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.
See also
*List of people who disappeared at sea
Throughout history, people have mysteriously disappeared at sea, many on voyages aboard floating vessels or traveling via aircraft. The following is a list of known individuals who have mysteriously vanished in open waters, and whose whereabouts r ...
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