Winona, Minn. -  A quarter of a century. Two and half decades. Twenty-five recruiting classes.   No matter how you phrase it, 25 years is an impressive amount of time to be a head football coach for one program in college athletics.  And for Winona State's Tom Sawyer, the best is yet to come. 

Warrior head football coach Tom Sawyer is one of three college football coaches on the cusp of hitting the 200-win mark.  Only 94 head football coaches have reached the milestone of 200 career wins across the NCAA and NAIA coaching ranks. Sawyer currently sits at 190-85-0, good for a .717 winning percentage.

Minnesota has had more than its share of 200 win mentors; the list is led by John Gagliardi who spent 60 seasons at St. John's University and is the all-time college wins leader with 489 victories.  Jim Malosky racked up 255 victories at the University of Minnesota-Duluth between 1958-1997.  The current active wins leader in Minnesota college football is Steve Johnson, with 226 wins and counting at Bethel.

For the Warriors' Sawyer, the 2021 fall campaign offers a chance – with a great season – to hit the 200 mark.  Winona State has had six seasons with 10 or more wins under Sawyer, most recently a 10-2 mark in 2017.  The high-water mark for the Warriors was an 11-2 season in 2003, where they reached the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.  They also achieved ten wins in 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2012. 

Regardless if win number 200 comes next fall or sometime thereafter, Sawyer and Winona State have already established a head coaching consistency unique to the Warriors. 

Within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), Sawyers' 25 years stands alone impressively as the dean of NCAA Division II coaches in the Upper Midwest; only three other NSIC schools feature coaches who have been in their role a decade or more.  Minnesota State's Todd Hoffner and Southwest Minnesota State's Cory Sauter both have eleven NSIC seasons under their head coaching belt.  Minnesota State-Moorhead head coach Steve Laqua has been directing the Dragons for ten seasons.

Every college win Sawyer has been a part of was in Warrior purple.  He spent two different stints as an assistant at Winona State, learning the college craft between first between 1987-1989, and then again from 1991 until his appointment as head coach in 1995. 

Of the 94 college football coaches on the 200-win list, only 40 earned all their wins with the same school.  Winona State and Tom Sawyer plan to make that 41 as soon as possible.

We recently caught up with Coach Sawyer to reflect on his 25 years as the Warrior head football coach.  A tip of the Warrior helmet to Midtown Foods for their sponsorship of the Warrior Stories series.

Photo courtesy of the Winona State Alumni Office
  Sawyer Says…

Bigger, Faster, Stronger… How has the game changed the most in your time in coaching? - "Technology, the speed of the game, and the level of athlete we see now is much higher."

Warrior Starts with 'W'…  What are some of your favorite wins? - "The triple overtime win at our first bowl game vs Missouri Western (WSU 43, Missouri Western, 41 3OT, 12/03/2000)… the South Dakota State win at home (WSU 30, SDSU 23, 9/13/2013) … our win on the road at Mankato State three years ago (WSU 31, Minnesota State 31, 10/1/2016)…"


If at First You Don't Succeed, … What is the craziest play one of your teams had been a part of? -  "We had three blocked field goals in a row and still kicked a field goal to beat Minnesota - Duluth (WSU 34, UMD 31, 3OT, 11/04/00)" as well as "any of our Statue of Liberty plays for touchdowns...we have had many!"
 
Show Me the Money… As the head coach, what is your role in recruiting? - "My staff handles the bulk of the contact work.  I focus on transfer students and top-level recruits. I also make all the final decisions on scholarship awards."

Deep roots for the WSU football coaching tree... Who are some former Warrior players and/or assistants who have gone on to other levels? - "Carson Walch coached in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.  Matt Entz is the head coach at North Dakota State University, the 2019 FCS champions.   Marquice Williams currently is in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, and was with the San Diego Chargers, just to name a few.  We have had dozens of guys go into coaching."
 
Warriors vs. Bison, Let's Go! - If there is one coaching alum you had to face in a game, who would it be and why? - "Matt Entz! He has an excellent defensive mind!"

That One Stings… If you could have one game back to re-play a second time, which one and why? - "Our 2003 NCAA playoff game at North Dakota....we had a team that could have won it all!" (UND 36, WSU 29, 11/29/2003)

Twice as Nice, but Priorities First… You played both football and baseball at Winona State as a student-athlete.  Is it possible in the modern era for an athlete to play Division II athletics at a high level? - "Absolutely. They just need to be an excellent student first."

Be a Purple People Person… Looking back, what would the 25-year head coach Tom Sawyer of today say to the Tom Sawyer taking over the program in 1996? -  "Surround yourself with great people! And I did that!"

A Sense of Community ... What is it about Winona State University and Winona that helps you attract recruits?  "It's our people! The community feeling and the story our current players tell as they are living the experience."

For the most current news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH. About Winona State University Athletics: 

The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.  

Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).  Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.

Media Contact: Pete Watkins, Director of Athletic Communications | Ph: 507.457.5577 | Email: pwatkins@winona.edu