • MLB All-Star (1998, 2000).

  • Three-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award Winner (2000, 2002, 2004). He is the only player in MLB history to win Gold Glove awards as an outfielder (2000 and 2002) and infielder (2004). Also, he was the first MLB player to win Gold Glove Awards at three different positions (Left Field – 2000, Center Field – 2002 and First Base – 2004).  

  • Silver Slugger Award winner (2000).

  • Named head coach of the University of Nebraska baseball team on June 2, 2011.

  • Coached a total of eight seasons at the University of Nebraska 2012-2019.

  • Finished with a 267-193-1 overall record as Nebraska’s head coach and a 111-77-1 record in the Big Ten Conference.

  • Coached Nebraska to appearances in the Big Ten Conference Tournament in seven of his eight seasons.

  • Coached Nebraska to a Big Ten Conference regular season championship in 2017.

  • Was named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year in 2017

  • Guided Huskers to four appearances in the NCAA Regional Tournament as head coach.

  • Inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame in 2019.

  • Had his “No. 17” University of Nebraska baseball jersey retired by the school during a pregame ceremony prior to the Cornhuskers’ Big 10 baseball series opener against Illinois at Hawks Field at Haymarket Field in Lincoln, Neb in March of 2023. Erstad was honored alongside Alex Gordon and Shane Komine as the first players to have their collegiate baseball jersey numbers retired by the Cornhuskers.

OTHER AWARDS

  • Was a member of Jamestown Senior High School’s National Honor Society Chapter

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