A member of the inaugural Concordia-St. Paul football team, Sieling was a leader on the defense as a four-year starter while he also helped the baseball program to a pair of Tri-State Conference titles as a two-sport athlete.
In the program’s first-ever season in 1969, the Perham, Minnesota (Perham HS) native led the team in tackles and defensive points, repeating that feat as a senior in 1972. A versatile athlete, splitting time between defensive line and both inside and outside linebacker, Sieling helped the program to at least four wins in each of his four seasons on campus.
On the baseball diamond, the utility outfielder helped guide the program to back-to-back Tri-State Conference Co-Championships in his final two years with the Comets.
During his time at CSP, Sieling met his future wife, Annette, and the couple was married in 1974. They both spent 35+ years teaching at Eagle Valley Schools in Eagle Bend, Minnesota, as he taught sixth grade and worked as head football, softball and baseball coach as well as head negotiator for EVEA. Sieling tallied 195 career victories on the football field and over 200 wins on the softball diamond as a coach. He also spent seven seasons as the head football coach at Parkers Prairie High School after retiring from teaching.
John and Annette still live in Eagle Bend, and are the parents of Chris and Kerry as well as the grandparents of Isabella, Jayden, Michael and Elizabeth.
Career Awards
- 1972 Lutheran Brotherhood All-Lutheran Team
- 1972 Tri-State All-Conference Team
- Two-time Tri-State Conference Co-Champion in baseball (1973, 1972)
CSP Records
- 1st - career fumble recoveries (8)
Career & Season Stats
- Two-time team leader in defensive points (163 in 1972, 114 in 1969)
- Two-time team leader in tackles (94 in 1972, 61 in 1969)
- 1972 team leader in sacks (3.0)
- Four-year starter in football
- Three-year letter winner in baseball
