OLATHE, Kan. — Leslie Leonard “Les” Wothke, 84, whose Winona State teams dominated Minnesota and the upper Midwest basketball in the early 1970s, died at his Olathe home. He had four consecutive Northern Sun league titles, two NAIA District championships, and two national championship appearances. He held a degree from Greenville College in in education and a physical education master’s from Eastern Illinois. His thesis calculated how much time would be added to a proposed 1963 rule to stop the clock during free throws. His 35-year coaching career began began with Illinois high schools Prophetstown, Bloomington, Park Forest. He become head coach at Winona State in 1970.
1938-2022