University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

Former UCO Coach Passes Away

2/3/2014 8:29:00 AM

EDMOND (Feb. 3) – Funeral services for former Central Oklahoma men's basketball coach Mark Winters will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church in Edmond.

Winters, 85, passed away last week after a lengthy illness.

The longest-tenured men's basketball coach in school history, Winters led the Bronchos for 16 years (1962-78). He finished with a 239-185 record that included four 20-win seasons, ranking second in career wins at UCO.

Winters guided the Bronchos to three Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference championships and one national tournament appearance, with the 1963-64 team going 24-4 en route to reaching the NAIA Elite Eight. That 24-win season stood as the best in school history until the 1990-91 team finished 25-5.

Winters coached 23 All-Conference players and eight All-Americans while at UCO and was Inducted into the UCO Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.

A graduate of Southeastern Oklahoma, Winters went 162-24 in five years as a high school coach and 131-59 in seven years as head coach at Eastern Oklahoma College before taking over at UCO. He finished with a 532-268 record in 31 years of coaching.

Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories