Gary Winrow – Class of 1967If Gary Winrow has tried it, odds are he’s succeeded at it. From his athletic to professional careers, Winrow has demonstrated an innate ability to overcome obstacles by surrounding himself with the right people and leading others, two skills he honed during three different athletic seasons over his four years at Naperville Community High School.The 1960’s were an exciting, transitional time in Redskin athletics, and Winrow was a major contributor to the success of three programs that had recently seen the graduation of Hall of Famers Rich Erickson, Ed Sieben, and John Clawson. A freshman Winrow started playing for the Redskins in the fall of 1963 when Naperville Community began competing as a charter member of the newly formed Upstate Eight Conference. By the time he graduated, Winrow would be an All-Conference selection in football, basketball, and baseball, serving as captain for all three varsity squads. In addition to his All-Conference honors, Winrow was selected as an All-Chicagoland performer in basketball by the Coca Cola Corporation.Winrow dazzled on the football field for the Redskins, competing for coaches Wes Spencer, Dick Smith, Dale Shymkewich, and Bob Grove. Perhaps his biggest moment was in a game versus St. Procopius, today’s Benet Academy, when Winrow scooped a fumble and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown to secure a win for Naperville. In the winter, Winrow would move to the hardcourt, giving opponents fits for Coach Grove. According to Winrow, highlights of his senior season included competing in the Danville Holiday basketball tournament, and a regional final contest pitting the Redskins against conference foe Batavia, a Bulldog team that featured 2-time collegiate All-American at Kentucky and future NBA All-Star Dan Issel, along with Ken Anderson who would go on to a 16-year career as the quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals. The best athletes never shy away from the best competition, and Winrow was no exception, though he is quick to point out that he never went at it alone. Winrow credits teammates Rick Sanborn, Rick White, Kenny Erikson, Barry Grove, Terry Stunden, Tom Kupke, Bill Kruzan, Rex Thompson, Jim Friedrich, Tom Spahn, Joseph Walcovich, and Mike Spencer as being instrumental to the success of the teams he captained, along with his brother, Tommy Winrow. He also points to the mentoring he received from all of his coaches, including Spencer, Grove, Kenneth Roll, Hall of Fame member Dick Smith, and numerous faculty members, like guidance counselor, George Smith.Off the field, Gary Winrow fondly remembers connecting with fellow students as he helped build the Naperville Park District “Barn,” attended Sadie Hawkins dances and Homecoming bonfires, and spent his summers lifeguarding at Centennial Beach. It was those relationships that helped him stay connected as he moved on to Wake Forest University to continue his athletic career for the Demon Deacons. While at Wake Forest, Winrow was a three-year starter for the football team at Tight End, the highlight of his career coming in his senior season in 1970, when the Demon Deacons won the ACC Championship. Winrow was instrumental in their success. Following an 0-3 start to the 1970 season, Wake Forest ripped off wins against Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, and NC state to help earn Cal Stoll ACC Coach of the Year honors with a 5-1 record in conference play en route to the title. It was Winrow, coming off a single game reception record of nine catches versus Clemson in Death Valley the previous week, who caught two eleven yard receptions on the final drive of the North Carolina game to upset the Tar Heels. When the dust settled on his career, Gary Winrow graduated as the third all-time leading receiver in total receptions in school history, averaging 11.6 yards per reception, twice leading the program in receiving yards.When his playing days were over, Winrow embarked on a coaching career that would see him work at Wake Forest, and then later with his college coach, Stoll, at Stoll’s alma mater, the University of Minnesota. The coaching staffs he was a part of included a list of who’s who in the football coaching community: Oval James, Bill Lewis, Tom Harper, Butch Nash, Dick Mosely, Norm Parker, and coaches Tom Moore and Tony Dungy, who would go on to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl 41 win over the Chicago Bears. In addition to coaching football, Winrow founded Next Level Summer Travel Baseball, a program that mentored and coached more than 100 elite high school baseball players who advanced to exemplary careers in college and professional baseball, including Gary’s son, Tommy, who was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1999 MLB draft. Tommy is just one part of Gary’s “home team,” which includes his wife of 44 years, Trish, daughter Erin, and grandchildren Reesem Trippe, Evan, Stella, and Jack. As Gary Winrow reflects on a successful playing and coaching career, followed by an exemplary career in real estate, he has advice for today’s athletes hoping to forge their own path to similar results: “Train, prepare, and compete to win, but win or lose, play the game with class.” Whether on or off the field or court, he urges them to learn to say “thank you,” follow their passions, connect and surround themselves with people who share similar goals, walk by faith, and remember that “little eyes are on you.”