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Charles H. Winner (July 2, 1924 – July 18, 2023) was an Americanfootball player and coach.

Winner was born inSomerville, New Jersey and, duringWorld War II, flew seventeen missions in aB-17 Flying Fortress plane, spending six weeks in a Germanprisoner of war camp. Upon his release from the service he played running back atWashington University in St. Louis, whereWeeb Ewbank was head coach. After Ewbank moved on to coach for theCleveland Browns, Winner took an assistant position with the nearbyCase Tech Rough Riders, present-dayCase Western Reserve University, while also serving as a scout for theCleveland Browns. In 1950, he married Ewbank's daughter, Nancy.^[1] When Ewbank was hired as head coach of theBaltimore Colts in 1954, Winner went along and helped the team capture NFL titles in both 1958 and 1959. At the conclusion of the1962 NFL season, Ewbank was dismissed, but Winner stayed under new coachDon Shula from 1963 to 1965.

On February 10, 1966, Winner was hired as head coach of theSt. Louis Cardinals. In five seasons at the helm, Winner managed a 35–30–5 record, but after failing to reach the postseason, he was fired on January 6, 1971. The Cardinals posted winning records in three of Winner's five seasons with the Cardinals but fell short of the playoffs each time. In 1966 the Cardinals won their first five games, but they then lost four of their last five games to finish at 8–5–1 and in fourth place in the NFL East Division. In 1968, St. Louis finished a half game behind theCleveland Browns (9–4–1 to 10–4) in the NFL Century Division despite sweeping both regular-season meetings with the Browns. In 1970 St. Louis rolled to an 8–2–1 record at the end of November, including three consecutive shutouts over theHouston Oilers (44–0),Boston Patriots (31–0), andDallas Cowboys (38–0, onMonday Night Football in Dallas). With theNFC East championship in sight, however, the Cardinals stumbled in December, losing to theDetroit Lions,New York Giants andWashington Redskins to finish at 8–5–1 and third place in the division behind Dallas and the Giants.

Winner was soon hired byGeorge Allen of theWashington Redskins. Winner worked two years for the Redskins, helping them reach theNFL playoffs during each season and their firstSuper Bowl berth ever in 1972. On February 1, 1973, he rejoined Ewbank as an assistant with the Jets and was also designated his successor following the end of the1973 NFL season. Winner struggled to achieve success with the Jets, finishing 7–7 in 1974, having won the last six games in a row after winning just once in the first eight. The following year saw the team win only two of the first nine games, a decline that resulted in his dismissal on November 19, three days after a 52–19 loss to the Colts.

Two months later, Winner was hired as an assistant with theCincinnati Bengals, spending the next four years with the team before once again being fired following the1979 NFL season. Renewing acquaintances with Don Shula in 1981, Winner was hired to serve as player personnel director for theMiami Dolphins. He spent two years in that role before shifting to pro personnel, performing many of the same duties as a general manager, especially negotiating player contracts. On June 1, 1992, he announced his retirement.

Winner died inBonita Springs, Florida on July 18, 2023, at the age of 99.^[2]

• 1924 births
• 2023 deaths
• American football running backs
• Baltimore Colts coaches
• Case Western Reserve Spartans football coaches
• Cincinnati Bengals coaches
• Cleveland Browns scouts
• Miami Dolphins executives
• New York Jets head coaches
• St. Louis Cardinals (football) head coaches
• Washington Redskins coaches
• Washington University Bears football players
• Sportspeople from Somerville, New Jersey
• Players of American football from Somerset County, New Jersey
• United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
• American prisoners of war in World War II
• World War II prisoners of war held by Germany

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