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Won 4 letters in basketball
All-Conference 1958, 1959, 1960
Two-time team captain
Back in the day before national championships at Winona State University the Warriors had a pretty good guard names Donald G. Klagge, who played for the men’s basketball team.
Klagge, who came out of the Winona, MN Senior High School system as a three-sport letter winner, came to what was known then as Winona State Teachers College and turned out an excellent collegiate career with the Warriors.
The career for Klagge covered four years and began with the 1956-57 season, eventually concluded with the 1959-60 season, with 91 career games played and three times being name to the All-Conference team.
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During that time Klagge scored more points per game in his final three seasons, with a high of 17.5 points per game in the 1958-59 season.
In total Klagge scored 1,157 points, leading the team in scoring in the 1958-59 season to go along with being the second-leading scorer in the 1957-58 and 1959-60 seasons. Those efforts by Klagge, who was a two-time team captain, helped him to become just one of 30 men’s basketball players to come through the system at Winona State to score 1,000 or more points.
Those successes helped Klagge go on after his collegiate career and become a successful coach and administrator at Adams, MN Public Schools, Beaver Dam, WI High School and at his high school alma mater, Winona Senior High.
Klagge had successful coaching careers at Adams and Beaver Dam, resulting in three conference championships at Beaver Dam to go along with two regional championships and a winning record of 60 percent.
The high school administrative career for Klagge began at Beaver Dam where the school became a leader in the development of girl’s interscholastic athletics in the state of Wisconsin.
Klagge eventually came back to the town of his roots—Winona, MN, where he still lives today. During his twenty-plus year tenure at WSHS, Klagge and the athletic program saw more than 15 percent growth in boys and girls interscholastic participation. Klagge’s direction also helped with the addition of seven interscholastic programs at WSHS.
Aside from keeping his hand in a number of professionally related organizations and programs, Klagge has also been deeply involved in civic and church related programs, including the start up and directing of the Winona YMCA Day Camp.
Klagge, and his wife, Joan, have two children, Karen and Jay, and several grandchildren.
