Nate Gruber, a native of Ellsworth, Wis., played a pivotal role in the resurgence of the WSU football program in the early 1990s. Gruber was co-captain of the 1993 and 1994 Conference Championship football teams, leading WSU to its first playoff game (NAIA) in 1993. Gruber’s versatility on the field as a defensive back, punt returner, kick returner, and long snapper helped him earn NSIC All-Conference honors in 1992, 1993, and 1994, as well as All-American honors in 1993 and 1994. After his senior season, Gruber was selected as the 1994 NSIC Glen Galligan Award recipient. Gruber is the Winona State career record holder with 25 interceptions. Nationally, Gruber ranks 10th all-time in NCAA DII career interceptions.
Gruber also excelled in the classroom, earning many scholastic post-season awards, including Academic All-American in 1993 and 1994. He was the recipient of the Woody Hayes National Scholar Athlete Award, NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and the prestigious National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Postgraduate Award. In 1995, Gruber was honored with the NSIC Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence.
Immediately after earning a BE degree in Composite Materials Engineering from WSU in 1995, Gruber continued his engineering graduate studies at Virginia Tech. Gruber earned his MBA from the University of St. Thomas in 2004 and is currently employed as a New Product Development Engineering Manager. Gruber was recognized in 2004 as a WSU Distinguished Young Alumni and inducted into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.