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Coaching and officiating a family affair for Pfeifers

Submitted Photo Left to right: Jaden Pfeifer, Tim Pfeifer, Jalen Pfeifer. The Pfeifer family shares a unique bond through their involvement in local sporting events within the state of North Dakota.

One of the most powerful and beautiful things about the world of sport is its innate ability to bring people together.

This is especially true for the Pfeifer family, native to the Rugby and Rolette areas in North Dakota. Tim Pfeifer and his two sons, Jalen and Jaden, have all served as local coaches and officials in their adult lives.

Tim left the coaching world after many years as a football, baseball and basketball coach, but continues serving as a local referee, a job he has held since 1998.

“I’ve gotten to work district tournaments, regional tournaments, and a couple of state tournaments,” he recalled. “Now I’m on my way out, and my boys are taking over for me. So we’ve come full circle. I’ve got a year or two left, and then it’s up to them to carry it on.”

One of his favorite moments of his coaching career, he remembered, was being able to work with, and be around, the students every day. He loved his time in Rolette, and was fortunate enough to lead a couple of talented teams to the state championship, winning it all with Rolette’s football squad in 1990 against the Mott-Regent Cardinals.

The one thing that made it special for him, though, was seeing his two sons take up the activities he’s loved for so long. Jaden, who currently serves as the North Prairie Cougars football coach and the Northern Lights baseball coach, also spends his time as a referee for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, as well as in junior college basketball.

There is not a specific time or moment he can point to as the inspiration to start coaching or become a referee. Simply put, it was the culmination of seeing his father go to work each day.

“I’d see dad dressed up in the uniform when I was really young,” Jaden said. “I just related sports to stripes. I wanted a referee jersey and a whistle, and I wanted to be like Dad, like every kid.”

He, like his father, enjoys the people he has the privilege of meeting in the industry. Watching kids compete and being able to track their progress through the season is one of the most rewarding aspects for Jaden.

“I just love every part of coaching,” he remarked. “The strategy, the work with the kids to see their improvement. You start at one step one day, and see how far they can go. Just the journey of the season and watching kids get better, that’s the best part.”

Meanwhile, Jalen will enter his fifth season as the starting quarterback for Valley City State’s football squad in the fall. He does not currently hold a coaching position, but he will begin again when baseball season rolls around in the summer. As for officiating, he takes up local basketball games with his father and brother.

Once he wraps up his time on the field with the Vikings, he hopes to find a job that allows him to continue coaching, officiating and teaching. He has a minor in coaching, and will be earning his elementary education degree after this upcoming school year. He has plans to student-teach in the spring following his last collegiate football season.

The memory he looks back on the most as a referee is the first game he was able to officiate with his father and brother, cementing a family legacy among the three Pfeifer men. The best part of being a coach? His answer is similar to his brother’s.

“I’ve only done it for two years, but relating to the kids so much since I’m a younger guy, they can really relate to me,” Jalen said. “We have a really good connection. It’s being able to see their growth from day one to the last day of the season, and just getting to know the kids and seeing their improvements all year round.”

As the two sons take over for their father, their hope is to continue in the family traditions for as long as possible, or until the decision to stop is made for them.

“I make a lot of jokes about that, but I ref with a lot of guys who put stuff on their knees and rub stuff on their backs,” Jaden said with a smile. “I said, ‘If I ever have to do that, I’m done.’ As long as the body can stay good, I’ll keep going.”

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