With football season quickly approaching, Pug Winkler is hoping for a spectacular opportunity. He is in search of a buyer for his Las Vegas property, which he has called home for 23 years, with a price tag of $1.15 million. Maybe he can even make a touchdown by passing it on to another football enthusiast. Although this residence does not boast an indoor football-shaped pool or a full-size football field in the yard, it does have one extraordinary feature – one of the world’s largest collections of football helmets.
Winkler, a 77-year-old Brooklyn native, stumbled upon this hobby by chance. He now possesses an impressive array of 2,000 collegiate football helmets, which can be seen proudly displayed in several marketing images of the property. Over the span of fifty years, Winkler’s priceless collection has outgrown his 6,000-square-foot abode. Interestingly, he has not confined his collection to just a man cave or basement. In fact, the entire house is adorned with football helmets. They can even be found in the kitchen, bathrooms, and master bath, where at least 60 helmets surround the marble Jacuzzi. However, the prominent display is the hundreds of helmets hanging from the wooden beams in the common areas, which mostly feature vaulted ceilings.
Winkler is struggling to envision a buyer who would be willing to take on his remarkable collection, which is not included in the asking price. He firmly believes that selling the helmets individually would be out of the question. “Obviously there’s a price for everything, but I would never break them up and sell them individually,” Winkler stated with conviction. Notably, a considerable number of helmets in his collection were worn in actual games.
Winkler, who himself did not play college football but thoroughly enjoys watching the sport, began collecting helmets after selling his initial sports memorabilia collection. With the proceeds, he was able to retire, build his current home, and embark on travels around the world with his son, Billy. Their journeys led them to 80 colleges and universities across the United States, where they would ask athletic directors, equipment managers, and coaches for helmets. Most of the time, they were given the helmets as gifts, but occasionally, they would offer monetary compensation to less well-off coaches.
While Winkler refrains from assigning a specific value to his collection, one can estimate its worth to be easily in the range of a million dollars. New football helmets at Dick’s Sporting Goods average around $500 each. Interestingly, the helmets tend to draw attention away from the actual home for potential buyers. Anna Kitras, who is co-listing the house with Taylor Cozik, acknowledges the helmets’ ability to distract and fascinate visitors. “Some people can’t envision the potential of the home because of the helmets,” she shared.
The Las Vegas property, consisting of two houses, is likely to attract different types of buyers. One recent visitor was a football enthusiast from Southern California who made the journey solely to admire the helmet collection. Another buyer expressed interest in transforming the property into a museum. Its built-in shelving and custom molding would be ideal for exhibiting any kind of collection. However, Winkler is not enthusiastic about that prospect. His ideal buyer is either a multi-generational family or someone looking for an income property. Additionally, the attached guesthouse, built last year, offers potential as a rental property, with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a balcony that boasts western-facing views of the Strip.
Beyond the football helmet collection, the main house itself possesses many desirable features. Built in 1978, it spans 3,770 square feet with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a well-appointed owner’s suite complete with a sauna and two walk-in closets that currently store Winkler’s collection of 150 football uniforms. The property’s location is another highlight, according to Winkler. Situated just two blocks off of East Flamingo Road, the house is conveniently located near excellent restaurants, schools, and shopping options. Kitras agrees that the location is the property’s biggest selling point. Prospective buyers have shown interest in using the home as an Airbnb party house due to its proximity to downtown. It has also captured the attention of a local swingers club searching for an additional location in Sin City.
As visitors explore the main house, they will notice approximately 1,000 photos adorning its walls. These images showcase Winkler and his son posing with various celebrities and influential figures. Due to his former career in Los Angeles television, Winkler refers to himself as the closest thing to Hollywood that some people will ever encounter. One particular wall in his house is filled with photos of him shaking hands with heads of state, which he playfully refers to as the “presidential wall.” However, his collection of photos is not something he is willing to part with.
When asked why he desires to sell his beloved home after living in it for over two decades, Winkler expresses his love for the property but states that he is tired of the city and the traffic in Las Vegas. He believes that the city has changed significantly and lost some of its allure from the 1950s and 1960s when it was known for great entertainers. Nevertheless, Winkler remains optimistic about finding a buyer. Once the property is sold, he intends to relocate to Arizona. While he hasn’t made any plans to collect baseball helmets, he is open to new possibilities in the Grand Canyon State, particularly during spring training season.
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