Bobby Winkles’ statue stands immortalized along the third baseline at, Phoenix Municipal, honoring ASU baseball’s first varsity head coach. (Photo by Tyler Bednar/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Bobby Winkles, Arizona State baseball’s first varsity head coach, has a permanent home at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Immortalized along the third baseline and revealed on April 10, the former ASU coach’s statue is decorated with his countless accomplishments while guiding the program from its infancy to an annual powerhouse. The statue was funded by 70 former Sun Devils baseball players who played under Winkles.
Before the statue’s unveiling, former players recalled laughable moments and his impact on and off the field.
“Winks was an unbelievable person,” said Fred Nelson, a 1967 national champion and Sun Devil Hall of Famer. “(He was) loved by the players (and) loved by the fans.”
During his 13 seasons coaching at ASU, Winkles amassed 524 wins and coached the team’s first three national championships.
The Bobby Winkles statue was funded by 70 former Sun Devil players who played under the legendary coach during his 13 seasons at ASU. (Photo by Tyler Bednar/Cronkite News)
The 1964 Sun Devils team produced one of the more memorable years with a 44-7 record, a Western Athletic Conference title and their first College Baseball World Series appearance, where the team finished sixth. ASU baseball held a 60th anniversary ceremony for the team before first pitch, where numerous players attended and were honored.
One season later, the Sun Devils finished 54-8 and earned their first national championship but didn’t stop there. The Sun Devils established themselves as a college baseball dynasty by winning the national championship in 1967 and 1969.
Winkles was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1965 and 1969, in addition to the Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1965, 1967 and 1969. He was inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame in 1982, the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 and his No. 1 is retired.
Quickly into his speech, Nelson spoke about Winkles’ desire to teach the game’s fundamentals, sometimes with a little sarcasm.
“He said, ‘Boys, I’m going to tell you. They’ve been playing the game of baseball for 105 years and not one guy has ever been thrown out at the mound, so get your (butt) off the mound and get over,’” Nelson said.
ASU coach Willie Bloomquist, a Bobby Winkles Award winner, says his impact still resonates with the program to this day.
“I can only hope and imagine that my players look at me one day the way that you guys look at him,” Bloomquist said. “I have the honor of trying to fill the footsteps of the foundation that he built here. He was the founder, the godfather that put this place on the map, which made Arizona State the greatest place to play baseball.”
The front of Bobby Winkles’ statue represents his immense accomplishments as the former Arizona State baseball coach. (Photo by Tyler Bednar/Cronkite News)
After many players told their favorite stories of Winkles, the group walked back down the third base line to see the unveiling of his statue. His family members revealed the statue, including his grandson, Parker Gatewood, who cut the ribbons and threw out the game’s first pitch.
“I think the thing that I go back to every time when I talk about granddad is that he molded who I am, personally, as a man and my life’s philosophy, because all I wanted to do was be like him,” Gatewood said. “All you can do is try to do that to the best of your ability. If I ever come out, just half the man that Grandad was, I’ll consider that a success.”
It was a busy weekend for the Winkles family. Winkles was one of seven people inducted into the 2024 Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.
“This weekend means the world to our family,” Gatewood said. “We just are so honored and feel so privileged to be able to share, in his legacy playing out here at Arizona State, the Hall of Fame and statue dedication. It means more than words can even express just the fact that we get to talk about and share and the love that we had for our granddad. The granddad himself, Bobby Winkles, is just an absolute blessing.”