Dean Albert Wink (born September 25, 1944) is an American politician and former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who played parts of three seasons in the

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(NFL) with the

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from 1966 to 1968. A Republican, he represented District 29 in the

South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided ...

from 2009 to 2016. Wink was the

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to 'for the time being' in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a '' locum tenens'' ('placeholder'). The phrase is ...

of the House from January 11, 2011 to January 10, 2015 and the Speaker of the House from January 10, 2015 to January 10, 2017.

Career

Wink signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the

in 1966 and made the team as a

taxi squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout ...

player. He was called up to the active roster on November 10, 1967, and started his only game the next year. In the offseason, Wink received his master's degree in education. He was waived on July 15, 1969.

Life after football

After retiring from football, Wink returned to

Yankton College Yankton College was a private liberal arts college in Yankton, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with the Congregational Christian Churches (later the United Church of Christ). Yankton College produced nine Rhodes Scholars, more than any ...

, then moved to

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, where he became a rancher, before working for a Texas cattle company. Wink and his wife Joan, whom he had married in 1966, returned to South Dakota in 1988. That year they bought a ranch in Meade County, and moved to it full-time in 1994. Ten years later, Joan retired from the faculty of

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

Elections

South Dakota House of Representatives

*2008 When District 29 incumbent Republican Representatives

Larry Rhoden Larry Rhoden (born February 5, 1959) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2025 as the 34th governor of South Dakota. A member of the Republican Party, Rhoden served from 2001 to 2009 as a member of the South Dakota House of R ...

ran for

South Dakota Senate The South Dakota Senate is the upper house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 35 members, one representing each legislative district. It meets at the South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre. Composition :''99th Legislature (2025)' ...

and left a District 29 seat open, Wink ran in the three-way June 3, 2008 Republican primary and placed second with 1,309 votes (32.3%), in the four-way November 4, 2008 General election incumbent Republican Representative

Thomas Brunner Thomas Brunner (April 1821 – 22 April 1874) was an English-born Surveying, surveyor and explorer remembered for his exploration of the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Brunner was born in April 1821 in Oxfo ...

took the first seat and Wink took the second seat with 5,341 votes (29.1%) ahead of Democratic nominees Fred McPherson and Bob Burns. *2010 Wink and incumbent representative Brunner were unopposed for the June 8, 2010 Republican Primary and won the three-way November 2, 2010 General election, where Representative Brunner took the first seat and Wink took the second seat with 5,088 votes (35.5%) ahead of Democratic nominee DaleArleta Volmer. *2012 When fellow District 29 incumbent Republican Representative

was

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

ed and left the Legislature, Wink ran in the three-way June 5, 2012 Republican Primary and placed second with 1,059 votes (32.0%); Wink and

Gary Cammack Gary L. Cammack (born June 9, 1953) is an American politician and a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 29 since January 11, 2013. Elections South Dakota House of Representatives 2012 When incum ...

were unopposed for the November 6, 2012 General election, where Cammack took the first seat and Wink took the second seat with 4,824 votes (44.6%).

References

External links

Official page
at the

South Dakota Legislature The South Dakota Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of South Dakota. It is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the South Dakota Senate, which has 35 members, and the South Dakota House of Representatives, which has 7 ...

Dean Wink
at Pro Football Archive * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wink, Dean 1944 births Living people American athlete-politicians Speakers of the South Dakota House of Representatives People from Meade County, South Dakota Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives Republican Party South Dakota state senators People from Woodbury County, Iowa Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Iowa Yankton Greyhounds football players West Chester University alumni 21st-century members of the South Dakota Legislature