As a young man, the late Solly Walker had great prowess in the sport of basketball and, in 1950 became the first Black player at St. John’s University, where he excelled and helped increase the team’s presence on the national stage. Walker further shattered racial barriers in 1951 when the Red Storm traveled to the University of Kentucky for a game that he played despite the Kentucky’s coach’s threat to cancel the game.
After graduating St. John’s, Walker was drafted by the New York Knicks, but he decided instead to accept a teaching position with the New York Board of Education. Dr. Solly Walker, who died last year at the age of 85, went on to become a high school principal and educator.
On Sept. 21, Walker was honored with the Joe Lapchick Character Award. The other honorees were Jay Wright, coach of the 2018 NCAA Champion Villanova Wildcats, and Muffet McGraw, coach of the 2018 Women’s NCAA Champion University of Notre Dame. The Character Award honors the memory of the former St. John’s and Knicks coach known for his integrity and respect for athletes.
Knicks legend Mel Davis, who played at St. John’s in the 1970s, presented the Character award to Walker’s grandson, Curtis. Davis said Walker made a significant impact on his life.
“He took me under his wing,” said Davis. “The beauty of this relationship with Solly is he stayed with me during the years I was at St. John’s, and he counseled me. When I had to deal with adversity, he was the first one I called.”
Walker’s widow, Minta, said her husband held Lapchick in high esteem. “Solly was an educator; he also was a mentor to practically every young man and woman that he came in contact with,” said Minta. “He wanted to see young people further themselves. He worked his whole life to make sure they didn’t have limitations.”
In a beautiful circle of life, Curtis Walker has his own connection to the Lapchick family. He studied under Lapchick’s son, Dr. Richard Lapchick, earning his master’s degree in the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida.
“The legacy of Joe Lapchick and the legacy of my grandfather have helped pave the way of my life,” said Curtis, who works in business development at Minor League Baseball.
McGraw expressed her respect for Lapchick’s commitment to student-athletes. “It’s such an honor to be given an award with Coach Lapchick’s name on it because he represented the game so well,” said McGraw. “It’s humbling and gratifying at the same time to know that people care about things other than winning.”