Feigum's fine character drives breckenridge culture

former cowboy goes from the gridiron to the guard

• Photo by Carol Colby

• Robert Wanek Jr.
​
​Not long ago, opponents were buckling under the weight of Hunter Feigum’s shoulder pads as the freight train phenom excelled under the lights of Cowboy Field. Now, one of Breckenridge’s fiercest competitors has enlisted in the Army National Guard, ready to tackle more challenges in a life he lives for faith and family. I caught up with the 20-year-old to talk legacy, football, and the future ahead.

​Hunter was a 1,000-yard rusher and 2x section basketball champion, but his signature stamp on the sports community was an unparalleled grit and hustle in every facet of the game. When I coached Feigum during his eighth-grade baseball season, he was a firecracker, a rabid racer on the base paths whose pants were deeply stained with red dirt from sliding head first.

He credited his ambitious style of play to his parents’ unique influences on his mentality.

“My mom (Melissa Kugler) and dad (Cory Feigum) gave me two different aspects that built myself,” Feigum said. “My dad would push me to do my absolute best, after the game we would go out to eat and he would watch game film with me. He would go through the playbook with me, teaching me. The drive comes from my mom.”

Feigum’s mother, Melissa, who lives in Washburn, North Dakota, would travel over four hours to attend his games. That meant everything to the senior superstar.

“She would drive back almost every Friday night. If she’s driving four plus hours, if she’s driving all that way, I can’t not give it my all. I also loved the town aspect, a great community, and I wanted to be known for something.”​

• Photo by Carol Colby

• Photo by Carol Colby

Buckle your chin strap when Hunter Feigum comes down the tracks. Watch some of his best plays of the 2018 season here. The two-way Breckenridge beast is one tough dude on the □ field. #FreightTrainFeigum pic.twitter.com/7JjXK2HfPC

— Breck Sports Talk (@BreckSportsTalk) November 1, 2018

In the Section 8AA quarterfinals, Hawley's Noah Glad and Breckenridge's Hunter Feigum got tied up on a rebound. They didn't tussle, they embraced in the middle of an intense rivalry game. #MoreThanSports pic.twitter.com/rNvErYGdOr

— Breck Sports Talk (@BreckSportsTalk) March 23, 2019

---

Feigum certainly achieved folklore status during two state tournament trips as a basketball player and one as a baseball player. Forging his own path with no handouts was something Hunter took great pride in. He moved to Breckenridge in kindergarten and dedicated his athletic career to a display of honorable hustle. In a small town with a population of 3,500, he proved it’s not where you do it — it’s what you do.

“I had to pave my way for my last name,” Feigum said. “Playing and becoming known in Breckenridge was very, very important to me.”

Aside from his game-clinching steal in section basketball playoffs, or his golden glove performance on the diamond, being a keeper of the culture was something that truly set Hunter apart during his tenure as a Cowboy. He was seen by many as Breckenridge’s beam of light.

“There’s a difference in being a good athlete and being good off the court. Our younger generation comes to the games and it made me so happy when they’d come up to me and wear my pin,” Feigum said. “It’s important to be a really good person off the court. I feel like I’ve been given so much my whole entire life, that I would love to give back to my community and the national guard is one way to do that."

---

Hunter with his Mother, Melissa

Hunter Feigum spending time w/ a young fan after posting 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five steals. #CowboyCulture pic.twitter.com/pYcTblvFfj

— Breck Sports Talk (@BreckSportsTalk) January 11, 2019

---

Initially, Feigum wanted to enter the Fish and Wildlife field. He also wanted to play college football. While talking with interested programs, none of those schools offered the major he desired. He opted not to play college football and enrolled at South Dakota State University. 

That lasted one year, as Hunter craved the presence of those he grew up with and moved in with his best friends and former teammates Charles Boldingh and Luke Arnhalt. The move took Feigum to Fargo, where he’s now a student at North Dakota State University. 

“I really like that a lot of people from the area go to NDSU. It’s the place to go,” Feigum said. “I can walk around campus and see tons of people from the Heart O’ Lakes Conference. When I went to school in South Dakota, my classmates would walk around and point out to other friends they played against in high school sports, I’d kind of be in the background and wishing I had that.”

While he regrets not pursuing a college sports career, he won't let the opportunity of being a guardsman slip through his fingers. After speaking with classmates Sam Bakken and Nate Phillips, who enlisted, Feigum made the leap. One of the big reasons, along with a $20,000 bonus, is that he can now pay his way through college on the back of his work ethic without living life in regret. The young man may not have a name plate on his back, but he will have one on his chest, and be part of another team. 

Feigum will begin his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood beginning May 26th. The base is located in the famed Missouri Ozarks region. 

Feigum now studies Agricultural Economics, a field with a bountiful amount of jobs that take place outdoors, where Hunter enjoys working and relishes in hunting and fishing often. Ag-Econ makes up roughly 25% of all jobs in the world.

Feigum’s sportsmanship was always on display, notably in the 2018 section basketball semifinals against Hawley. He scrambled to corral a rebound and got tangled up with an extremely stocky Noah Glad. They didn’t tussle, instead they embraced in the midst of a tense rivalry game for a hug, before continuing to battle to the buzzer. It’s that fine line between knocking your helmet off on the field and shaking your hand after the whistle that embodies Feigum’s legacy. 

He became friends with many of his opponents over the years, transcending the competitive side of sports into an unlikely brotherhood.

“Ever since you’re little, you go to tournaments and you just see familiar faces. You get a little older and the game means a little more, less of the fun and more of the competitive wanting to win,” Feigum said. “Noah and I would go hangout. It started sophomore year after we played, we’d link up on social media congratulating each other. That sparked me to become really good friends with Chase Libak and Noah.”

Those friendships never took Feigum’s eye off the prize, but it made sports less of a job and more of a wholesome experience for the lunch pale and hard hat style athlete. 

“I just knew I was playing against some good guys, so even though it’s competitive you get to go out and have fun,” Feigum said. 

As one of the most passionate players to ever grace the halls of Breckenridge High School, Hunter doubled down on his appreciation for the game, reminding this year’s football seniors to remain present where their feet are, cherishing each moment that remains before looking too far ahead.

“Any athlete can say that it goes by too fast, but these guys almost lost their season because of the pandemic,” Feigum said. “Cherish every play because once high school sports is done, there’s nothing even remotely close to it. Nothing.”

Feigum was the 2018 Carter Casey Sportsperson of the Year.