North Pole football coach Mike Hollett went back to where it all started and brought the Patriots with him. Photo courtesy of Valley City State
Not a lot of college football coaches make their way to North Pole, so high school coach Mike Hollett brought his team to them.
The Patriots traveled more than 2,700 miles to reach Hollett’s old stomping grounds at Valley City State University for a team camp in June on the campus of the NAIA school in North Dakota.
“Coach Mac made the trip up to come talk to me about playing football down here about 20 years ago, so I figured I owed him one,” Hollett said.
The trip wasn’t just about reminiscing for Hollett, who played for Valley City from 2004 to 2008 and was part of a conference champion in 2005. It was also about getting the Patriots ready for their upcoming season, which kicks off Saturday, Aug. 15.
He returned two decades later with his family and a gridiron gang.
Many of his players want to play college football, so Hollett thought about the men (Dennis McCulloch and Gregg Horner) who coached him at Valley City and set a plan in motion.
“I was looking for a state that actually recruits our kids, and Valley has recruited Alaskan kids for three decades, four decades plus. So, it made sense to come down here,” Hollett said in a story on the school’s website.
Valley City’s 2026 roster includes two players from North Pole in sophomore offensive lineman Caiden Olson and freshman wide receiver Michael Putnam.
North Pole players participate in a camp drill. Photo courtesy of Valley City State
Hollett believes the Patriots have more to offer and put them in front of Valley City coaches at the camp.
“When my football players were asking about coming down here, I told the parents these coaches are going to take care of them. They will make sure they are well coached; they are part of a good group down here,” said Hollett, who is entering his seventh season as bench boss at North Pole.
“So, bringing kids down here is an opportunity to get coached by good humans. You know, they helped me be a better man so it’s good for them (the players) to be around them a little bit and learn some life lessons, not just football.”
Hollett was joined on the trip by his wife and two sons, a senior and freshman.
“I usually don’t take freshmen on these trips, but we were coming down, might as well bring the whole family.” Hollett said. “My wife graduated from VCSU a few years after I did. We had our first kid in the married student housing; you know the whole thing. So, it turned into a family trip as well.”
