William Theodore Walton III

P0wderF1nger

I don't know much about basketball, but I stumbled across this obituary today. Bill Walton seemed like an all round good egg so thought he might deserve a place here.

" Bill Walton, a centre whose extraordinary passing and rebound skills helped him win two national college championships with UCLA ..... and overcame a stutter to become a loquacious commentator, died on Monday at his home in San Diego. He was 71."
"A redheaded hippie and devoted Grateful Dead fan"
"While at UCLA, Walton was arrested during a protest against the Vietnam War. He was politically aware of his status as a white player with mostly black teammates - "The blacks have gotten a raw deal for a long time" he stated after his arrest. "A lot of my teammates are black and I really admire the way they've risen above their raw deal. They're my friends and I feel for them. I know I've gotten twice as much as I deserve because I'm white.""

Pretty brave stuff to come out with in the early seventies....