Bio

Winning the national championship at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles during the 1997 tennis season, Richard Winter was inducted posthumously to the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame.

Winter came to Cowley from London, England, where he played high-level tennis.

“It was apparent to the team immediately that he was going to be our No. 1 player,” Former Cowley head tennis coach Larry Grose said. “There was no need for challenge matches.”

Grose put together a challenging schedule with the Tigers facing several NCAA Division I schools. After facing the opponents’ top player and suffering some humbling defeats, Grose informed Winter he was considering moving him down a couple of spots in the lineup. When presented with this information, Winter immediately began pleading his case to remain playing No. 1 singles and doubles.

“When he told me he wanted to continue playing at the top of the lineup, I knew I had a competitor and a winner in Richard,” Grose said. “The next year he won the No. 1 singles and doubles titles and was virtually kicking everyone’s butt the way he was getting beat as a freshman.”

Winter was the national champion at No. 1 Singles and No. 1 Doubles during the 1997 season as he garnered All-American honors. He was a part of back-to-back region champion tennis teams in 1996 and 1997 and his stellar play was a big reason Cowley placed in the top-five at nationals both years at the school.

Winter joined Gavaska Williams as the only Tiger tennis players to win both a No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles title during Grose’s 19 years at the helm.

Richard met his former wife, Elaine (Fleetwood), while the two were student-athletes at Cowley College. Elaine was a member of the Tiger volleyball team.

After Cowley, Winter played singles and doubles at Oklahoma City University. He helped OCU capture back-to-back NAIA national championships during his two years at the school.

He went on to a career in insurance before tragically passing away on Jan. 16, 2013.

“His selection is so rewarding for his many contributions to the school, program and community,” Grose said. “He was a joy to coach and was a great player.”