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Mystery Photo
Who are these Winfield women?
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Winfield Historical Society and Museum provides photos of Winfield’s past each week for Beacon readers. Do you know the when, where, who or what seen in this week’s photograph?
Last week’s answer:
Who is this wolf leaping for points?
Many might recognize Eric Rawson from his time playing with the Winfield-Mt. Union Wolves basketball team in the early 1990s. This 1996 WMU graduate led his class in scoring during his year topping off the team’s four-year streaking making it to state. While Rawson was on the team, they even won the state championship in 1995.
This same year, Rawson was named the Burlington Hawk Eye Athlete of the Year.
After a successful high school basketball career, Rawson went on to play at the University of South Dakota where he graduated in 2000.
Currently Rawson is a Vice President of the Pilot Grove Savings Bank offices in Mt. Pleasant and the head basketball coach of the Mt. Pleasant High School Panthers basketball team.
Thirty years after receiving the honor of Hawk Eye Athlete, Rawson was pleasantly surprised by his former University of Dakota Coyotes teammates attending the MPCHS vs Ft. Madison to celebrate his birthday. As Rawson walked into the game he did not initially catch on to the group of men in the cheering section wearing shirts reading, “1995 Iowa Athlete of the Year 30 th Anniversary” next to a photo of himself in high school.
Reportedly, Rawson’s Coyote teammates always gave him a hard time about this award, so, the shirts were worn as a good-humored inside joke that highlighted the camaraderie Rawson experienced with this team.
“The dedication, love, and support they showed this weekend truly blew me away. These amazing people traveled for hours, just to surprise him at his game — and that right there speaks volumes about the kind of circle he’s surrounded by,” Rawson’s wife Laura posted following the surprise. “The energy, the loyalty, the commitment to showing up for each other — it’s something we should all be envious of. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a group that rallies behind them like this, no matter the distance or the circumstances. Eric is truly blessed to have these people by his side, and it’s a reminder of how powerful real friendships can be.”
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
