WWHS ALUMNI PAGE

Dwayne Wingler ('54)

Ex-Woodrow great Wingler undergoes aortic surgery

This article appeared in the Register-Herald on July 29, 2005.

By MANNIX PORTERFIELD

Dwayne Wingler came through a four-hour aortic aneurysm operation this week, joking that the surgery left him with fewer sore spots than his days on the hardwood at Woodrow Wilson High School.

Arguably the best all-around athlete in Flying Eagle history, Wingler had seven stents installed in his aorta to correct a problem that surfaced back in 1988.

"It took that long for it to grow," Wingler explained Thursday from his Richmond, Va., home. "They won't go in and operate until they get so big. When they found mine, it was two centimeters. This grew to about six, so they had to go in."

Wingler returned home Wednesday evening, two days after he was wheeled into the operating room at CJW Medical Center in Richmond.

"That's what they can do now in a major operation," he said.

Wingler was a court magician in his stunning career at WWHS, a folk hero in his hometown of Beckley and the bane of the school's opponents. His athletic prowess spread onto the football field as well, where he earned a statewide reputation as a dazzling tailback.

The late Jerome Van Meter, legendary coach of WWHS, once said in an interview he considered Wingler his most talented athlete of all.

As fate had it, when Wingler underwent his operation, some problems developed with the initial large stint, but a representative of the firm that produces them just happened to be at CJW at the time.

"He had enough material with him so they could add on to it," Wingler said. "That really probably saved me. He was there to make sure they didn't have any problems."

Wingler said he had not been aware of any problems with his aorta, although he had been on medication since 1990.

"There is no pain with them," he said of the aneurysm. "You can have one and not have discomfort. It's kind of unknown, like diabetes, which I do have. I never felt any pain with that. They kind of sneak up on you."

There, he drew a parallel to his glory days at WWHS, saying, "I'm used to those sneak attacks."

"But I'm fine," he said. "I don't have a lot of pain. I'm taking stuff to relieve it. I feel real good. I feel better than I did after I got hit a few times on the floor. I feel much better than I did a few times after we played Charleston. They used to beat the hell out of me."

Wingler was a wizard on the hardwood, and his antics and passionate play often enraged opponents. A classic example came when he rushed in to guard a Mullens Rebel and the opponent wound up in Row Two of the gymnasium.

Death threats ensued, and Van Meter refused to let Wingler make the rematch visit to Mullens.

But Wingler got his revenge in the Class AAA tournament finale that tumultuous 1954 season, ripping the nets for a then-record 44 points to upend Mullens.

Fans never forgot him, evidenced by an outpouring of adulation when he came home this month for a 51st class reunion and some folks who were in grade school when he played descended on their hero.

"Here they were grownups, talking to me, saying their daddy took them to see this game or that game, and here I am 70 years old," Wingler said.

"It was really a nice feeling to be remembered after all these years."

Wingler can be reached at his Richmond home at 804-270-2141 or by writing him at 3506 Corum Drive, No. 817, Richmond, VA 23294-5922.

Ex-athlete thankful for cards, calls after surgery

By MANNIX PORTERFIELD

Beckley athletic legend Dwayne Wingler has some advice for anyone facing surgery - don't put off praying until you're wheeled into the operating room.

Wingler wanted to offer up a prayer in his behalf June 6 before a four-hour aortic aneurysm operation, but the anesthesia had been injected and he was rapidly on his way to dreamworld.

"It taught me a lot," he said of his operation. "It taught me how to pray. I wanted to say a little prayer, like, 'God, forgive me for all the bad things I did,' but that anesthesia hit me so hard. I didn't have a chance to say a prayer.

"The last thing I remember is the nurse telling me, 'Dwayne, have a nice sleep.' If you wait until the last minute to pray, it might be too late some day."

Wingler was inundated with responses after an account of his surgery that included his home address in Richmond, Va., and telephone number appeared in the June 10 Register-Herald.

"The Register-Herald must really get out there," he said Thursday.

"I got 70 cards and about 50 telephone calls. About 30 states in all, even California and Florida."

Wingler once was described by the late Woodrow Wilson High School coaching great Jerome Van Meter as his finest all-around athlete. He led the Flying Eagles to a Class AAA championship in his senior year of 1954 with a victory over Mullens.

Wingler said he was overcome by the outpouring of well-wishers after his operation.

"I think it's because when I was in school, going down the hallways, you know how athletes get a little cocky, and granted, I was when I was playing, I made them feel like they were as good as I was."

Wingler's devil-may-care attitude in his heyday, both on the hardwood court and the gridiron, made him a folk hero among Beckley fans - one that persists to this day - and a source of contempt among Woodrow's opponents.

"It gave me a good feeling after all these years," he said of the messages that poured into his home in recent weeks.

"I'm just amazed at the response."

Wingler is a frequent visitor at class reunions and plans on making a return trip to Beckley this fall for his alma mater's Hall of Fame game.

"The doctor gave me permission to drive, so I'm coming," the 70-year-old Wingler said.

"I'm up and about now and I'm feeling fine."