Urgel "Slim" Wintermute (born July 9, 1917 – presumed dead October 1977) was an American collegiate and professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player.

Collegiate career

Born in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, Wintermute attended high school in

Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longview's population was 37,818 at the time of the 2 ...

. A mobile center, Wintermute was a key member of the 1938–39 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team, winners of the first NCAA Tournament championship. Wintermute was voted first-team All-Pacific Coast Conference and named an All-American in 1939. He was elected to the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and is one of six Ducks whose numbers have been retired.

Professional career

Wintermute played professionally for the Detroit Eagles of the National Basketball League. He also served as player/coach for the

Portland Indians The Portland Indians were a professional basketball team in Portland, Oregon. They were a member of the Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League for the duration of the league, which only lasted two seasons: 1946–47 and 1947–48. They play ...

of the

Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League The Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League was a professional basketball league with teams from the Pacific Northwest in the United States and Canada. The league existed for two seasons, 1946-47 and 1947-48. Teams Three teams played in both ...

After basketball

Following his basketball career, Wintermute worked for

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...

. He was elected to the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

in 1980. On October 21, 1977, Wintermute set out in his yacht from

Portage Bay Portage Bay is a body of water, often thought of as the eastern arm of Lake Union, that forms a part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle, Washington. To the east, Portage Bay is connected with Union Bay—a part of Lake Washington— ...

in Seattle's Lake Union and did not return. His boat was found a few days later, with one of Wintermute's friends asleep on the boat who claimed that Slim was still alive when he went to sleep. Wintermute was never found.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wintermute, Slim 1917 births 1970s missing person cases 1977 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Washington (state) Centers (basketball) Detroit Eagles players Missing people Missing person cases in Washington (state) Oregon Ducks men's basketball players People from Longview, Washington Basketball players from Portland, Oregon People lost at sea

Collegiate career

Professional career

After basketball

See also

References