Warrior Hall of Fame
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Graduated WSU 1972
Won 4 letters: Basketball
All-Conference 1970, 1971
Member Conference Championship Team 1969
Stephen W. Protsman was a battler on the hardcourt for the Warrior basketball teams and his efforts helped establish one of its strongest basketball periods in WSU history.
The Lansing, Iowa native was a member of the Warriors conference basketball team for the 1968-69 season and earned first-team all-conference honors for the 1969-70 and 1970-71 seasons.
During his basketball career, Protsman compiled 1,174 points, which ranks 12th on the all-time Warrior scoring list, and averaged better than 10.5 rebounds a game to finish with 812 career rebounds.
Protsman began his post-Winona State athletic career as a graduate assistant basketball coach and he eventually became the head cross country coach for WSU. But his career took a different bent, as he went on to enlist in the United State Air Force in November 1973.
What was a high flying collegiate basketball career became a career for the nation's "high flyers," as Protsman went on to earn the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force as a Chief Master Sergeant.
During his military career, Protsman earned Airman of the Year honors in 1975 to go along with earning the Air Force Commendation Medal three times and the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal twice.
Protsman recently retired from the Air Force after 26 years and 6 months of highly successful enlisted military service.
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