Fred "Tex" Winter (2003) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Fred "Tex" Winter

Induction:
2003
Class:
1947

Fred “Tex” Winter, who refined and popularized the famed “Triangle Offense,” made his mark on the sport of basketball for more than 50 years. He was the Most Inspirational Player on the 1947 USC basketball team (the only year he lettered). He also was one of the nation’s top pole vaulters when he lettered in track at Troy in 1946. He came to Troy from Huntington Park High, Compton College and Oregon State (and then a stint in the Navy during World War II). But it was as a coach where he had even greater success. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Kansas State (1948-51), helping the Wildcats to 3 league titles and the 1951 NCAA tourney runner-up spot. He became Marquette’s head coach the next 2 years (1952-53), then returned to Kansas State as its head coach for 15 seasons (1954-68), winning 8 league titles and getting to the NCAA Final Four twice. He was National Coach of the Year in 1958, then in 1959 his Wildcats finished No. 1 in the AP and UPI polls. It was while at Kansas State that he wrote a book in 1961 about the triple post offense. He next was Washington’s head coach for 3 seasons (1969-71) before moving into the NBA as the head coach of the San Diego/Houston Rockets for 2 seasons (1972-73). He then returned to the college ranks as the head coach at Northwestern (1974-78) and Long Beach State (1979-83) and an assistant at LSU (1984-85). In all, he won 454 NCAA games. He then became an assistant with the Chicago Bulls for 14 seasons (1986-99), helping them to 6 NBA championships, and then with the Lakers for 5 years (2000-04), capturing NBA titles 3 times. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. He also is a member of the Pac-10 Hall of Honor, Kansas State Athletics Hall of Fame, Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and Compton Community College Athletics Hall of Fame. He died on Oct. 18, 2018, at age 96.