A veteran of 15 seasons on the Winona State bench, Chris Gove has helped turn the Warriors into a national power and one of the most accomplished programs in the country.
Gove helped coach the Warriors to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2006 and 2007, while also playing for the title in 2007. Winona State set a NCAA Division II record with 57 consecutive wins, a run that began on Jan. 13, 2006 against Wayne State and didn’t end until the national title game on March 24, 2007. The 2007-08 Warrior squad won 38 games, an all-division NCAA record.
The Warriors posted a 105-6 combined record during the 2005-06 through 2007-08 seasons.
WSU’s consistent success allowed the Warriors to be named Division II Bulletin’s ‘Program of the Decade’ for the first decade of the 21st century.
Winona State has won at least 20 games in each of the last nine seasons. The team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament nine times in Gove’s 15 years on the bench, including a streak of seven straight appearances from 2005-11.
Winona State has a record of 342-131 during his 15 seasons, an astounding winning percentage of .723.
Four times Gove has helped coach the Warriors to the NCAA Regional Title, including most recently in 2013. Winona State is a perfect 4-0 in regional title games with Brown on the bench, also winning regional championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
During Gove’s Winona State tenure Winona State has won six NSIC Championships (1998-99, 1999-00, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08) and five NSIC Tournament titles (2001, 06, 07, 08, 11).
An excellent recruiter and teacher, Gove has had a hand in tutoring some of the best players in Winona State history. Under the WSU coaching staff, John Smith was named NCAA Division II Player of the Year after both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons while Clayton Vette won the honor after the 2012-13 campaign. Smith was named Regional Player of the Year in both years as well, sharing the honor with teammate Jonte Flowers after the 2007-08 campaign. Vette was also named the region’s best player after his outstanding senior season in 2012-13.
Six Warriors have been named first team All-Americans, while 13 players total have earned All-American status under Gove’s watchful eye.
Gove has helped coach five NSIC Most Valuable Players, six NSIC Defensive Players of the Year and a pair of NSIC Newcomers of the Year. He has also coached 25 Warriors to First Team All-NSIC honors.
Gove played basketball at Winona State for two seasons while also competing in baseball. Gove started at first base on the Warriors’ 1992 NAIA third place team. He was an All-American during the 1994 season while earning All-District honors in 1993 and 1994.
Gove holds a degrees in Business Administration and Physical Education from Winona State. He also earned a Master of Science degree from Winona State in 2004. Gove is also an instructor in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science at WSU.
Gove lives in Winona with his wife Katie and their two daughters, Sydney and Jordyn.
