WILFONG: ALL HE DID WAS 'WIN'

It is ironic, really, that Winfred Wilfong went by "Win."

Because that seemed to be all he did.

After winning two state championships at Puxico High School and drawing as much or more attention than any college player in the Midwest region of the country, Wilfong eventually won a gold medal and was MVP in the Pan-American Games; he led Memphis State to an appearance in the NIT championship game; he won an NBA championship and also won a CBA title.

No one who saw him play will forget Wilfong, a slender athlete with dark hair cut in a flat top who wore an orange and black uniform with a black "22" across the chest. He made it look so easy, sprinting down a freshly waxed gym floor, deftly taking a pass and gliding toward the backboard to effortlessly lay the ball in for a basket.

Whether the backdrop was Southeast Missouri State University's then brand-new Houck Field House, Memphis State University's old field house, an NBA arena, or Puxico's legendary cracker box-sized log gym, southeast Missouri patrons -- indeed, most Midwest basketball fans -- who are getting a bit long in the tooth will certainly have no trouble remembering Wilfong gliding in for a score.

Wilfong was more than just a Stoddard County hero. He was the stereotype of the All-American small-town hero, who put his hometown on the map, then went on to fame and glory.

Win Wilfong was struck down by cancer in 1985 at the age of 52. Among those who paid tribute to Wilfong was Rich Koster, renowned St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports writer and columnist.

Koster reminisced about the glory days of Puxico basketball in an article, commenting that "Basketball fans in St. Louis could recite the names of the kids from Puxico as readily as they could those of Kentucky's Fabulous Five."

Indeed the Puxico Indians of Wilfong's era and immediately afterward acted out of a "basketball fable," in Koster's words.

From 1945 through 1951, during the seven-year reign of Arnold Ryan as the tribe's head coach, the Indians ran off a fabulous 215-35 record. After Ryan left, Oral Batterton led the 1952-53 squad to a 36-5 record.

During the four-year stretch, the Indians placed third, first, first and second in state, running up records of 34-3, 40-0, 39-2 and 36-5.

It was the 40-0 squad of Wilfong's senior year that still is spoken of in reverent whispers, however. One of just three squads to win 40 games in Missouri history, the 1950-51 team was truly in a league of its own. The Indians, who many credit with creating the run-and-gun offense based on relentless fullcourt pressure, blew out their opponents by an average of 45 points per game, 88.9-43.6.

Wilfong, meanwhile, led the nation with a whopping total of 941 points (23.5 per game). Wilfong netted an unbelievable 40.5 points per game in the 1951 state tournament.

He was a first-team all-state selection, was named to the North-South all-star team and was finally honored as a high school All-American.

After Wilfong left Puxico, he headed to the University of Missouri-Columbia where Wilber (Sparky) Stalcup was head coach. He made the varsity squad as a freshman. As a sophomore, Wilfong was an all-Big Seven selection -- the shortest conference player selected.

It was then, however, that duty called the 6-foot-2 athlete into military service. While there, he experienced one of the highlights of his long career. In 1954, his tremendous play earned him the Most Valuable Player award of the Pan-American games.

After his stint, he joined Puxico teammates Forrest and Orby Arnold and Elmer Fortner at Memphis State University under head coach Eugene Lambert.

The Tiger roared to a 20-7 record that year, falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when both Wilfong and Forrest Arnold were sidelined. That year, Wilfong broke Arnold's two-year-old season scoring record of 21.0 points per game, averaging 21.2 per contest. Arnold, though, bettered his own personal record by averaging 21.2 points per game that year, just three points more over the season than Wilfong.

Wilfong returned for his final year the next season, under new coach Bob Vanatta.

The 1956-57 season was a special one for Memphis State, as Wilfong led the Tigers to a sparkling 24-6 record and into the championship game of the National Invitational Tournament.

Although Memphis State lost the game 84-83 to Bradley University -- the team Vanatta had coached the season before -- Wilfong was selected the NIT MVP. That year, he was named honorable mention All-American by the UPI and was picked as a first team All-American by Converse and the Helms Foundation.

Perhaps his greatest honor was being the fourth player drafted in the 1957 NBA draft, by the St. Louis Hawks. As a rookie, Wilfong was a member of the NBA champion Hawk Squad that finally dethroned the powerful Boston Celtics in seven games.

Wilfong had a successful career as a pro, then experienced success as a coach and an executive.