Winkin receives award from Boy Scouts Leadership of youth cited

Honors and awards are nothing new to Dr. John Winkin. The former University of Maine and current Husson College baseball coach is a member of seven halls of fame, a former NCAA Division I national coach of the year, and six-time Northeast Region Coach of the year.

Wednesday night at the Bangor Civic Center, Winkin had another honor bestowed on him, but this one will have a special place among all those others because this one isn’t about his win-loss records, his accomplishments on the field, or his titles. Winkin is the Katahdin Area Council, Boy Scouts of America 2006 Distinguished Citizen because of his lifelong service, mentoring, and leadership – particularly to youth.

“It’s probably the first time that I’ve been honored singularly,” said Winkin. “I’ve gone to halls of fame with others, I’ve received awards with others, but this is the first time I’ve been honored for being a coach.”

Well, actually it was for a lot more than just his coaching career, as impressive and encompassing as it is.

“This is Katahdin Area Council’s highest award, and we want the focus of it to be on youth and he’s all about working with youths,” said Rich Avery, executive director of Katahdin Area Council, B.S.A. “The simple reason is he’s a great guy, but it’s mainly in recognition for his service to youth in his community, regionally and across the state of Maine.

“It’s about his lifelong dedication to youth. When he was in the U.S. Navy, he was a lieutenant commander, so even before he got into sports, he was still mentoring people.”

After serving in the Navy from 1941 to 1946, Winkin became a founding editor for Sport magazine. Winkin teamed with Mel Allen and Curt Gowdy as part of the first television broadcast team for the New York Yankees, he has written and published four books, and he is a contributing columnist for Collegiate Baseball magazine. He is also vice-president for sports leadership at Husson.

The New Jersey Eagle Scout began his coaching career in 1949 at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, N.J., winning five straight titles. He came to Maine to take the baseball coaching position at Colby College in Waterville. After making Colby a regional power, he took over at UMaine in 1974 and coached the Black Bears to six College World Series appearances. He came to Husson in 1996 as an assistant coach and took over the head coaching position in 2003.

Winkin’s acceptance speech sounded more like a thank-you list as he carefully went from his debut at Colby through his current affiliation with Husson, thanking several people at each school who made his stay enjoyable and memorable.

“It’s an impossible task… How can I thank three institutions which gave me the opportunity to coach their young students?” he began.

Yet, the World War II veteran who saw Pearl Harbor happen from a ship stationed outside the harbor and once played cards with Vince Lombardi managed the impossible.

Twenty-five of Winkin’s former players and all of the current Husson team members were on hand among the 360 attending the ceremony as Winkin was presented with the 13th annual award.

At age 86, Winkin is believed to be the oldest active coach in any sport in the NCAA ranks. He is one of three New England baseball coaches to ever win 1,000 or more games in a career.

“Don’t be scared to swing the bat when it counts,” Winkin told the audience. “You can’t be scared to fail in life.”

The event is KAC’s biggest annual fundraiser, generating approximately $75,000, according to Avery.

The money funds programs in six Maine counties (Penobscot, Waldo, Hancock, Piscataquis, Aroostook, and Washington) such as leadership development training and summer camps like Camp Roosevelt in Eddington.

Honorees are selected each year by a yearlong process in which a seven-member steering committee generates a short list of candidates and eventually votes the list down to one person who has shown outstanding service in his community.