On this day is sports history

BY COLIN “BIG C” MACGUIRE

The Greenville Standard

 

This is third article in a series covering University of Alabama football players selected as first team All-Americans.

Today I will cover Hoyt”Wu” Winslett from Dadeville, Alabama. He was born on Jan. 1, 1904 and died on Oct. 2, 1998.

He played at Alabama from 1924-26. Alabama’s record for those years was 27-1-1. Winslett played on the two National Championship teams in 1925 and 1926. Alabama won the Southern Conference all three years.

Winslett was the first Alabama player named to the Associated Press All-America team. Winslett was switched from running back to end his senior year. Despite playing end, Winslett was Alabama’s leading passer in 1926.

Pro Football was getting started in the 1920’s. Winslett went to work for The West Alabama branch of Protective Life. He later became the branch manager and retired in 1969.

His wife, Louise, passed away in 1981. They never had children.

In 1995, he endowed a $120,000 scholarship called the “Wu” and Louise Winslett Endowed Scholarship. It was for freshman students entering the University of Alabama from Dadeville High School.

If you’re wondering how Winslett was nicknamed “Wu”; Winslett’s teammates called him “Wu” because of his resemblance of a movie character “Mr. Wu”.

Hoyt “Wu” Winslett was the oldest living Alabama when he passed away at the age of 94.

Next week, I will cover another First Team All-America player from the University of Alabama football team.