Tex Winter

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Lore & Background

Winter's journey to coaching greatness began long before the NBA, rooted in a childhood during the Dust Bowl near Wellington, Texas. Born just 15 minutes after his twin sister Mona Francis, he grew up in an unpainted shack until moving to Lubbock at age seven following his father's death from a marlin spearing injury. After relocating to California in 1936, where his Texas drawl earned him the nickname "Tex," he honed his basketball instincts as a ball boy for Loyola University of Los Angeles. There, he studied coach Jimmy Needles's reverse action offense, an early template for the triangle system he would later perfect. His playing career included time at Compton Junior College and Oregon State University, where he was a standout pole vaulter and guard. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a fighter pilot trainee before playing on various service teams, including Marquette and Iowa Pre-Flight, eventually earning an All-American honor as a pole vaulter at USC.

In Their Own Story

The foundation of Winter's coaching philosophy was laid during his college years and military service. At Oregon State in 1942, he transferred as a "basketball transfer," surprising the track coach who didn't realize they had acquired a top pole vaulter. While serving in Wisconsin during late fall 1943-44, Winter played guard for Marquette University under W. S. "Bill" Chandler, earning a varsity letter; he would later replace Chandler as head coach there in 1951. After the war, returning to USC from 1946 to 1947, he learned the fundamentals of Sam Barry's center-opposite offense. Winter saw similarities between Barry's system and the reverse action offense he had watched at Loyola. In March 1947, United Press named him an honorable mention All-Pacific Coast Conference guard, and in April, he received USC's Ernie Holbrook memorial trophy as the team's most inspirational player.

Reader's Guide

Winter's impact on college basketball was profound before his NBA fame. He served as a head coach for 30 years, becoming the youngest head coach in major college basketball for several seasons. His tenure at Kansas State University lasted 15 years, during which he led the team to two NCAA Division I Final Fours (1958 and 1964), won eight conference titles, and achieved a nearly 70 percent winning percentage. In March 1958, he was voted the United Press college Coach of the Year and selected as Big Eight Coach of the Year for three consecutive seasons from 1957 to 1960, plus again in his final season there (1967-68). His legacy earned him induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2016, the NBA Coaches Association established the Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award in his honor.

Did You Know?

• Winter was born just 15 minutes after his twin sister, Mona Francis, in a shack near Wellington, Texas during the Dust Bowl.
• He was considered a candidate for the US Olympic pole vault team in 1944, but the games were cancelled due to World War II.
• After his brother's plane was shot down in the China-Burma theater, Winter's orders to become a fighter pilot in the Pacific were rescinded.
• In 2002, the Lakers honored Winter with a jewel-encrusted ring featuring several triangles on the front after their third consecutive championship.
• Winter played guard for Marquette University while serving as a Navy cadet in Wisconsin during the winter of 1943-44.