Walter John Simon (December 1, 1939 – October 10, 1997) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. A 6'6"

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

from

Benedict College Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts ...

, he played seven seasons (1967–1974) in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

for the

New Jersey Americans New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

and

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...

. He appeared in the

1969 ABA All-Star Game The second American Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on January 28, 1969, at Louisville Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky before an audience at 5,407, between teams from the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. ...

, and he scored 6,414 career points. Simon is the only alumnus of Benedict College to play professionally at the ABA or NBA level. Initially undrafted by the NBA out of college, Simon starred for six seasons in the minor league

Eastern Professional Basketball League The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...

for the Allentown Jets before moving to the ABA. In the Eastern League, Simon was named league MVP in 1964 and averaged 24.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game over his 167-game EPBL career - leading the league in scoring once (1964–65) and finishing second in scoring twice (1963–64 and 1966–67). After retiring from basketball, he went on to work for

John Y. Brown, Jr. John Young Brown Jr. (December 28, 1933 – November 22, 2022) was an American politician, entrepreneur, and businessman from Kentucky. He served as the 55th governor of Kentucky from 1979 to 1983, and built Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) into a ...

(who had owned the Kentucky Colonels with his wife, Ellie Brown) at

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...

. Simon became the first black Vice President of a Fortune 500 Company. Born in

Delcambre, Louisiana Delcambre is a town in Iberia and Vermilion parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located east of Abbeville on Louisiana Highway 14 in the Cajun Heartland of Acadiana. Bayou Carlin, also known as the Delcambre Canal, passes through the town ...

, Simon left a wife, Marge Simon, and three children: Michael, Chris, and Geanai.Walt Simon, 56, Star Player in the A.B.A.
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References

External links

Minor League Stats
1939 births 1997 deaths Allentown Jets players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Louisiana Benedict Tigers men's basketball players New Jersey Americans players New York Nets players Kentucky Colonels players People from Delcambre, Louisiana {{Louisville-stub