WINONA, Minn. – Winona State football coach Brian Bergstrom told his team he was leaving in an online Zoom hook-up. With the university’s spring classes not resuming until next week, many players were still away for the holiday break. Bergstrom told them:
“It has been a true honor and a gift from God to be your head football coach. You have become a family. The path had both mountaintops and valleys, but it always had opportunities to grow as a team. Our grit and resilience was motivated by love.”
Bergstrom had been head coach since 2021, succeeding the popular Tom Sawyer, who led the team 25 seasons. His decision to return to South Dakota State was widely seen as a career move from Winona’s status in the NCAA Division II and going to Division I South Dakota State. In an interview with radio station KWSN, he said: “Felt like it was a door God was opening, and we were supposed to walk through.” He noted “a ton of close relationships in Brookings.” He also noted that he is close friend with the new Jackrabbits head coach, Dan Jackson, who urged him to return. Jackson and Bergstrom spent time together on tye South Dakota State coaching staff before Bergstrom took the head coaching job at Winona State.