Winona State Warriors football
| Winona State Warriors football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1895 |
| Athletic director | Eric Schoh |
| Head coach | Brian Curtin 1st season, 0–0 (–) |
| 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 |
| Rivalries | Minnesota State Mavericks Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs |
| Colors | Purple and white[1] |
| 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 Curtin.[2][3]
Head coaching history
[edit]Winona State has had at least 24 coaches in the program's history.[4]
| 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 |
| 2022–2024 | 3 | Brian Bergstrom | 18 | 16 | 0 | .529 |
| 2025–present | 1 | Brian Curtin | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Championships
[edit]Conference championships
[edit]Winona State has won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship 18 times.[5]
| 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
[edit]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
[edit]Bowl games
[edit]Winona State has played in the Mineral Water Bowl four times, winning two and losing two.[6]
| Year | Bowl | Coach | Opponent | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Mineral Water Bowl | Tom Sawyer | Missouri Western | W 43–41 3OT | 9–3 |
| 2002 | Emporia State | L 27–34 OT | 8–4 | ||
| 2012 | Lindenwood | W 41–21 | 10–2 | ||
| 2019 | Nebraska–Kearney | L 33–50 | 8–4 |
NCAA Division II playoffs
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Winona State University Style Guide (PDF). Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ Speliopoulos, Nik (2025-01-16). "Winona State names Curtin as head football coach". www.kttc.com. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
- ^ "Winona State head coach resigns to take a job at SDSU, Curtin named interim head coach". News8000.com. 2025-01-08. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
- ^ "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.