CSC Athletics
Con Marshall
CHADRON – Kyle Temple, a persistent and dedicated member of the Chadron State College football team the last five years, is the 2018-19 recipient of the Clyde Bond Memorial Award.
The Bond Award is given annually to a Chadron State scholar-athlete who exemplifies the leadership skills, character and athletic abilities which Bond, a 1980 graduate who was a left-handed pitcher for the CSC baseball team, displayed during his four years at the college. Temple is the 39th recipient of the award. He will receive a plaque.
“It’s exciting to be chosen for something like this,” Temple said. “It really means a lot, especially when you consider the strong tradition of leadership and work ethic of all the student-athletes who have come through the college over time.”
Temple joined the Eagles after earning Class A all-state honors at Norfolk High School as a senior in 2013. It didn’t take long for him to make his mark at Chadron State. Like nearly all the Eagles, Temple redshirted as a freshman and played on the scout team.
Former CSC Offensive Coordinator Chris Stein recalled that Temple often gave the varsity a tough time when it went against the scout unit while preparing for the next opponent.
“He was so rambunctious that he often gave us more problems than the defensive ends who played against us on Saturday,” Stein said. “I always appreciated his hustle and energy and he was as good a person all-around as anyone who ever played at Chadron State.”
At the end of his freshman year, Temple was voted the scout team’s Most Valuable Defensive Player and went on to have four excellent seasons while playing defensive end.
Head Coach Jay Long was among Temple’s admirers, noting that he was “smart, had a high motor, never slowed down and became a team leader.”
Temple’s leadership qualities were particularly evident last year when he was the only senior in the defensive line and frequently helped his teammates with their assignments.
Craig Jersild, a long-time member of the CSC defensive coaching staff and now the defensive coordinator, also has good things to say about Temple. He called him “a great player who was really productive,” and, added, “He was a true Eagle who worked his tail off and seldom made mistakes.”
The Eagles had other high quality defensive ends most of Temple’s career. They included Collin Eisenmanand Tyler Kiess, both of whom were one year older and a bit bigger. They saw a bulk of the action at end in 2015, when Temple was a redshirt freshman.
However, Temple recalled that during the second game against Missouri State that season, he was in the game briefly and sacked the quarterback to stop a potential scoring drive.
“I knew then that I could play college football and help the team,” he recalled.
The following year, Eisenman and Kiess were back and Temple was again a second-teamer on the Eagles’ depth chart when the season kicked off. That changed in a hurry when Kiess broke an ankle during the first quarter of the season-opener.
Temple was suddenly the starter on the wide side of the field and had an excellent season. He was credited with 20 unassisted and 31 assisted tackles, had seven tackles behind the line, including a pair of sacks, and forced a fumble. At the end of the season, he was placed on the Nebraska NCAA Division II State College all-star team by the Omaha World-Herald.
Since Kiess had not redshirted as a freshman, he took a medical redshirt in 2016 and returned in ’17. Temple still saw enough action to participate in 16 tackles, including 4.5 behind the line, had a pair of sacks and recovered a fumble.
Chadron State had six senior defensive linemen in 2017, leaving Temple as only player with much more than token experience entering the 2018 schedule. He was busy. He participated in 54 tackles, led the team in quarterback sacks with six for a minus 37 yards, had two more stops behind the line of scrimmage and intercepted a pass that he returned 26 yards against Western State.
At the end of the year, Temple was again placed on the World-Herald’s State College All-Star Team.
He also did well academically, something the Bond Award requires. He graduated in December with a 3.69 cumulative grade point average as an agribusiness major and earned his fourth RMAC All-Academic honor, becoming an Academic All-RMAC First Teamer after three times on the league’s honor roll.
Following graduation, Temple took a position as a technician with the Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District in Valentine. There, he helps to implement programs that foster conservation and sustainability of natural resources for farmers and ranchers.
Following are the previous Clyde Bond Memorial Award recipients:
1981—Ben Eicher, Crawford; 1982—Clark Mitchell, Chadron and Sweeny, Texas; 1983—Barb Zurn, Alliance; 1984—Charlie Mitchell, Chadron and Sweeny, Texas; 1985—Chris Wentling, Norfolk; 1986—Scott Christensen, Lander, Wyo.; 1987—Mark Carlisle, Cimmaron, N.M.; 1988—Tom Overstreet, Glenrock, Wyo.; 1989—Don Beebe, Sugar Grove, Ill.
1990—Tari Nelson, Rapid City; 1991—Kail Bowman, Chadron; 1992—Jay Rhoades, Burlington, Colo.; 1993—Dawn Hutchins, Wheatland, Wyo.; 1994—Jason Sleep, Powell, Wyo.; 1995—Tony Dammen, Cody, Wyo.; 1996—Jennifer Vasey, Laramie, Wyo.; 1997—Kerry Bailey, Harrisburg; 1998—Jamie Knapke, Aurora, Colo.; 1999—Mike Brownfield, Cozad.
2000—Julie Guzzy, Loveland, Colo.; 2001—Melissa Burke, Chadron; 2002—John Dykes, Alliance; 2003—Austin Forster, Gordon; 2004—Ben Holscher, Ogallala; 2005—Lindsay Erwin, Lincoln; 2006—Joel Duffield, Morrill; 2007—Kalan Jones, Grand Island; 2008—Landon Ehlers, Omaha; 2009—Sara Pilakowski, Genoa; and Zach Wheeler, Sheridan, Wyo.
2010—Stacy Girard, Alliance; 2011—John Ritzen, Chadron, and Joe Schultz, Alliance; 2012—Jeff Alcorn, Chadron; 2013—Mollie Jones, Longmont, Colo.; 2014—Gavan Archibald, St. Ann, Jamaica; 2015—Sam Parker, Harrison; 2016—Zerek Jones, LaJunta, Colo.; 2017—Stachia Reuwsaat, Rapid City; 2018–Nicky Banzhaf, Chadron.