Harry Winkler (handballer)

Infobox Handball biography
playername = Harry Winkler

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fullname = Harry William Winkler, Jr.
nationality = USA
dateofbirth = April 10, 1945
cityofbirth = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
countryofbirth = USA
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nationalyears = 1972 - 1976
nationalteam = U.S. Olympic Team
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Harry William Winkler, Jr. (born April 10, 1945) is a former Olympic handballer and current school teacher. He was also a member of the U.S. Men's Handball Team at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the U.S. Men's Handball Team at the 1976 Summer Olympics [cite news |work=The New York Times |title=Roster of U.S. Athletes for Olympic Games at Montreal |accessdate=2008-06-21 |date=1976-07-11|page=152] and coached the U.S. Women’s Olympic Handball Team at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He is currently teaching at Forest Hill Community High School and has been for over 30 years.

Early life

Winkler was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from Forest Hill High School in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1963. [cite news |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-23109304.html |work=Palm Beach Post |date=1999-05-09 |first=Stephanie |last=Desmon |title=For a glimpse of the future, look at Forest Hill High School; Spanish spoken here (and plenty of other languages, too)] [cite news |work=Palm Beach Post |date=2007-04-03 |first=Andrew |last=Abramson |page=10C |title=Been Everywhere, Done All Of That] Winkler attended the University of Florida.cite news |work=GatorZone: University of Florida Athletics |accessdate=2008-06-21 |title=All-Time Gator Olympians |url=http://www.gatorzone.com/olympics/?page=list] 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.cite news |work=Los Angeles Times |title=He Follows the Bouncing Ball |date=1984-07-22 |first=Jerry |last=Hicks |page=OC-A1 |quote=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.] It was in the Army that he learned team handball.cite news |work=Palm Beach Post |title=Handball's Beach Version Occasionally Hare Raising |date=1996-04-06 |first=Ethan J. |last=Skolnick |page=1C]

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. [cite news |work=Palm Beach Post |title=Other Area Summer Olympians |date=1996-07-20 |page=12C |accessdate=2008-06-21 |quote= Harry Winkler Jr., '72 Team Handball (14th); '76 Team Handball (10th).] He is one of the University of Florida Olympians.

Honors

In 1963, he was named "Athlete of the Week" by WPEC-TV. [cite news |work=Palm Beach Post |title=Retired Sportscaster Solomon Dies Of Cancer At 67 |date=1999-01-13 |first=Chuck |last=Otterson |quote= The first winner was Forest Hill's Harry Winkler, who went on to play and coach team handball in the 1972 and '76 Olympics.] In 1981, he was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame. [cite news |url=http://palmbeachsports.com/institute/HOF%20history.html |work=Palm Beach County Sports |title=Hall of Fame |accessdate=2008-06-21] He was cited for his achievements in basketball, track, and team handball.

References