Despite never competing in a sporting event for the Warriors, Dr. Darrell Krueger’s impact on WSU athletics is a lasting one. Krueger was Winona State’s president from 1989-2005, ushering in an era of athletic and academic success like none other in school history.
While at Winona State, Krueger oversaw a quadrupling of athletic scholarship dollars given to Warrior student-athletes and a focusing of the WSU athletic program on the success of athletes in and out of the classroom.
The improvements to the athletic department under Krueger are staggering. Artificial turf was installed at Maxwell Field, locker rooms were remodeled and improved, the press box was renovated at both Maxwell Field and Loughrey Field, new scoreboards were purchased and cooperative programs with Winona-area secondary schools and the city of Winona were established.
He also led planning for the construction of a new press box at Maxwell Field that included classrooms, offices, luxury suites and media/gameday facilities. Today that facility is known as Verizon Wireless Stadium at Maxwell Field, and is the envy of most NCAA Division II programs.
Krueger was also instrumental in getting the campus’ Integrated Wellness Facility off the ground, a multi-purpose building that serves the needs of every student on campus. The facility was dedicated in September of 2010, bringing to fruition a dream that was started over ten years prior.
The national and conference titles Winona State athletic teams bring home today can, in part, be directly traced to the leadership and vision Dr. Krueger provided.
