| Winona State Warriors football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1895; 129 years ago (1895) |
| Athletic director | Eric Schoh |
| Head coach | Brian Bergstrom 3rd season, 18–16 (.529) |
| Field | Maxwell Field at Warrior Stadium |
| NCAA division | Division II |
| Conference | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
| Bowl record | 2–2 (.500) |
| Playoff appearances | 8 |
| Conference titles | 18 |
| Division titles | 3 |
| Colors | Purple and white |
| Website | winonastatewarriors.com |
The Winona State Warriors football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Winona State University located in Winona, Minnesota. Winona State competes at the NCAA Division II level and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Warriors play their home games at Maxwell Field at Warrior Stadium. The Warriors are currently coached by Brian Bergstrom.
Head coaching history
Winona State has had at least 23 coaches in the program's history.
| Seasons | Years | Coach | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 | 1 | Louis H. Galbreath | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 |
| 1896–1899 | 4 | Damon Roberts | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 |
| 1911–1912 | 2 | Unknown | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 |
| 1915–1916 | 2 | Floyd W. Moore | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 |
| 1917, 1919–1920 | 3 | Talmage O. Dillon | 8 | 14 | 2 | .375 |
| 1921–1922 | 2 | Edgar W. Everts | 3 | 8 | 1 | .292 |
| 1923–1926 | 4 | Ray Habermann | 18 | 7 | 3 | .696 |
| 1927–1933, 1935 | 8 | Glen Galligan | 30 | 23 | 4 | .561 |
| 1934 | 1 | Earl Greene | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 |
| 1936–1941 | 6 | Harry Jackson | 18 | 20 | 4 | .476 |
| 1942 | 1 | Luther McCown | 2 | 4 | 1 | .357 |
| 1946–1950, 1952–1954 | 8 | Eugene Brodhagen | 18 | 39 | 3 | .325 |
| 1951 | 1 | Lyle Arns | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 |
| 1955–1957 | 3 | Russ Owen | 11 | 13 | 0 | .458 |
| 1958–1970 | 13 | Madeo Molinari | 49 | 53 | 4 | .481 |
| 1971–1975 | 5 | Bob Keister | 18 | 29 | 0 | .383 |
| 1976–1977 | 2 | Frank Conroy | 4 | 16 | 0 | .200 |
| 1978–1985 | 8 | Myron Smith | 21 | 62 | 0 | .253 |
| 1986 | 1 | John Martin | 3 | 7 | 1 | .318 |
| 1987–1989 | 3 | Dave Bassore | 7 | 25 | 0 | .219 |
| 1990–1995 | 6 | Tom Hosier | 25 | 38 | 1 | .398 |
| 1996–2021 | 25 | Tom Sawyer | 197 | 89 | 0 | .689 |
| 2022–present | 3 | Brian Bergstrom | 18 | 16 | 0 | .529 |
Championships
Conference championships
Winona State has won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship 18 times.
| Year | Coach | Overall record | NSIC record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Harry Jackson | 7–1 | 4–0 |
| 1947† | Eugene Brodhagen | 4–3–1 | 3–1 |
| 1956 | Russ Owen | 4–4 | 3–1 |
| 1957† | 5–3 | 3–1 | |
| 1962 | Madeo Molinari | 6–1–1 | 5–0 |
| 1964 | 6–1 | 5–0 | |
| 1968† | 5–4 | 4–1 | |
| 1983 | Myron Smith | 7–4 | 5–1 |
| 1993 | Tom Hosier | 7–4 | 5–1 |
| 1994 | 7–3–1 | 5–0–1 | |
| 1997 | Tom Sawyer | 9–2 | 6–0 |
| 1998 | 9–2 | 6–0 | |
| 2000 | 9–3 | 7–1 | |
| 2001 | 10–2 | 9–0 | |
| 2003† | 11–2 | 7–1 | |
| 2004 | 10–2 | 7–0 | |
| 2005† | 8–3 | 6–1 | |
| 2007 | 10–2 | 9–0 |
† Co-champions
Division championships
Winona State has won three NSIC South division championships.
| Year | Coach | Overall record | NSIC record | Division record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010† | Tom Sawyer | 7–4 | 6–4 | 5–1 |
| 2012 | 10–2 | 9–2 | 6–1 | |
| 2022† | Brian Bergstrom | 8–4 | 8–3 | 5–1 |
† Co-champions
Postseason
Bowl games
Winona State has played in the Mineral Water Bowl four times, winning two and losing two.
| Year | Bowl | Coach | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Mineral Water Bowl | Tom Sawyer | Missouri Western | W 43–41 | 9–3 |
| 2002 | Emporia State | L 27–34 | 8–4 | ||
| 2012 | Lindenwood | W 41–21 | 10–2 | ||
| 2019 | Nebraska–Kearney | L 33–50 | 8–4 |
NCAA Division II playoffs
The Warriors have competed in the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs seven times, with their only win coming in 2003 before losing in the quarterfinals.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | First round | North Dakota | L 28–42 | 10–2 |
| 2003 | First round | Emporia State | W 10–3 | 11–2 |
| Quarterfinals | North Dakota | L 29–36 | ||
| 2004 | First round | Grand Valley State | L 13–16 | 10–2 |
| 2006 | First round | North Dakota | L 0–42 | 9–3 |
| 2007 | First round | North Dakota | L 2–44 | 10–2 |
| 2017 | First round | Texas A&M–Commerce | L 6–20 | 10–2 |
| 2022 | First Round | Bemidji State | L 7–31 | 8–4 |
NAIA Division I playoffs
Winona State participated in the NAIA Division I playoffs one time in 1993, losing in the quarterfinals.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Quarterfinals | Central State (OH) | L 7–58 | 7–4 |
Notable former players
References
- Winona State University Style Guide (PDF). Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- Tucker, Andrew (2022-01-08). "College football: Brian Bergstrom's football journey leads to Winona State". Winona Daily News. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- "Football Record Book (PDF)" (PDF). Winona State University Athletics. 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- "NSIC Football Record Book". northernsun.org. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- "Excelsior Springs Mineral Water Bowl". mineralwaterbowl.net. Retrieved 2023-12-29.