How Stephen Hillis overcame diabetes, military discharge, to become a defensive star at South Dakota
Nov. 10—VERMILLION — In the summer of 2018, Steve and Connie Hillis found their son, Stephen Hillis, pacing around a Colorado Springs hospital room, coming to terms with a shocking diagnosis.
Sixteen hours earlier, Hillis learned he had Type 1 Diabetes — news that would not just derail his upcoming football season, but his greater aspirations as well.
Raised by a pair of U.S. Navy veterans, Hillis was determined to attend a service academy, where he'd prepare to serve his country while playing college football. He checked all the boxes to get into the Air Force Academy; getting good grades, excelling athletically and proving himself as a leader. And after suffering an ACL tear his first year in Colorado, he was finally healthy and ready to start his career as a Falcon.
But now, weeks before the season started, Hillis stood in a hospital gown, explaining to his parents how his diagnosis would get him kicked out of the Academy, forcing him on a different path.
"Here's my son that has dedicated his life to trying to get into one of the academies because he wants to do something special for our country. And they're not going to keep him. I can't imagine what he's feeling," Steve said. "And frankly, he handled it much better than I would have."
Five years later, Hillis has powered his way to a successful collegiate experience while he learns to manage his disease.
He is fulfilling educational and football dreams at South Dakota, a school just 30 minutes away from his hometown of Hartington, Nebraska. After walking-on to the Coyote football team, Hillis has become one of the team's best players, becoming an all-conference linebacker and helping lead USD to one of its best seasons in its FCS history.
"I think it's a great story," South Dakota coach Bob Nielson said. "He's a tremendous young man, a tremendous leader. And he represents what's right about college athletics."
Raised in small-town Nebraska by his veteran parents, Hillis was immersed in the military world. Hillis' grandfather was a pilot in the Army Air Corps in World War II. Steve joined the Navy at age 17, and was an active member for 30 years and met his wife Connie, who was a Navy physician. Hillis could be spotted as a kid wearing camouflage everywhere he went, aspiring to be the next to join the ranks.
"I kind of knew I would end up in the military at some point or another," Hillis said.
As he grew older, he made a plan to get accepted into a service academy. Hillis' high school grades were top notch. He shined in football, basketball and track and field at Cedar Catholic High School. To gain leadership skills, he mentored a group of younger classmates in the mornings, going over school reading assignments and directing them in football or basketball drills.
The summer before his senior year, Hillis attended a camp at Air Force, and was offered a scholarship. He committed to be a Falcon a week later.
"I was like, this is the perfect fit for me," Hillis said.
After missing the 2017 season with a torn ACL, Hillis entered his second year at AFA prepared to play football again. However, in the weeks leading up to the season, he began drastically losing weight, despite eating a healthy diet.
While weighing in during a workout, one of the strength coaches approached Hillis, who had lost 16 pounds, and asked what was going on.
"I was like, 'Dude, I don't know. I keep eating, but I just keep losing weight,'" Hills said. "So he said, 'You better go get checked out at the clinic.'"
Hillis went to the clinic, where they ran a quick test, and made a surprising discovery: He had diabetes. The doctor immediately warned him it meant he would be getting discharged from the Academy.
However, not ready to give up on his goal that easily, Hillis appealed the ruling "as high as it could go," he said. The process took the whole school year to play out, and though he was dismissed from the football team, he remained in school for the year. Ultimately, though, the appeal failed, and he was discharged from the service on May 29, 2019.
"It was obviously unfortunate, but you kind of just get over it, I guess," Hillis said. "I didn't have a lot of time to moan and weep about it ... I figured there was not really much you can do but just keep going."
While Hillis waited for his pending appeal, Steve was determined to find his son a spot to continue playing ball. He found encouragement from Air Force linebacker coach Ron Vanderlinden, who told him he could play "wherever there's a spot, he's got the athleticism."
Hillis received a lot of interest from SMU, but decided he wanted to play somewhere closer to home. So Steve drove to Northern Iowa, South Dakota State and South Dakota, arriving at each facility with game tape and an explanation about his son's situation.
While staffers in Brookings and Cedar Falls were interested in Hillis, Steve's trip to Vermillion was what made a lasting impression.
"I got to South Dakota, the young lady at the front desk listened to my story and said, 'I don't know who you'll talk to but let me go see,'" Steve said. "They were in some kind of a meeting, and Coach Nielson came out."
Nielson took Steve aside and they chatted for over an hour. Nielson admitted he didn't have a scholarship available, but said Hillis could walk-on and earn a scholarship later. Steve liked what he heard, and weeks later, so did Hillis, and he committed to join the Coyotes.
"I came back close to home," Hillis said. "I didn't play at all at Air Force in any games, just practices. So they didn't have to give me an opportunity, but they did and I'm very grateful for (Nielson) for doing that."
Despite not playing a football game since 2016, Hillis immediately made an impact in his freshman season with the Coyotes in 2019, playing 12 games on special teams and leading the team with 13 special-teams stops. In the 2020 COVID-19 spring season and the 2021 season, he played in each game, primarily on special teams.
In 2022, Hillis' efforts finally came to fruition, as he started the final 10 games, leading the MVFC with 115 tackles, and posting eight tackles for loss on the way to first team conference honors.
"I got a chance, then played and started pretty much the whole year," Hillis said. "And just tried to do my best to make the most of my opportunity."
Hillis' journey to greater playing time coincided with his path to manage his health. At 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, he found that maintaining weight and building muscle was a learning curve, and became more purposeful about what he ate and got a handle on it.
Now, the whole process is down to a science. Hillis' go-to low-blood sugar meal is honey: "Just straight sugar," he said. "I like it because it's not processed. It's just natural."
He changes his insulin pump every couple of days. Before meals, he counts carbs.
"I've gotten pretty used to it. And so I guess it doesn't really affect me anymore," Hillis said.
On the field, the training staff is aware of his situation, and ready to assist at a moment's notice.
"They're very aware, they do a great job," Hillis said. "Anytime I need my insulin pen during games on the sidelines, I'll be like, 'Hey, can you grab my pen?' and they grab it right away."
And off the field, Hillis excels in the classroom. In December, he will have his second master's degree in Kinesiology, to complement his MBA.
For those close to Hillis, seeing how he's responded to the diabetes — and the derailment of a dream — has been nothing short of impressive. Nielson called him a "tremendous leader" that he's "proud to have coached." And for dad Steve, who's seen every step of the journey, has the highest of praises for his son.
"Stephen looked at the roadblock, decided how he was going to attack it and attacked it and has done very well," Steve said. "He makes me so proud that you tear up. Thirty years in the military, all sorts of combat zones and you never tear up, even losing buddies. But when you think about your son and the things that he has done, it's a big thing. I can't be prouder."
