Rod Earleywine receives Bernie Saggau honor
Dr. Rod Earleywine received the Bernie Saggau Award of Merit at the 2026 Boys State Wrestling Championships on Feb. 21 at the Caseys Arena in Des Moines.
The Bernie Saggau Award of Merit is the highest and most prestigious annual award the Iowa High School Athletic Association presents. This award is given to those deemed worthy via their service to interscholastic athletics and their strong support of the purpose and values of the interscholastic programs.
Earleywine was a standout wrestler at West Harrison High School and Drake University.
He began is professional career as a teacher and coach at West Sioux (1982-1994). He laster moved to administration, holding middle school principal positions at River Valley and Sergeant Bluff-Luton, where he served for more than a decade.
In 2007, Earleywine was named Superintendent of the Sergeant Bluff-Luton School Community School District, a role he held for 15 years, before transitioning to Superintendent of the Sioux City Community School District, where he served until 2025.
Throughout his career, he served on the IHSAA Representative Council and completed two terms on the IHSAA Board of Control.
He has been inducted into the IHSAA Officials Hall of Fame (2007) and the IHSAA Wrestling Hall of Fame (2025).
He and his wife, Molly, have four adult children (Zach, Samantha, Aeriell, Zoe) and four grandchildren (Hayes, Salem, Hoyer, Hayes).
