Rod & Kathy Barkema Warrior Football Scholarship

In December 2016, Rod and Kathy Barkema established The Rod and Kathy Barkema Warrior Football Scholarship with the Winona State University Foundation. The purpose of the fund is to encourage and support student athletes at WSU.

Criteria
1. Each recipient must be enrolled full-time and in good standing at Winona State University
2. Each recipient must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher (4.0 = A).
3. Each recipient must be a student athlete on the Warrior football team.
4. Preference will be given to a student who has demonstrated leadership in the classroom, in the community or in athletics.
5. Preference will be given to a Defensive Back or the first available defensive player

Background and Motivation
Rod and Kathy live in Forest City, Iowa, a rural town 2 hours southwest of Winona. They met while in college in Winona and were married there 38 years ago. Their connection to Winona State and Winona remains strong.

Rod was raised on a farm outside of a small town not far from where he lives today. He was a 3-sport athlete at Ventura High School. Rod’s high school football coach and friend, Larry Holstad, played FB for Winona State and later became the athletic director at the University. Larry encouraged Rod to attend Winona State and play football. Rod was a 4-year starter in football as a defensive back, playing for Coach Bob Keister. He earned his BS degree from Winona State in 1976 in K-12 PE/Health with a Driver’s Ed/Coaching endorsement. Rod was a physical education teacher and football and track coach for 32 years, before retiring in 2008.

Kathy grew up in Boston and attended the College of St Teresa (now WSUs west campus) in Winona where she earned her Biology/Chemistry Education degree with a coaching endorsement. Kathy taught High School Science (all subjects) for 34 years. She was a swimmer in high school and college and later coached the swim team and junior high volleyball. Kathy also taught at Waldorf University-Forest City in the Health/Wellness Department.

Kathy and Rod return to campus regularly attending football games and other sporting events, are members of the Warrior Club, and never miss a WSU Homecoming. They both treasure their time and experiences while attending college in Winona.

Over the years, Rod and Kathy have watched so many talented and gifted athletes come through WSUs Warrior athletic programs. After spending their entire careers in education and coaching, and because of their strong connection to WSU, Rod and Kathy decided to create a scholarship to support student athletes in the Warrior football program. Rod and Kathy praise Coach Tom Sawyer for his accomplishments, not only in terms of wins/losses, but also by emphasizing accountability, leadership and high academic standards. Rod and Kathy look forward to helping student athletes succeed.