It only takes a few minutes with the Winchester family to understand two things.
Carolyn (Winchester) Baker, James Winchester, and Rebecca (Winchester) George are bonded by the sparks of “Sooner Magic” from their dad, Mike Winchester.
Mike was a punter for the Sooners in 1984 and 1985, and even after his playing days were over, he remained an enormous OU fan. He introduced the university to his kids and started quite a legacy.
All four kids attended OU, and three were student-athletes.
As his children described their athletic careers, memories, and lives after graduation, nearly every story traced back to “Dad.”
Mike didn’t just make his kids lifelong OU fans.
“He made us teammates,” Rebecca said. “We were raised to be each other’s teammates, to support each other and pick each other up.”
Whether cheering Carolyn on at a basketball game, watching James play at Owen Field, or learning what a “regatta” was to support Rebecca, Oklahoma gave the Winchester siblings front row seats to watch each other compete.
And it’s clear they still support each other today, living out their dad’s legacy through each life lesson he left.
“Earn It”
As the oldest, Carolyn was the first to follow in her dad’s footsteps. She grew up admiring the culture of the women’s basketball program and Coach Sherri Coale.
Carolyn just wanted a chance to prove herself at practice. And that’s exactly what she did playing forward on the 2009 Final Four team.
“She (Coale) challenged me to find a way to make myself indispensable,” Carolyn remembered.
Her dad was thrilled, though he would’ve happily supported any decision she made.
“He never pushed us toward Oklahoma,” Carolyn said. “But when it came down to it, I couldn’t imagine spending my college years anywhere but on that campus.”
Carolyn and James were grateful to spend a few years together at OU.
For James, it was always going to be Oklahoma.
“Just us being raised around the university — hearing the school song and Boomer Sooner and the band — that always gave us chills, because it was like, ‘Whoa, that’s Oklahoma,’” James said.
“That can happen at other places across the country, but to us personally, Oklahoma was special and is special and always will be special,” he said.
James found his way onto the field thanks to Coach Merv Johnson. One invite turned into four seasons at Norman and 10 more with the Kansas City Chiefs, along with three Super Bowl trophies.
While they enjoy watching James play, his sisters care about watching the behind-the-scenes moments, like when he’s interacting with his teammates on the sidelines and hugging his kids after the games.
They weren’t just in the stands for each other’s Final Four game or Super Bowl. They were there for all the summer lift sessions and practices.
“Dad was like, ‘If you want it bad enough, go earn it,’” Carolyn said.
Even if that meant learning a brand new sport, like Rebecca did.
Always Showing Up
After several knee surgeries in high school, Rebecca needed to find a different sport.
Someone recommended rowing, so she tried it out. Her athleticism translated on the water, and Rebecca earned a spot on the varsity team her freshman year.
“I think that was the mentality that our dad instilled in us,” Rebecca said. “None of us shied away from the opportunity to walk on. I think it was a unique experience because you do kind of go in with a little bit of an underdog mentality, and there’s a big goal to work toward.”
While he instilled a strong work ethic in his kids, Mike was also their biggest fan.
From all the tournaments growing up to watching them compete in the Crimson and Cream, Mike was always there, even when James was playing football in Norman and Rebecca was rowing in California.
“Dad tried to be at everything,” Rebecca said. “He would drive across the country to be at my regattas and then be back for James’ game.”
But there was a learning curve when it came to supporting Rebecca’s rowing career.
“Yeah, we didn’t know what a regatta was,” James said, laughing.
That didn’t stop her dad from showing up. One time, he even kayaked on the water with their youngest sister to take better pictures of the team…to Rebecca’s ‘amusement.’
“By the end of it, he was taking the novice parents down to where they need to watch and telling them all this stuff about the races and explaining it,” Rebecca said. “He definitely jumped into it hardcore.”
Supporting Future Students
Mike’s legacy lives on not only through his children but also through the Michael Winchester Memorial Scholarship Fund. This scholarship supports walk-on student-athletes at Oklahoma, embodying the work ethic he instilled in his kids.
It means everything to Mike’s children because Oklahoma Athletics meant everything to him.
“It just seems pretty perfect,” Carolyn said. “It changed the course of his life, and he was able to immediately start applying that to life after. It’s what formed every single one of us into who we are now.”
As walk-ons themselves, the Winchester siblings understand the influence a scholarship can have beyond a single athletic season. They’re grateful to be able to set student-athletes up for success after college.
Mike Winchester’s Oklahoma story started with football, but now it’s told through the lives of his children, grandchildren, and generations of Sooner student-athletes who “earned it,” just like he did.
“It’s not just about the sport, it’s about being a human,” Carolyn said. “And just being the best human you could possibly be and the relationships that it brings and the lessons that you learn. And that comes from Dad. Like, there’s no other explanation for that than Dad.”
Mike taught his kids that “sports can tell you a lot about life.”
“Dad taught us to stick together and lean on each other from a young age,” James said. “He always said, ‘Someday you guys will be all you have. Stick together.’”
And that’s what they have been doing to carry out his legacy.
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