Morice Fredrick "Tex" Winter (February 25, 1922 – October 10, 2018) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach and innovator of the triangle offense, an offensive system that became the dominant force in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) and resulted in 11 NBA Championships with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in the 1990s and the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the 2000s. He was a head coach in

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for 30 years before becoming an assistant coach in the NBA. He was an assistant to Phil Jackson on nine NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. Winter was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 2011. In 2016, the NBA created the annually presented Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award in his honor.

Early life

Winter was born on February 25, 1922, near Wellington, Texas, (a fact which later provided him with his nickname when his family moved to California) 15 minutes after twin sister Mona Francis. He grew up in an unpainted shack just outside of Wellington, located in the Texas panhandle, during the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

. The Winter family moved to

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

, in 1929, where his mechanic father died of an infection after being speared by a marlin while fishing, when Tex was nine or ten years old. Winter had to work while in elementary school to help his family, one such job being to collect boxes for a local baker in exchange for day-old bread. In 1936, Winter and his sister moved to Huntington Park, California with their mother, who would work as a clothing store sales manager. His older football star brother Ernest remained in Texas to finish high school, while his older sister Elizabeth had already married and moved to California first and encouraged them to move there. Winter worked on a truck farm when he first arrived in California, bringing overripe fruit home to the family. While attending Huntington Park High School, the Loyola University of Los Angeles (now Loyola Marymount University) basketball team practiced at his high school. Winter carefully studied coach Jimmy Needles’s reverse action offense, which was an early template of the later triangle offense. Along with

Phil Woolpert Philipp D. Woolpert (December 15, 1915 – May 5, 1987) was an American basketball coach, best known as the head coach of the University of San Francisco Dons in the 1950s. He led them to consecutive national championships in 1955 Biograph ...

and Pete Newell, Winter was a ball boy for Loyola University. Both Woolpert and Newell would become Hall of Fame head coaches. After graduation from high school in 1940, Winter attended college at Compton Junior College for two years, where he became a renowned pole vaulter and earned a pole-vaulting scholarship to

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

. He was on the basketball and track teams at both schools. As a

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

er, Winter competed against Bob Richards, a 1948 and 1952 Olympian. He was considered a strong candidate for the US Olympic team in 1944, but the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

were cancelled by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Winter met his wife Nancy at Oregon State. Both of them entered the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in early 1943, with Winter going into fighter pilot training and his wife into

WAVES United States Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve), better known as the WAVES (for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), was the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. It was established on July 21, 1942, ...

. After his pilot's wings were conferred he was assigned to fighter pilot duty in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. However, his orders were rescinded after his brother's plane was shot down, and Winter remained at Naval Air Station Glenview in Illinois for the duration of the war. After the war, he was assigned to NAS Corpus Christi as a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

for an experimental jet craft. While in the navy, Winter was a starting guard for his basketball team under the commanding officer Chuck Taylor. He left the Navy with the rank of

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in 1946. Winter returned to college after the war at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(1946-1947), where he learned the triangle offense from his coach Sam Barry, or as stated elsewhere, Winter learned the fundamentals of Barry's system from which Winter himself would devise the triangle offense. The Naismith Hall of Fame has said the triangle offense evolved in part from Barry's center-opposite offense. He was a basketball teammate of

Bill Sharman William Walton Sharman (May 25, 1926 – October 25, 2013) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what was then consider ...

Alex Hannum Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player, Hannum played for six different teams, most notably with the Milwaukee (later St. Louis) Hawks, where he played ...

, and Gene Rock, future professional basketball players. Like Winter, Sharman and Hannum would go on to be Hall of Fame coaches, though Winter, in a rarity, went in for his contributions as an assistant coach. At USC, Winter was also on the track team, and was named an All-American as a pole vaulter.

College coaching career

After graduating college in 1947, Winter immediately entered the coaching profession as an assistant to Hall-of-Famer Jack Gardner at

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

, a position he held from 1947 to 1951. It was as an assistant at Kansas State where he began to devise the triangle offense. He was Garnder's assistant in 1948 and 1951 when the team went to the final four of the NCAA tournament. He would work as a basketball coach for the next 61 years. In 1952, Winter began a two-year stint as head coach at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

, becoming the youngest coach in major college basketball. In 1953, Winter returned to Kansas State as its head coach; at 31, still the youngest major college coach. Winter served as Kansas State's head coach for the following 15 years, posting a 261–118 (.689) record, though his record has also been reported as 262-117. 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 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

). 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

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National Coach of the Year in 1958, after he led Kansas State to the Final Four by knocking off

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...

and second-ranked

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

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 who were also named All-Americans. Boozer, Parr and DeWitz were all named to the Midwest-Lawrence All-Regional NCCA team that year. Earlier in the season, on February 3, 1958, number 4 ranked Kansas State defeated

