Jim Winkler
- February 14, 2001
- 73 years
About Jim Winkler
Jim Winkler, 73, American football player (Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Colts).
Explore other notable deaths in 2001 or deaths in February 2001.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Jim Winkler?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|James "the Perch" Carl Winkler (July 21, 1927 – February 14, 2001) was a defensive lineman who played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
In his autobiography, NFL Hall of Famer Art Donovan described Winkler as "the craziest football player I have ever met," and he shared this anecdote, among others: "When he joined us, we immediately dubbed him "the Perch", because he had a face like a fish. Plus, he was always twitching his neck and his jaw and contorting his face. He always swore he had a broken jaw. And he was constantly socking himself in the mouth to try to straighten it out. I swear to God, he'd haul off every few hours and punch himself as hard as he could right in the face. He acted like a true psycho. And he was a big guy, about six-three and 270." Donovan went on to describe how Winkler once refused to play in a game against the Rams because they were his former teammates. Another anecdote describes a time when Winkler got a scratch on his face during a practice. When teammate Ken Jackson joked that Winkler's face needed stitches, Winkler took him seriously and went ballistic after team trainer Eddie Block told him that it was really only a scratch and did not require stitches. He started destroying the locker room and was sent home.
An article in the July 25, 1954 issue of The Baltimore Sun acknowledged that Winkler experienced personal problems in his lone season with the Colts but stated that Winkler asked Coach Weeb Ewbank for his release due to a shoulder injury. It also stated that he returned to Texas to live with his father, his wife, and his child.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Jim Winkler on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Winkler_(American_football)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Jim Winkler's archived record and the sources above.
1.What was the date of birth for James Carl Winkler?
- A.February 14, 1927
- B.July 25, 1927
- C.July 21, 1930
- D.July 21, 1927correct
James Carl Winkler was born on July 21, 1927.
Source: Biography introduction
2.What was James Carl Winkler's nickname?
- A.The Fish
- B.The Perchcorrect
- C.The Jaw
- D.The Twitch
Teammates dubbed James Carl Winkler 'the Perch' because he had a face like a fish.
Source: Anecdotes section
3.Which NFL teams did James Carl Winkler play for during his career?
- A.Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Coltscorrect
- B.Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys
- C.Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys
- D.Baltimore Colts and San Francisco 49ers
James Carl Winkler played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and the Baltimore Colts.
Source: Biography introduction
4.On what date did James Carl Winkler pass away?
- A.February 14, 2001correct
- B.February 14, 1999
- C.July 21, 2001
- D.July 25, 2001
James Carl Winkler died on February 14, 2001.
Source: Biography introduction
5.Who described James Carl Winkler as the craziest football player he had ever met?
- A.Eddie Block
- B.Art Donovancorrect
- C.Ken Jackson
- D.Weeb Ewbank
Art Donovan, an NFL Hall of Famer, described James Carl Winkler as the craziest player he ever met.
Source: Anecdotes section
6.What physical feature of James Carl Winkler led his teammates to give him his nickname?
- A.A missing tooth
- B.A prominent scar on his forehead
- C.A face like a fishcorrect
- D.An unusually large nose
Teammates gave him the nickname 'the Perch' because James Carl Winkler had a face like a fish.
Source: Anecdotes section
7.According to Art Donovan, why did James Carl Winkler repeatedly punch himself in the face?
- A.To wake himself up
- B.To intimidate his opponents
- C.To straighten his jawcorrect
- D.To deal with the stress of the game
James Carl Winkler believed he had a broken jaw and would punch himself in the mouth to try to straighten it out.
Source: Anecdotes section
8.Why did James Carl Winkler once refuse to play in a game against the Los Angeles Rams?
- A.He wanted to be traded
- B.They were his former teammatescorrect
- C.He was sick
- D.He had an injury
James Carl Winkler refused to play against the Los Angeles Rams because they were his former teammates.
Source: Anecdotes section
9.What was the approximate height and weight of James Carl Winkler?
- A.Six-one and 250 pounds
- B.Six-foot and 260 pounds
- C.Six-five and 280 pounds
- D.Six-three and 270 poundscorrect
James Carl Winkler was a big guy, standing about six-three and weighing 270 pounds.
Source: Anecdotes section
10.What incident caused James Carl Winkler to destroy the locker room?
- A.He was benched by the coach
- B.He got into a fight with a teammate
- C.A teammate joked about his stitches
- D.He was told his injury was only a scratchcorrect
James Carl Winkler went ballistic and destroyed the locker room after the team trainer told him his facial injury was only a scratch.
Source: Anecdotes section
11.Who was the team trainer that examined the scratch on James Carl Winkler's face?
- A.Weeb Ewbank
- B.Art Donovan
- C.Ken Jackson
- D.Eddie Blockcorrect
Team trainer Eddie Block told James Carl Winkler that his face injury was just a scratch and did not require stitches.
Source: Anecdotes section
12.According to The Baltimore Sun, what reason did James Carl Winkler provide for requesting his release from the Colts?
- A.A shoulder injurycorrect
- B.A dispute with the coach
- C.Desire to retire from football
- D.Personal family problems
James Carl Winkler asked Coach Weeb Ewbank for his release due to a shoulder injury.
Source: Baltimore Sun article section
13.Who was the coach that James Carl Winkler asked for his release from the Colts?
- A.Eddie Block
- B.Weeb Ewbankcorrect
- C.Art Donovan
- D.Ken Jackson
James Carl Winkler asked Coach Weeb Ewbank for his release while playing for the Colts.
Source: Baltimore Sun article section
14.With whom did James Carl Winkler live upon returning to Texas?
- A.His teammates
- B.His father, wife, and childcorrect
- C.His brother and mother
- D.His former coach
James Carl Winkler returned to Texas to live with his father, his wife, and his child.
Source: Baltimore Sun article section
15.What is the full name of the athlete commonly known as Jim Winkler?
- A.James Carl Winklercorrect
- B.James Edward Winkler
- C.James Arthur Winkler
- D.James Robert Winkler
His full name was James 'the Perch' Carl Winkler.
Source: Biography introduction
People who died on February 14
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Jim Winkler →Advertisement
