Sammy Winder (1989) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Sammy Winder

Induction:
1989

   Sammy Winder was one of the toughest, most determined and talented running backs in the history of Southern Miss football. His heart, pride and character have earned him a spot among the school’s all-time greats.
   Winder came to Southern Miss as a walk-on in 1977 and wound up sitting out that season as a red shirt with a broken foot, but his debut during the 1978 season proved immediately he would make an impact on Golden Eagle football.
   He played briefly early in the 1978 season, but it was at Roberts Stadium on the USM campus in the fourth game of the season where he really burst onto the scene.
   Winder helped rally the Golden Eagles from a 17-0 deficit against Mississippi State to a 22-17 win and the team went on to post a 7-4 record that season. He was the team’s second leading rusher that year with 98 carries for 340 yards and four touchdowns and also caught two passes for 19 yards.
   In 1979 Winder led the Golden Eagles in rushing with 173 carries for 749 yards and three touchdown and the team recorded a 6-4-1 record.
   Winder led the country in scoring during the 1980 season when he scored 20 touchdowns. He fell just short of rushing for 1,000 yards that season, when he carried 237 times for 996 yards. The Golden Eagles finished the year at 8-3 and defeated McNeese State in the Independence Bowl.
   1981 was one of the school’s finest years with Winder rushing 228 yards for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Golden Eagles ranked as high as No. 8 in the country that year and finished with a 9-1-1 mark. The team advanced to the Tangerine Bowl that year to face Missouri.
   Winder finished his career as the school’s second all-time leading rusher with 3,114 yards and his 39 rushing touchdowns are the most in school history. No one has carried the ball more at Southern Miss than his 736 attempts.
   Nine times he rushed for over 100 yards in a game including a career high 175 yards against Memphis on October 17,1981. His other 100 yard-plus rushing games were: 167 vs. Lamar (11/01/80), 146 vs. Tulane (9/19/81), 140 vs. North Texas State (10/31/81), 138 vs. Arkansas State (10/18/80), 136 vs. East Carolina (9/27/80), 120 vs. Louisville (11/03/79), 117 vs. Lamar (11/28/81) and 102 vs. Florida State (11/14/81).
   Winder was named to the all-South Independent team in 1980 and 1981 and also earned honorable mention All-America honors those years.
   One of his most memorable moments was on October 4, 1980 at Memorial Coliseum in Jackson against Ole Miss, when he left his feet at the five-yard line and soared over a Rebel defensive back, landing two yards deep in the end zone for a touchdown.
   He was taken by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round (131 overall) of the 1982 NFL draft and played from 1982 to 1990. Several times he was named to the Pro Bowl and played in the Super Bowl.
   Winder was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in March of 1998.