John Winkin: Maine Baseball’s Legendary Coach
John W. Winkin Jr. (24 July 1919 – 19 July 2014) was an American baseball coach, scout, broadcaster, journalist, and collegiate athletics administrator. He led the University of Maine Black Bears to six College World Series berths and finished his coaching career with 1,043 wins, ranking 52nd all-time among NCAA head coaches.
Early Life and Education
Winkin was born in Englewood, New Jersey, the son of Cora Senner Winkin and John W. Winkin Sr. His mother was a physician; his father was a linguistics professor at Columbia University. He attended Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood before enrolling at Duke University, where he played baseball as a 5-foot 6-inch left-handed center fielder under head coach Jack Coombs. At Duke he also played basketball and soccer and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.
Military Service and Early Career
Following his Duke graduation, Winkin joined the U.S. Navy as an ensign and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander, spending 56 months at sea in the Pacific theatre. He served aboard the USS McCall, a destroyer protecting aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. On the evening of December 6, 1941, hazardous weather prevented the McCall from entering Pearl Harbor. Had the ship berthed as scheduled, it would have been positioned next to the USS Arizona. Instead, Winkin and his crewmates witnessed the Japanese attack unfold from the McCall’s decks the following morning.
After his military discharge, Winkin pursued journalism and became a founding editor of Sport Magazine. He joined the New York Yankees broadcasting team, hosting the first pre-game baseball television show in the nation alongside Mel Allen and Curt Gowdy. During this period he became friends with Joe DiMaggio and later wore jersey number 5 at each of his college coaching positions in honor of the Yankee legend. He also managed the American Legion baseball team in Englewood before returning to formal education at Columbia University, where he earned his Master’s degree and Doctorate in education; his doctoral thesis examined the statistical probabilities of the double play.
Colby College Years
In 1949, Winkin became head football coach at Dwight Morrow High School, where he also coached baseball and taught history. Among his rival coaches was Vince Lombardi at St. Cecilia’s in Englewood; the two became close friends and bridge partners. In 1954, Jack Coombs recommended Winkin to Colby College, where Winkin spent the next 20 seasons as baseball coach. He compiled a record of 301–202–5 during his tenure and was named National Baseball Coach of the Year in 1965. As an administrator at Colby, he served as president of the Eastern College Athletic Conference and as vice president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He also worked as an area scout for the Boston Red Sox and coached at Ted Williams’ summer youth baseball camps in Lakeville, Massachusetts, for 15 years. Two of his Colby players, Norm Gigon and Ed Phillips, went on to play in the major leagues. In 1970, as athletic director, Winkin hired Dick Whitmore as men’s basketball coach; Whitmore would retire in 2011 with the seventh-highest all-time victory total in NCAA Division III men’s basketball. In 1973–74, Winkin’s final year at Colby, he served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
University of Maine and Later Achievement
Winkin became head baseball coach at the University of Maine in 1975, succeeding Jack Butterfield. His arrival launched an era of sustained success for the Black Bears, who earned six College World Series berths and a third-place finish. Winkin’s teams, composed largely of players from Maine and the other five New England states, competed effectively against major southern and western universities despite smaller budgets and less developed talent pipelines. Maine’s long winters and snow-covered fields often limited outdoor training to less than two months annually, while warm-weather schools trained year-round. Winkin pioneered an innovative system of indoor baseball training and workouts, which he detailed in one of his books. In his first season, 1975, the Black Bears set a school record with 25 wins and a .750 winning percentage. The following year they won 29 games and earned their first College World Series berth. Over his tenure at Maine, 92 of his former players signed professional baseball contracts. In 2007, at age 87, Winkin was the oldest active head coach in any collegiate sport at any NCAA level. He finished his college baseball coaching career in 2008.
Awards and Honors
Winkin was elected to 11 different halls of fame, including the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. He was named National Baseball Coach of the Year in 1965.
Additional Resources
John Winkin’s contributions to college baseball and athletics administration are documented in greater detail through Wikipedia and various biographical archives. His innovative coaching methods, longevity in the sport, and mentorship of hundreds of players continue to be studied by those interested in the history of collegiate athletics.
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