Paul Winters (American football)

Paul Winters (born October 3, 1958) is an American college football coach and former football player. Currently, Paul Winters serves as the head football coach at Wayne State University and has since 2004. Winters played at the University of Akron where he also has spent the majority of his coaching career.

Paul Winters played high school football at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio where he became a local prep star. He continued his career at the University of Akron (1976–1979) where he played the running back position. Winters finished his career seventh on the University of Akron's all-time leading rusher list with 2,613 yards. In 1989, Paul Winters was inducted into the University of Akron Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1982, Paul Winters began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant coach. He would then work up the coaching ranks at Akron as an offensive backs coach until 1986 when he accepted the running backs coaching position at the University of Toledo and then at the University of Wisconsin in 1990. From 1994–2003 Winters returned home to the University of Akron as the running backs coach and offensive coordinator.

Paul Winters accepted his first head coaching position on December 13, 2003, at Wayne State University. In his 10th season as head coach, Winters holds the school's overall record in wins with an overall record of 53 wins to 48 losses. Also, in 2011, Winters coached the school's single-season wins record team to 12 wins and a playoff berth. The 2011 team was the NCAA Division II runner-up after a loss to Pittsburgh State in the National Championship game. After the 2011 season, Winters declined a job offer to return to the University of Akron as the head coach, instead choosing to sign an extension at Wayne State through 2016.

In 2004, Paul Winters was regarded as one of the nation's top ten African-American football coaching candidates by the Black Coaches Association. On multiple occasions Winters has been recognized for his achievements as an ethnic minority football coach.

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