Walt Walowac

Last updated
Walt Walowac
Personal information
BornMay 27, 1932
Logan, West Virginia
DiedOctober 23, 2022(2022-10-23) (aged 90) [1]
Salem, Virginia
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school Logan High School
(Logan, West Virginia) [2]
College Marshall University [3]
NBA draft 1954: 3rd round, 20th overall pick
PositionGuard
Number35, 20, 21
Career history
1954Milwaukee Hawks
1955-1960 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
Career highlights
Stats at Basketball Reference

Walt Walowac was a professional basketball player from Logan, West Virginia. [4] [5]

Contents

Career

Walowac was a two-time West Virginia All-State selection at Logan High School before joining then Marshall College in 1950. Over four seasons with the Thundering Herd (1950–1954), he averaged 20.9 points per game and totaled 1,982 career points, setting a school record that stood for 34 years, broken by Skip Henderson. [6] [7]

As a sophomore in 1952, Walowac was named First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference and earned a spot on the OVC All-Tournament Team. During his junior year, he averaged 29.1 points per game—still the second-highest single-season mark in Marshall history, and was named a Helms Foundation First Team All-American. [8]

In his senior season, as Marshall transitioned into the Mid-American Conference, he was eligible for All-MAC honors and earned First Team recognition while setting a conference scoring record with 26.1 points per game. That year, he also scored a career-high 44 points in games against both Ohio University and West Virginia Wesleyan. Within that season he finished 6th in the nation for total points. [9]

Walowac was selected in the third round of the 1954 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Hawks but chose to play in the National Industrial Basketball League for the Akron Wingfoots, from 1955-1960, where he was twice named an All-Star. [10] [11] [12] He was inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985. [13]

Personal life

After his playing career, Walowac moved to Salem, Virginia and married June, having three daughters, June, Dixie, and Julie. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Walter Joseph Walowac - Obiturary". Oakley and Sons Funeral Home. October 23, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  2. ↑ "WVU's Jacobs Recalls Old WVU Field House". West Virginia University. February 15, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  3. ↑ Antonik, John (November 9, 2008). "Golden Memories". MSN . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  4. ↑ Getter, Don (March 16, 1954). "Ten New Individual Records Set In Conference Cage Play". Bowling Green State University . Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Mar 15, 1950, page 5 - Hinton Daily News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  6. ↑ "Skip Henderson broke the Marshall all-time scoring record with... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  7. ↑ Perkins, Aaron (January 24, 2019). "Elmore Chasing Skip". 247Sports. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  8. ↑ Landon, Chuck (2022-11-16). "Chuck Landon: Rest in points, Walt Walowac". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  9. ↑ "DIVISION I MEN'S BASKETBALL RECORDS" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ "NIBL-Wally Walowac". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  11. ↑ "Mar 18, 1958, page 26 - The Akron Beacon Journal at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com". www.newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  12. ↑ "Jan 29, 1958, page 11 - The Wichita Eagle at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  13. ↑ "Walt Walowac (1985) - Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame". Marshall University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
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