WINONA, Minn.—Eric Schoh was once a well-known name at Wayne State College, where he was athletic director from 2004-2012.

 
On June 11, 2012, Schoh was named athletic director at Winona State College in Winona, where he now resides with his wife Stephanie.

 
A native of La Crescent, Minn., Schoh went back to his home state after the stint in Wayne. Schoh admitted it was a difficult decision to leave, but in the end it came down to his family being able to be so close to home in La Crescent.

 
“When I first arrived in Wayne, Winona State was the school you tried to beat. After eight years in Wayne, it was hard to make the jump to a rival school in the same conference,” Schoh said. “At the end of the day, I had to decide if I wanted to make Wayne my home, or move back home. It’s hard to not side with family.”

 
He said he was appreciative of what everyone at Wayne State did to help him during his eight-year tenure as athletic director here. When Schoh took the job, he wanted everyone to know that he was there to get down to business.

 
“In Division II, budgets are always too small and fundraising is essential,” he said. “Every day, this is one of the top priorities: to find different ways to extend the budget and get as much fundraising as possible.

 
“Winona and Winona State are both bigger than Wayne and Wayne State, so that’s the easy one that many people point to. I think there are more similarities than differences,” he said about transiting from Wayne to Winona.

 
When Schoh first got the job in 2012, he labeled it his “dream job.” When asked if he still thought of Winona as his “dream job,” Schoh said that “being an AD in Division II has been my dream job for about 20 years.”

 
“The reason I said Winona was my dream job is because it was a chance to do what I love, near my hometown, at a great university. So yes, it’s still my dream job, but Wayne wasn’t too far behind it.”

 
He loves what he does, the school he is at and how close to home it is.

 
“It’s college athletics, so I love it,” he said. “The student athletes are what make my job special. Getting to come to work each day and share in their successes, and help them through the difficult times is what is so great about my job.”

 
When asked about the game on Saturday, he said “I always like it when we win, no matter who the opponent is.”

 
“There are very few students left at Wayne who remember that I was the AD there. So really, it’s just another conference match-up, which is always important to win.”

 
He recently was the recipient of the Under Armor Athletics Director of the Year award in 2015 after having several successful seasons at the helm of Winona athletics.

 
Schoh and his wife still reside in Winona. His three kids Paige (24), Eric (20) and Tyler (19) have all graduated high school and attended college.