Bill Walker (Toledo basketball)

William J. Walker Jr. (born c. 1926) is an American former basketball player. He was a native of Queens, New York and played the guard position.[1] Walker played collegiately for the Toledo Rockets from 1948 to 1951.[2] He was known as an excellent dribbler and passer, and was the first officially recorded national season assists leader with his 7.24 per game average during the 1950–51 NCAA men's basketball season.[3] However, Walker's collegiate accomplishments were overshadowed by his involvement in a point shaving scandal during his senior year.[4]

For the current basketball player formerly known as Bill Walker, see Henry Walker (basketball).
Bill Walker
Walker in 1951
Personal information
Bornc. 1926 (age 94–95)
Queens, New York
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Career information
CollegeToledo (1948–1951)
NBA draft1951 / Undrafted
PositionGuard
Career highlights and awards

During a game against the Niagara Purple Eagles on December 15, 1950, Walker's Toledo Rockets held a lead of 17 points with three minutes remaining.[1][5][6] In the final minutes of the game, the Rockets misdribbled the ball, threw errant passes and only won the game by three points.[1][6] The game began suspicion among spectators that a fix had occurred and an investigation was subsequently commenced. Walker and teammates Carlo Munzi and Robert McDonald were found to be involved with the point shaving plot after having been instructed to win the Niagara game by less than the predicted seven points following a payment from New York gambler Eli Klukofski, who had been involved in other fixes.[1][6] The three Toledo players had turned down opportunities to point shave previous games against the Michigan Wolverines, Illinois Fighting Illini and Denver Pioneers as it "meant too much for them and the school" to defeat those teams.[6] For the Niagara game, Walker received $1,750 from Klukofski and gave $250 each to Munzi and McDonald.[6] No charges were formally placed against Walker and his teammates as the state of Ohio had no laws dealing with sports bribery.[6]

Prior to enrolling at Toledo, Walker had served in the United States Navy.[1] Walker graduated from Toledo just six weeks before the accusal; he was 25 years old, was married and had fathered one son at the time.[1] Walker showed remorse for his involvement in the scandal. In a July 29, 1951 issue of The Toledo Blade, he was quoted "In the end all this scandal will help a lot of kids and a lot of schools. My own boy will never make the same mistake I did."[5]

See also

References
  1. Rosen, Charley (1999). Scandals of '51: How the Gamblers Almost Killed College Basketball (1st ed.). New York, NY: Seven Stories Press. pp. 147–151. ISBN 1-888363-91-6.
  2. "William Walker career". FanBase. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  3. "2010–11 NCAA Men's Basketball Records" (PDF). 2010–11 NCAA Men's Basketball Media Guide. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  4. "Toledo Trio Latest Confessed Fixers in Basketball Scandal", The Milwaukee Journal: 6, July 25, 1951
  5. Rothman, Seymour (July 29, 1951). "Gambler Warned to Lay off Bush". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  6. "Three Toledo Players Admit $1,750 Payoff In Basketball 'Fix'". Madera Tribune. 25 July 1951. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
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