| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 8, 1958 |
| Playing career | |
| 1976–1979 | Akron |
| Position(s) | Running back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1982–1983 | Akron (GA) |
| 1984–1985 | Akron (backfield) |
| 1986–1989 | Toledo (off. backs) |
| 1990 | Wisconsin (RB) |
| 1991 | Wisconsin (TE) |
| 1992–1994 | Wisconsin (compliance) |
| 1995–2003 | Akron (OC/RB) |
| 2004–2022 | Wayne State (MI) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 94–105 |
| Tournaments | 4–1 (NCAA D-II playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 GLIAC South Division (2010) | |
| Awards | |
| AFCA NCAA Division II COY (2011) 3× GLIAC Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2019) | |
Paul Winters (born October 3, 1958) is an American college football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Wayne State University from 2004 until 2022.[1] Winters played college football at the University of Akron as a running back from 1976 to 1979.[1]
Winters played high school football at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio where he became a local prep star.[1][2][3] He continued his career at the University of Akron (1976–1979) where he played the running back position.[1] Winters finished his career seventh on the University of Akron's all-time leading rusher list with 2,613 yards.[1][2][4] In 1989, Paul Winters was inducted into the University of Akron Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
In 1982, Winters began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant as his alma mater.[1] He worked 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. He moved on to the University of Wisconsin in 1990.[1] Winters returned to Akron in 1995 as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach.
Winters accepted his first head coaching position on December 13, 2003, at Wayne State University.[1] 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.[1] Also, in 2011, Winters coached the school's single-season wins record team to 12 wins and a playoff berth.[1] The 2011 team was the NCAA Division II runner-up after a loss to Pittsburg State in the National Championship game.[1][3][4][6] 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.[6]
In 2004, Paul Winters was regarded as one of the nation's top ten African-American football coaching candidates by the Black Coaches Association.[1] On multiple occasions Winters has been recognized for his achievements as an ethnic minority football coach.[6][7]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AFCA# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne State Warriors (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (2004–2022) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Wayne State | 1–9 | 1–9 | 13th | |||||
| 2005 | Wayne State | 3–7 | 3–7 | T–9th | |||||
| 2006 | Wayne State | 6–5 | 6–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 2007 | Wayne State | 3–8 | 2–8 | 13th | |||||
| 2008 | Wayne State | 8–3 | 7–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2009 | Wayne State | 6–5 | 5–5 | 8th | |||||
| 2010 | Wayne State | 9–2 | 8–2 | T–1st (South) | 21 | ||||
| 2011 | Wayne State | 12–4 | 7–3 | 2nd (South) | L NCAA Division II Championship | 2 | |||
| 2012 | Wayne State | 5–5 | 5–5 | 6th (North) | |||||
| 2013 | Wayne State | 3–8 | 3–7 | T–6th (North) | |||||
| 2014 | Wayne State | 7–4 | 6–4 | 3rd (North) | |||||
| 2015 | Wayne State | 6–5 | 5–5 | T–4th (North) | |||||
| 2016 | Wayne State | 7–4 | 7–4 | 3rd (North) | |||||
| 2017 | Wayne State | 5–6 | 4–5 | 6th | |||||
| 2018 | Wayne State | 2–9 | 1–7 | T–8th | |||||
| 2019 | Wayne State | 8–3 | 7–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 2020–21 | Did not play due to COVID-19 | ||||||||
| 2021 | Wayne State | 2–9 | 2–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 2022 | Wayne State | 1–9 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| Wayne State: | 94–105 | 79–90 | |||||||
| Total: | 94–105 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||