Walter E. Hirsch (July 15, 1929May 10, 2022) was an American college

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 (appro ...

player. He is known for winning three

NCAA championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and 1 in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps ...

at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

, and for being a central figure in the point shaving scandal that impacted American college basketball in the 1950s.

Early life

Hirsch was born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, on July 15, 1929. He attended Northridge High School in his hometown, where he received All-Ohio honors, and was part of the school's basketball team that won the Class B state championship in 1945.

College career

After graduating from high school in 1947, Hirsch was awarded a scholarship to study at the

. There he played for the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

under future

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

coach

Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed the "Baron of the Bluegrass", he coached the University of Kentucky Wildcats to four NCAA Division I men's basketball tournam ...

. During his time at UK, Hirsch was a part of three championship teams, in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

and

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

. As a freshman in 1947–48, Hirsch appeared in 13 regular-season games for the Wildcats. As a sophomore and junior, Hirsch moved into the Wildcats regular rotation, and as a senior was the captain of UK's 1950–51 championship team. While he made the SEC All-

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

team in 1951, he was declared ineligible for the 1951 NCAA tournament as he was a fourth year varsity player (prohibited at that time). After his career was over, Hirsch became embroiled in a

point shaving In organized sports, point shaving is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to change the final score of a game without the intention of changing who wins. This is typically done by players colluding with gamblers to prevent a team fr ...

scandal that implicated players from seven different schools across the nation. Hirsch, along with former UK teammates

Bill Spivey William Edwin Spivey (March 19, 1929 – May 8, 1995) was an American basketball player. A center, he played college basketball for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Kentucky Wildcats from 1949 to 1951. After his high school ...

and Jim Line, was accused of taking money to affect the outcome of several games during the 1950–51 season. Hirsch and Line admitted to shaving points and implicated Spivey as well. However, Hirsch was never formally charged. Hirsch's involvement with gamblers led to a ban from

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

for the promising

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

prospect. He was coming off a strong 1952 season for the Danville Dans of the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League, but Minor League president

George Trautman George M. "Red" Trautman (January 11, 1890 – June 25, 1963) was an American baseball executive and college men's basketball coach. Ohio State As an undergraduate at the Ohio State University, Trautman was a three-sport letterwinner in footba ...

(a former college basketball coach himself at

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

) declared him permanently banned from minor league baseball.

Personal life

Hirsch married Vicki Pals in October 1960. They met while he was working in

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

, and remained married until her death. Together, they had two children: Pam and Nancy. Hirsch joined the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

after completing his studies at Kentucky and served from 1952 to 1954. Upon his return from military service, he was employed by the

Rath Packing Company The Rath Packing Company was a meatpacking company located in Waterloo, Iowa, between 1891 and 1985. Background George John Rath (variously referred to as George Rath and John George Rath) was born in 1821 in Breitenau, Württemberg province, Ge ...

. He died on May 10, 2022, in

Mason City, Iowa Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mason City is known for its musical heritage, a significant ...

. He was 92, and suffered from a brief unspecified illness prior to his death.

References

External links

College statisticsMinor League baseball statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, Walter 1929 births 2022 deaths American men's basketball players Banned NBA players Basketball players from Dayton, Ohio Danville Dans players Forwards (basketball) Kentucky Wildcats baseball players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Military personnel from Dayton, Ohio 20th-century American sportsmen