Harry Winkler (handballer)

Harry William Winkler, Jr. (born April 10, 1945) is an American former Olympic handballer and retired school teacher. He was also a member of the U.S. Men's Handball Team at the 1972 Summer Olympics[1] and the U.S. Men's Handball Team at the 1976 Summer Olympics[2] and coached the U.S. Women’s Olympic Handball Team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.[3] He retired from teaching at Forest Hill Community High School after over 30 years in 2009.

Harry Winkler
Personal information
Full name Harry William Winkler, Jr.
Born April 10, 1945
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality  United States
National team
Years Team
1972 - 1976
 U.S. Olympic Team

Early life

Winkler was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from Forest Hill High School in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1963.[4][5] Winkler attended the University of Florida.[6] Norm Sloan recruited him from Forest Hill Community High School to play basketball for the Gators. After graduation, Winkler served as an officer in the United States Army.[3] It was in the Army that he learned team handball.[1]

Olympics

In 1972, Winkler joined the U.S. Olympic Handball Team and retired from active competition in 1977. He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics.[7]

Honors

In 1963, he was named "Athlete of the Week" by WPEC-TV.[8] In 1981, he was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.[9] He was cited for his achievements in basketball, track, and team handball.

References
  1. Skolnick, Ethan J. (1996-04-06). "Handball's Beach Version Occasionally Hare Raising". Palm Beach Post. p. 1C.
  2. "Roster of U.S. Athletes for Olympic Games at Montreal". The New York Times. 1976-07-11. p. 152.
  3. Hicks, Jerry (1984-07-22). "He Follows the Bouncing Ball". Los Angeles Times. p. OC-A1. Harry Winkler, a 6-foot-3 former University of Florida basketball star, was a first lieutenant in the Army at Ft. Campbell, Ky., in 1971, when someone asked him if he'd like to try out for team handball.
  4. Desmon, Stephanie (1999-05-09). "For a glimpse of the future, look at Forest Hill High School; Spanish spoken here (and plenty of other languages, too)". Palm Beach Post.
  5. Abramson, Andrew (2007-04-03). "Been Everywhere, Done All Of That". Palm Beach Post. p. 10C.
  6. "All-Time Gator Olympians". GatorZone: University of Florida Athletics. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  7. "Other Area Summer Olympians". Palm Beach Post. 1996-07-20. p. 12C. Harry Winkler Jr., '72 Team Handball (14th); '76 Team Handball (10th).
  8. Otterson, Chuck (1999-01-13). "Retired Sportscaster Solomon Dies Of Cancer At 67". Palm Beach Post. The first winner was Forest Hill's Harry Winkler, who went on to play and coach team handball in the 1972 and '76 Olympics.
  9. "Hall of Fame Inductees by Year". Palm Beach County Sports. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
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