Tex Winter, who led Kansas State men’s basketball to two Final Fours and eight Big Eight Championships from 1953 to 1968 died Wednesday. He was 96.
Winter graduated from USC in 1947 and was hired as an assistant coach under Hall-of-Famer Jack Gardner, where he stayed until 1951. He was then hired to a two-year stint as head coach at Marquette before returning to K-State in 1953, where he posted a 261-118 record and was voted national coach of the year for the 1958-59 season. His .689 winning percentage still stands as the highest in K-State history.
From K-State, Winter went on to coach at Washington, Northwestern and Long Beach State at the collegiate level, earning 454 victories overall.