Winona State
Football
1954-1957
David Mertes was born on June 23, 1936 in Winona, Minn. and has lived there nearly all his life. During his Warrior football career, he earned four letters (1954-1957), played on Northern Intercollegiate Conference championship teams in 1956 and 1957, and was named WSU team co-captain from 1955-1957. Mertes was selected as an Associated Press Little All-American as a center in 1956, was a three-time allconference performer (1954-1957) and received the NIC Glen Galligan Award in 1957, which is given to the NSIC’s most outstanding senior football player that combines a high level of academic and athletic performance. Academically, he was on the Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, graduated with a B.S. in 1958 and later earned a Master’s degree from WSU in 1961. After college, he went on to achieve several Teacher of the Year nominations for the Winona Public Schools, was a member of Kappa Delta Pi Executive Council in 1961 and was named Winona Senior High School Booster Club Volunteer of the Year. Mertes has always been very involved within the Winona community serving as president of the Southeastern Minnesota Business Educators organization, is a member of the Winona State University Alumni Board, Winona State University of Business Advisory Council, Board of Directors of Saint Anne’s Hospice and is on the advisory committee to the Business Department at the Minnesota Southeast Technical Institute. Mertes has also been involved in several church activities, serving two terms on the church council, three terms on the church liturgy committee and was a lay minister at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. He was inducted into the Winona State University Athletic Hall of Fame on October 17, 1987. Mertes recently retired as the Department Head/Instructor of Winona Area Public Schools and remains active in the Winona community.