August 20, 2012
By Grant Wall
A lifelong dream came true for Eric Schoh on May 24.
In front of a crowd of Winona State employees, supporters and friends, Schoh was introduced as the school’s new athletic director. A La Crescent, Minnesota, native, Schoh has always had his sights on the Warrior athletic program.
“It was an exciting day for me and my family,” Schoh said. “To be able to have my wife, mother and aunt there in the audience made it really special. This is a great school, both academically and athletically. There have been successes in both areas, which make it an attractive job on a national level. Having grown up in the area and to be able to do the job that I love in basically my hometown is a combination that doesn’t come along very often.
“There is the excitement of a new job and everyone has been talking about the new chapter of Winona State Athletics. When you combine those things, it made for a really special day for me.”
Schoh came to Winona State from Wayne State College where he spent eight years as the school’s athletic director. In that time his eye for putting the right person in the right position and an innovative approach to fundraising helped make Wayne State into a consistent presence on both the regional and national stage.
“At Wayne State the things that helped us the most there were the people I hired and the fundraising we were able to do,” Schoh said. Those things helped Schoh spearhead a series of facility improvement projects that directly impacted every athletic program at the school.
Schoh has hit the ground running since entering his office for the first time on June 11, building a staff and making preparations for the 2012-13 academic year. With his feet on the ground, Schoh is working to gather as much information as he can about the university.
“Before I can determine what I need to focus on, I have a lot of information to gather and people I need to visit with,” Schoh said. “I have some ideas of where the pieces of the puzzle fit together, but I still need some more background information. There was an immediate need to fill three positions, and we have those filled with great people.”
“Now we need to make sure the staff gets out and fundraises to get ready for the fall. From there we will start putting a plan together for what a year from now and five years from now looks like.”
