COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Two pictures, taken 21 years apart.  

But together they help illustrate just how deep the Dumonceaux family's ties to Saint John's football run. 

The first shows Damien Dumonceaux - then an All-American defensive lineman for the Johnnies and now assistant head coach and the program's recruiting coordinator- holding his 3-month old nephew Nolan after a game at Clemens Stadium in 2005. 

The second shows Nolan - now a junior linebacker for the Johnnies stepping into an expanded role this fall - holding Damien's newborn son Fletcher (born Aug. 22) after SJU's 24-21 season-opening home victory over Wisconsin-La Crosse on Sept. 5. 

"Just having the chance to do the same thing with his son after a game that he used to do with me was pretty amazing," said Nolan, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound Forest Lake High School graduate who had five tackles and broke up a pass in the win over the Eagles. 

"It was one of those full-circle moments." 

The Dumonceaux family has had a lot of moments at SJU over the decades - starting with Bob Dumonceaux, the family patriarch who arrived on campus in the fall of 1957.  

He started out as a football player and wrestler, but his duties on the family farm near Foley forced him to give up football after one season. In wrestling, though, he finished in the top four in his weight class at the MIAC meet all four of his collegiate seasons and twice earned runner-up honors. 

He was the student head coach his senior season and went on to coach the program for five seasons in the 1960s while also embarking on an over-50-year career as a professor in the math department at CSB and SJU.  

Four of his sons went on to play football for the Johnnies, all of whom became standouts. That included Nolan's father Duane, who was a freshman in 1991 when his father began running the chain gang at SJU football games - a role the family continues to maintain to this day. 

"Saint John's is what we grew up with," said Darwin Dumonceaux, who also won an NCAA Division III national title in the shot put as a senior at in 1999. "It was everything. It was our lives. It's what we grew up around." 

That was also the case for youngest son Damien, who started on the defensive line for the Johnnies for three seasons, helping lead SJU to an NCAA Division III national title as a sophomore in 2003. 

He is now in his 21st season on the coaching staff and has been the recruiting coordinator since Gary Fasching was named head coach in 2013.  

Nolan is the third of his nephews to play for him, and the first with the Dumonceaux last name. 

"It still makes me do a double take when I hear guys saying Dumo because that's been my nickname for so long," Damien said. "But this is his experience. He's Dumo now. It's his turn to make his mark on the Saint John's legacy and I get to sit back and watch him do his thing." 

Nolan played special teams as a freshman and took over the team's long-snapping duties a year ago. But last season, the coaching staff asked him to move from safety to linebacker - a challenge he willingly accepted. He threw himself into training this offseason, adding 10 pounds, but not sacrificing any of the speed he needed to remain successful in pass coverage. 

The hard work has paid off with a spot in SJU's nickel package, making him a regular in the defensive rotation. 

"Anytime it's a passing situation, he's going to be in the ballgame," Fasching said. "His athleticism and ability to cover guys is a huge asset. It's almost like having another strong safety at a linebacker spot. He played really well against La Crosse and we think he's just going to continue to get better." 

Which would make what was already going to be a memorable fall for the Dumonceaux family even more special. Bob Dumonceaux is one of this year's inductees into the SJU J-Club Hall of Honor, receiving the distinguished service award. He will be inducted in a ceremony on the evening of Oct. 17, following the Johnnies' homecoming matchup against Concordia that afternoon. 

He joins Darwin and Damien, who were both inducted in 2023 - Darwin on his own and Damien as part of the 2003 national championship team. 

"That's going to be such an awesome night for our family," Nolan said. "It will be surreal in a way. I can remember actually going to class with him when I was little and standing alongside him on the sideline at football games. He's given so much to Saint John's over the years and I'm so happy for him. He deserves every single accolade that has come his way. 

"He set the bar for all of us." 

Now it's Nolan's turn to continue the family legacy. 

"It's been fantastic to see him come into his own the way he has," Damien said. "I can remember when he first got onto the kickoff team his freshman season and I was reading off the names. I kind of got a little choked up when I came to Dumonceaux. It's a good thing I was wearing sunglasses. 

"But he's worked so hard the past few years. He's done everything the coaches have asked of him and now he's starting to see the results of that. 

"I don't feel any pressure to live up to the family name," Nolan added. "It's more about a standard that's been set that I feel I need to uphold. And it goes beyond how you play on Saturday. It's about making sure you carry yourself the right way - that you're focused on helping others even more than yourself. 

"That's the example my family members who played here before me set and I want to live up to that."