Hall of Famer Winter dies

Tex Winter, the Hall of Fame coach who coached the Rockets for two years and taught the triangle offense that helped spearhead six championships for the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, died Wednesday.

Winter, 96, had been in declining health since suffering a debilitating stroke in April 2009.

“Tex Winter was a basketball legend and perhaps the finest fundamental teacher in the history of our game,” Bulls executive vice president John Paxson,

a guard on the first three title teams, said in a statement.

Winter was hired by the Rockets on May 14, 1971. He was fired on Jan. 21, 1973, after posting a 51-78 record.

Jerry Krause hired Winter in July 1985 as one of his first moves as Bulls general manager, and Winter was an assistant coaches for Doug Collins and Phil Jackson.

Born Morice Fredrick

Winter near Wellington, Texas, Winter assisted Jackson on nine NBA championship teams: six with the Bulls and three with the Lakers. His sixdecade coaching career also featured 454 victories as a college head coach, mainly at Kansas State but also in stints at Northwestern, Marquette, Washington and Long Beach State. He entered the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. At Kansas State, Winter guided the Wildcats to four Final Fours, won eight Big Eight championships and was national coach of the year for the 1958-59 season.