Football

Jay Anderson, Head Coach
Coach Anderson has been with TG since 1997, teaching in the Science Department and a school Technology Coordinator. He was the Offensive Coordinator for 18 years and 2020 marks his first year as Head Coach. In 2010, the MN Football Coaches Association honored Coach Anderson with the prestigious Assistant Coach of the Year Award! He attended Bethel College and has four children with his wife Kelly. He is a real student of the game of football but also enjoys golfing, fishing, and spending time with family. 

Anthony LaPanta, Defensive Backs Coach
Coach LaPanta has been with the TG football team since 2008. He is a graduate of TG and then attended St. John's University. As a broadcaster, he works for Fox Sports North, does play-by-play voice for the Minnesota Wild, and hosts Twins Live. His work at FSN has also included coverage of the Timberwolves, Gophers, and Vikings. Coach LaPanta has covered football since 1991. He and his wife, Margo, have four children who attended TG. 

Brian Litecky, Running Backs Coach
Coach Litecky has been a coach for TG since 2000. He graduated from TG and then attended the University of South Dakota on a football scholarship. He also teaches at TG as a social studies teacher. Coach Litecky resides in Blaine with his wife, Jessica, and they have two children. 

Chad Anderson, Defensive Coordinator
Coach Anderson has been coaching MN high school football since 1991, having coached at several schools in the Twin Cities. He completed this teaching degree at St. Cloud State and now teaches biology at CDH. He and his wife, Jodie live in Burnsville with their son Darby.

Tom Rooker, Offensive Line Coach, Special Teams Coordinator  
Coach Rooker has been coaching at TG since 2015. He has an extensive football background, previously coaching at many other schools in the Twin Cities. He currently teaches at St. Croix Catholic School and resides in Stillwater with his two sons. 

John Alt, Offensive Line Coach
Coach Alt has been coaching at TG since 2016, having coached previously at other schools in the Twin Cities. He is a member of the 1979 state championship team at Columbia Heights HS and a Hall of Fame inductee. He attended the University of Iowa and earned All American Honors in 1983. Coach Alt was drafted in the 1st round of the NFL, and went on to play 13 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He earned multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections as a left tackle for the Chiefs. He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2002. He enjoys fishing and spending time at the family cabin in WI. He lives in North Oaks with his wife, Carolyn, and has five children. 

 

Ryan Ferkinhoff, Running Backs Coach
Coach Ferkinhoff  has been teaching math and coaching football at TG since 2015. He was a 3-sport letter-winner from his HS before going on to attend Hamline University. There, he was a three-year starting running back and was selected twice to the MIAC All Sportsmanship Team. In addition to football, Coach Ferkinhoff also coaches TG girl's basketball and TG baseball. 

Tim Pastoors, Linebackers Coach
Coach Pastoors has been coaching at TG since 2003. He is also the Technology Coordinator on the football staff, inputting data from games and editing videos. In 2007, he served as a video intern for the Minnesota Vikings. Coach Pastoors graduated from TG, playing varsity football for three years and received many honors in his football career. He is also the Director of Facilities and Technology for TG. 

Jim Carlson, Defensive Line Coach
Coach Carlson has been coaching at TG since 2015. He played football in high school before attending the University of Minnesota. He is a social studies teacher and enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and traveling. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Alyssa. 

Nick Christopherson, Offensive Line Coach
Coach Christopherson has been with TG since 2019, having graduated from TG a few years earlier. He played football in high school and then went on to play at Bemidji State University. He is student teaching at White Bear Lake as a social studies teacher. 

Seth Pugh, Freshman Head Coach & Offensive Coordinator
Coach Pugh has been coaching football at TG since 2010. He graduated from TG and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from St. Mary's University, where he played baseball for four years. He has been the 3rd grade teacher at St. Raphael Catholic School since 2011. He has also been on the TG baseball staff since 2007. Coach Pugh lives in Blaine with his wife, Angie, and their son. 

Mike Sullwold, Freshmen Running Backs Coach
Coach Sullwold has been on the football staff since 2009 and his also the Head Girls Softball Coach. He has been teaching for 30+ years. He lives in Brooklyn Park with his wife, Tippy, and has two children. 

Danny Suggs, Defensive Back & Wide Receivers Coach
Coach Suggs has been coaching various youth sports for 20+ years and started coaching with TG in 2019. He graduated from Minnesota State Univerisity - Mankato, where he earned his degree in Communications and Broadcast Journalism. He was recruited and played both football and hockey during his four years as a Maverick. His better half, Catherine, and him have two sons. 

