Winona State
Les Wothke was born in LaPort County, Ind. on Nov. 30, 1938. Wothke attended Greenville College (Ill.) and received a B.S. in 1961. He then went on to earn a M.S. from Eastern Illinois in 1964 and began his illustrious collegiate coaching career at Winona State University in 1970-71. Wothke would soon achieve success on the hardwood as Winona State captured the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC) championship in his second season at the helm (1971-72). The 1971-72 season began a string of four consecutive NIC titles. That year, the Warriors posted an 11-1 league mark and a 19-7 overall record. Over the next three seasons (1972-75), WSU went undefeated, 12-0 in the NIC, (23-4 overall) in 1972-73; 10-2 NIC (18-6 overall) in 1973-74; and 11-1 NIC (22-7 overall) in 1974-75. During that magical five-year run, the Warriors achieved a remarkable 51-8 conference record; a winning streak of 24 straight games; two NAIA District 13 championships (1972-73 and 1974-75) and Wothke earned NIC Coach of the Year three times (71-72, 72-73 and 74-75). Wothke’s success at WSU brought him major college attention as NCAA Division I programs came calling. From 1975-79, he was an assistant coach at a prominent Big 10 basketball institution - the University of Illinois. During those four years, he helped the Fighting Illini to a winning record (62-52). Wothke then tried his hat as the chief boss of NCAA Division I Western Michigan in 1979-80. During a three-year stint (1979-82) at WMU, he notched a 42-41 record becoming the first head coach in Bronco history to lead his team from last place to first in one season. This accomplishment earned him Mid-American Conference (MAC) Coach of the Year honors in 1980-81 as he guided WMU to a regular season co-championship. Wothke then spent the next eight seasons (1982-1990) at Army, compiling a 92-135 overall mark. In 1984-85, he was selected the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year, directing Army to a 16-13 mark. In all, Wothke was a major NCAA Division I head (11 years) or assistant (4 years) coach for 15 seasons. In 1992-93, Wothke returned to the Mississippi River Valley, taking over the position he once held - head men’s basketball coach of Winona State University. The Warriors finished second in the NIC that season, going 9-3 in the conference and 19-10 overall. He coached WSU through the 1997-98 campaign when the Warriors finished runner-up to NCAA Division II Elite 8 finalist, Northern State University (11-1 NIC, 27-5 overall). In his final season, Winona State logged a very respectable 10-2 record in the league (17-10 overall). In total, Wothke was chief of the Warrior men’s basketball program for 11 seasons, amassing a 183-110 overall record and a 91-43 mark in league play. Wothke’s head coaching vocation spanned 22 years, as he compiled a record of 317-286 .(526 winning percentage). Throughout his coaching career, Wothke was heavily involved in the community as he lectured in excess of 150 clinics and campuses throughout the nation. He also served as a head clinician at foreign clinics in Damascus, Syria, Istanbul, Turkey and the Peoples Republic of China. Les currently resides in Winona, Minn.