Tex Winter

Morice Fredrick "Tex" Winter (born February 25, 1922) is a Hall-of-Fame American basketball coach, and innovator of the triangle offense.

Early life

Tex Winter attended Huntington Park High School in Huntington Park, California and went on to graduate from the University of Southern California in 1947, where he learned the triangle offense from Sam Barry.

College coaching career

After graduating college, Winter immediately entered the coaching profession as an assistant to Hall-of-Famer Jack Gardner at Kansas State University. He would stay in coaching for the next 57 consecutive years.

In 1952, Winter began a two-year stint as head coach at Marquette University, becoming the youngest coach in major college basketball. In 1954 Winter returned to Kansas State.^[1][2] Winter served as Kansas State's head coach for the following 15 years, posting a 261-118 (.689) record. He still owns the record for most league titles (eight) in school history and twice led the Wildcats to the Final Four (1958 and 1964). Winter guided K-State to postseason play seven times overall, including six trips to the NCAA Tournament, and boasts one of the highest winning percentages in K-State's history.

Winter was named UPI National Coach of the Year in 1958 after he led Kansas State to the Final Four by knocking off Oscar Robertson and second-ranked Cincinnati in an 83-80 double-overtime thriller. Junior center Bob Boozer was one of three Wildcats to be named a first team All-America, along with teammates Jack Parr and Roy DeWitz. K-State advanced to their fourth Final Four in 1964. Winter’s Wildcats knocked off Texas Western and Wichita State to reach Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. Two-time Big Eight selection Willie Murrell averaged 25.3 points per game during the run, which ended in a 90-82 loss to eventual national champion UCLA..

In 1962, Winter also wrote the book, entitled The Triple-Post Offense, on the triangle offense • the offense which he utilized with such success at Kansas State. Following his departure from Kansas State, Winter served shorter stints as head coach at the University of Washington (where he was hired by then Athletic Director Joseph Kearney), Northwestern University, and Long Beach State. In total, Winter won 454 games at the collegiate level.

Professional coaching

Winter also served as head coach of the Houston Rockets for two seasons, 1972•1974, posting a 51-78 record.

In 1985, Winter started another chapter of his life, serving as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls, and teaching the triangle offense to Michael Jordan. He was hired to the position by General Manager Jerry Krause, an old friend he had met while at Kansas State. As an assistant to Phil Jackson, who took over as the Bulls' head coach in 1989, Winter and his triangle offense were an integral part of the Bulls' NBA championships in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Winter followed Phil Jackson to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he collected three additional championship rings, in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Winter was also a consultant for the NBA-champion 2008•09 Los Angeles Lakers team.^[3]

Health problems

On April 25, 2009, Winter suffered a stroke in Manhattan, Kansas, while attending a Kansas State basketball reunion.^[4]

Awards and honors

Winter is a member of several halls of fame, including the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, and he was awarded the John Bunn Award for lifetime achievement from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.^[5] In June 2010 he was given the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award by the NBA Coaches Association. ^[6] Although Winter has been on the final ballot for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame seven times, he has not been awarded this honor.

Bibliography

• The Triple-Post Offense, (1962)

See also

• NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches

References

1. ^ ABC News (49): Former K-State basketball star dies at 72; February 22, 2007. accessed on October 2, 2007.
2. ^ Canada Basketball: Candidates for the 2007 Class of the FIBA Hall of Fame announced; May 25, 2007 accessed on October 2, 2007.
3. ^ McMenamin, Dave (April 27 2009). "Lakers rally around ailing "insultant" Tex Winter". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/dave_mcmenamin/04/27/winter20090427/index.html?rss=true.
4. ^ Laker's Guru Winters has apparent stroke; April 25, 2009.
5. ^ Topeka Capital-Journal: College Hall to induct Tex; February 24, 2010. accessed on February 25, 2010
6. ^ Lopresti, Mike (6 June 2010). "Tex Winter, of triangle offense fame, basks in recognition". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2010-06-06-winter_N.htm. Retrieved 11 June 2010.

• Bender, Mark (2000). Trial by Basketball: The Life and Times of Tex Winter. ISBN 1-886110-90-5

Categories: 1922 births | Living people | Chicago Bulls assistant coaches | Houston Rockets head coaches | BSN coaches | El Camino College Compton Center alumni | Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches | College men's basketball head coaches in the United States | National Basketball Association head coaches | University of Southern California alumni | USC Trojans men's basketball players | Washington Huskies men's basketball coaches | Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball coaches | Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball coaches | Long Beach State 49ers men's basketball coaches | Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball coaches