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

and the number 2 ranked University of Kansas in double overtime, using a defensive scheme Winter devised to impede Chamberlain's offense. K-State advanced to their fourth Final Four in

. Winter's Wildcats knocked off Texas Western and

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 ...

to reach Municipal Auditorium in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

. Two-time Big Eight selection Willie Murrell averaged 25.3 points per game during the run, which ended in a 90–84 loss to eventual national champion

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. It was the first of UCLA's 9 NCAA championships over the next 10 years. In 1962, Winter also wrote the book ''The Triple-Post Offense'', about the triangle offense – the offense which he developed and utilized with such success at Kansas State. Following his leaving Kansas State to his assistant Cotton Fitzsimmons, Winter also served as head coach at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

(1968–1971, where he was hired by then Athletic Director Joseph Kearney),

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

(1973–1978), and Long Beach State. In 1982, LSU's Dale Brown, who Winter befriended when Brown was a high school coach, hired him as an assistant for one year 1983–84. In 30 years as a college head coach, Winter compiled a career record of 453–334.

Professional coaching

Winter was hired by Pete Newell as head coach of the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

for two seasons, 1971–1973, posting a 51–78 () record. Winter replaced his old USC teammate, Alex Hannum. He was fired and replaced by assistant coach Johnny Egan on January 21, 1973. The trading of

Elvin Hayes Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and ...

to the Baltimore Bullets prior to the 1972–73 season and the Rockets' subsequent subpar performance were factors in his dismissal. In 1985, Winter started another chapter of his life after contemplating retirement, serving as an assistant coach with the

, and teaching the triangle offense to

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

. 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 ball-movement offense were an integral part of the Bulls'

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

championships in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Winter followed Jackson to the

. Led by

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

, the Lakers won three championships using the triangle system in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Winter was also a consultant for the NBA champion 2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers team. Winter had a great bond with Bryant, helping Bryant understand the value to Bryant of playing within the team's system, and watching hours of film together. Jordan respected Winter because of Winter's only being satisfied if things were done correctly. Jordan learned a great deal from Winter, finding him to be a great teacher and tireless worker, with a constant focus on details and preparation.

Health and death

On April 25, 2009, Winter suffered a stroke in

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big ...

, while attending a Kansas State basketball reunion. He lived near Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas with his Alzheimer's-stricken wife and son Brian. He suffered from the after-effects of his 2009 stroke, including an uncooperative right side and nerve pain in his neck and shoulder. He has two other sons, Russ and Chris. Winter died on October 10, 2018, at the age of 96.

Awards and honors

Winter is a member of several halls of fame, including the Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame (1991),

Kansas Sports Hall of Fame The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is a museum located in Wichita, dedicated to preserving the history of sports in the state of Kansas. The museum provides exhibits, archives, facilities, services, and activities to honor those individuals and t ...

(1997), and the

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the Nation ...

, and he was awarded the

John Bunn Award The John Bunn Award—in full, the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award—is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and ...

for lifetime achievement from the

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

. In June 2010, he was given the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, along with hall of fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay, by the NBA Coaches Association. In 2003, Kansas State fans voted him the Kansas State basketball coach of the century. In 2002, after the Lakers' third consecutive championship, the team made rings for the players and coaches honoring Winter. On the front of the jewel-encrusted ring was a design with several triangles, honoring Winter’s triangle offense. On his eighth time on the final ballot for the

, it was announced on April 2, 2011, that Winter had been elected. He was formally inducted on August 12, with his Boston-based physicist son Chris giving a speech in his behalf. In 2016, the NBA established The Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award, presented annually to a storied assistant coach who has consistently made a substantial impact over at least fifteen years. The award "honors the career of Hall of Famer Tex Winter who over an outstanding NBA coaching career set a standard of loyalty, integrity, competitive excellence and tireless promotion of NBA basketball." On May 26, 2012, Winter was inducted into the Compton Community College Athletics Hall of Fame, under the category of Basketball.

Head coaching record

College

NBA

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Publications

References

External links

College coaching stats
at Sports-Reference.com

at Basketball-Reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Winter, Tex 1922 births 2018 deaths American men's basketball players American test pilots Basketball coaches from Texas Basketball players from Texas Baloncesto Superior Nacional coaches Chicago Bulls assistant coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States El Camino College Compton Center alumni Houston Rockets head coaches Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball coaches Long Beach State Beach men's basketball coaches Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball coaches Military personnel from Texas Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball coaches Oregon State Beavers men's basketball players People from Collingsworth County, Texas United States Navy pilots of World War II USC Trojans men's basketball players Washington Huskies men's basketball coaches 20th-century American sportsmen