Yvette Woell, Director of Football Operations
Yvette has been on the TGFB staff since 2014. As the Director of Football Operations, she oversees the football managers, records daily attendance, and serves as a liaison to our trainer for injury reports. She and her husband, Jaime, live in New Brighton. Their daughter Rachel, TG class of 2015,  died in September 2014 of brain cancer. Rachel was the beloved football manager. Yvette enjoys volunteering, gardening, college basketball, reading, spending time with family, friends, and Rachel's boys (the football team). 

Following an 18 year term as head coach of the varsity football team at Totino-Grace High School, Jeff Ferguson has announced his retirement. Coach Ferguson has dedicated 42 years to coaching and developing high school athletes on the football field. Prior to his tenure at Totino-Grace, he was a member of the football programs at St. Agnes (1979-1980) and Blaine (1978, 1981-1996). A 1974 graduate of Totino-Grace, Jeff will continue to work at the school in his current role of Associate Director for Advancement.   

According to Dr. Craig Junker, President of Totino-Grace, “Jeff Ferguson used football to form high school boys into young men of distinction. He cared more about the ride than the results. Our players loved Jeff because of how he made them feel. He worked collaboratively with our coaches to affirm the contributions of every player in order to build team unity and esteem”. 

Coach Ferguson received a number of honors from the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, including: 2007 Coach of the Year Award, 2010 Power of Influence Award, 2016 Coach of the Year Award, and 2016 6A Class Coach of the Year Award. In 2015, Ferguson was inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was named Minnesota Vikings Coach of the Year in 2011 and received the U.S. Marines Semper Fidelis Award in 2013. 

The Eagle coaching staff, under Jeff Ferguson’s leadership, achieved an overall record of 187-35, eight state championships (six in 4A, one in 5A, and one in 6A), and one runner up title in the 6A state tournament.

Ferguson shares, “It has been a privilege to coach at this school and in this program. Totino-Grace is a special place because of the people...teachers, coaches, administrators, parents, alumni, and especially the students. I fully realize that my football staff is second to none and that our players are amazing young people. I appreciate the trust that players have put in me over the years. It is the relationships with players and coaches that I cherish the most. I am blessed with an amazing wife, Barb, and four children — Jenna, Kelli, Mike, and Katelyn...all TG grads — and now two sons in law and three grandkids. I look forward to continuing my work in Advancement for our school and spending more time with my beautiful family.”

Totino-Grace is pleased to announce Jay Anderson as head coach of the Totino-Grace varsity football program effective immediately. Jay has served as the Eagles’ Offensive Coordinator for 18 years and is a science teacher and the network and support systems manager for the school.

Jay is a native of Cambridge, Minnesota, and spent five years at Cambridge-Isanti High School as their defensive coordinator prior to his employment at Totino-Grace. In 2010, the Minnesota Football Coaches Association honored Jay with the prestigious Assistant Coach of the Year Award. 

Ferguson remarks, “The legacy of the Eagle football program is in great hands with Jay Anderson. All that we have accomplished, we have accomplished together as a staff and team. Jay is talented, committed, and driven, and Eagle players and fans are blessed to have him in this role. Jay is respected — not only by our players and coaches — but from knowledgeable coaches across the state.” 

“It has been an honor to be a part of this program’s growth for the past 18 years,” Anderson shares. “Coach Ferguson has meant so much to this community. His leadership has been amazing to watch and it has been my pleasure to work with and learn from Jeff over that time. He is a man of great integrity and the coaches, players, parents, and alumni here at TG recognize how blessed we have been to have Jeff as our head coach. His legacy will remain with this program for years to come.  I feel fortunate to be in a position to accept the head coaching position and look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Our exceptional team of coaches will work extremely hard to build upon the legacy established by Coach Ferguson and I can’t wait to work with current and future TG athletes in this new role.

Dr. Junker adds, “Jay Anderson is cut from the same mold as Jeff Ferguson. Aside from the professional countenance he brings to the team, Jay is a man of integrity. The way he holds himself and the manner in which he treats others makes me proud to know that Jay will lead the Eagle football team.”

Congratulations to Joe Alt '21 who has selected the University of Notre Dame, among many impressive offers, to advance his education and football career. Read the Star Tribute coverage HERE.