The Road to Game 1,000: The Beginning, 1895-1928

As Winona State football prepares to take the field for the 1,000th game in program history on Saturday, the Warriors are taking a look back at the program's storied history. Throughout the week, Winona State Athletics will highlight different eras of Warrior football, using the program record book to revisit the teams, coaches and moments that helped shape the program.

The journey to 1,000 games began in 1895, but the inaugural season did not go as planned. Under head coach Louis Galbreath, Winona State dropped its first game 8-0 to UM-Medical School before suffering consecutive shutout losses to the Choir Boys, 14-0 and 12-0. The Warriors finished their first season 0-3.

The program quickly found its footing under new head coach Damon Roberts in 1896. Winona State opened the season with a perfect 4-0 record, defeating Winona High, La Crosse High twice and Carleton College. The Warriors outscored their opponents 114-10 during the campaign. Roberts coached through 1899, compiling an 8-5-1 record.

Football at Winona State experienced several interruptions during the early years, with no recorded seasons from 1900-10, 1913-14 or 1918. When the program returned to the field, results remained inconsistent. W.R. Moore's 1915 squad finished 0-4, including losses of 66-0 to Wisconsin-La Crosse and 72-0 to St. Mary's. 

A HISTORIC HIGH AND LOW

The 1917 season featured two of the most lopsided results in program history. Under head coach T.O. Dillon, the Warriors recorded a 74-0 victory over Red Wing High before suffering a 114-0 loss to La Crosse High in Game No. 40. The 114 points remain the most Winona State has ever allowed in a single game. The Warriors finished the season 3-3-2.

HABERMANN BUILDS A WINNER

Ray Habermann took over the program in 1923 and quickly established Winona State as a winning team. In four seasons, Habermann compiled an 18-7-3 record, highlighted by an undefeated 1924 campaign. That team finished 6-0-1 while allowing just seven points all season, a program record that still stands.

The Warriors followed that performance with another perfect season in 1925, finishing 7-0. The stretch from late 1924 through the opening game of the 1926 season produced a 14-game winning streak, which remained the program record until the 1997-98 teams combined to win 17 consecutive games. The 14-game run still ranks second in program history.

GALLIGAN CAPS THE DECADE WITH A PERFECT SEASON

Glen Galligan took over in 1927 and led the Warriors through the remainder of the decade. Across eight seasons (1927-33, 1935), Galligan compiled a 30-23-4 record, highlighted by a perfect 6-0 season in 1928.

The 1928 Warriors outscored their opponents 145-9, including a 14-2 victory over St. Cloud State. It marked the program's third undefeated season, joining the 1896 and 1925 teams. Winona State has not recorded another perfect season since.

The 1928 campaign also marked the beginning of an impressive career for Art Kern. Kern played five seasons from 1928-32 and remains among the program's all-time leaders. The record book credits him with 175 career points, ranking 17th, and 28 career touchdowns, tied for 14th. He also ranks 17th in program history with a 74-yard scoring run from scrimmage. His fifth-season touchdowns are not included in those career totals, but would have brought his scoring total to 199 points.

By the end of the 1928 season, Winona State had played 104 games. The program had 896 more games to go before reaching its historic 1,000th contest.

RECORDS THAT STILL STANDS: Seven points allowed in a season (1924). Most points allowed in a single game vs. La Crosse High School (1917)

COMING TUESDAY: Galligan to Molinari, 1929-1970.