Path of The Hawk

Next time you'are at the Arizona Casino just outside Scottsdale, AZ., pay attention to the players at the $4-8 limit Omaha High-Low game. If you notice a tall, well-dressed black man wearing lots of gold -- he has the biggest hands in the poker room -- say hello to him. You just met Connie Hawkins, one of the most phenomenal basketball players to ever perform with the NBA.

The Hawk, as Connie is fondly known by his fans, works for the Phoenix Suns front office these days after retiring from pro basketball in 1972. I didn't know who Connie was or what he had done on America's NBA courts when I met him.

We were playing $4-8 Omaha with a kill. It can be a very exciting and quite lucrative game for a skilled player who has a little luck. But you had better have a hefty bankroll to cover those violent money swings. Otherwise the game can get expensive.

That particular evening I experienced big swings -- one minute being up $200, the next being down by the same amount. But I noticed with a bit of aggravation that the tall gentleman with the big hands and wearing a gold rope was doing well adding to his chips.

His hands amazed me. They seemed to be twice the size of mine, but fit in well with his six-foot-eight-inch frame. The dealers and the cocktail waitresses were friendly to him and had a tone of respect in their voices when they spoke to him.

Hawkins was not a sensational player at poker. He rarely made any big moves. But I noticed he continued adding to his stack as the evening wore on. We began talking and when I told him I had once been a correspondent for Sports Illustrated and People Magazine, he smiled.

'David Wolf was a reporter for Sports Illustrated,' said Hawkins. 'He helped me write my autobiography, 'Foul.' It's about when I was falsely accused of shaving points in a college game.'

Connie secured a copy of the book, autographed it and handed it to me. The book was a well written account of his being born under the name of Cornelius Hawkins and learning to play basketball at Rucker Park, one of the toughest learning grounds in the United States.

He attended Boys High School and was named All City as a junior when his team went undefeated in 1959, winning the New York Public School Athletic League championship. The team repeated its undefeated record in 1960 and again won the title.

His height, strength and drive gave him a tremendous advantge over the other players and he averaged 25.5 points per game, . In one contest, he set a league record with 60 points.

Many colleges offered him athletic scholarships and he chose to go with the University of Iowa. During his freshman year, a point-shaving scandal erupted that involved his name. Police made several arrests including an attorney, and the upshot was that Hawkins lost his scholarship and was eventually banned from college basketball. Despite his efforts to clear his name, he was also blocked from playing in the NBA, a ban that lasted eight years.

Connie may have been nicknamed The Hawk, but he had the heart of a tiger. He signed up with the American Basketball Assn., a league that ran into financial problems and eventually folded. He even played for the clownish Harlem Globetrotters for three season.

In between games with the Globetrotters, he hired an attorney and filed a $6 million lawsuit against the NBA, alleging he had been unfairly banned from college basketball as well as the NBA. The case was eventually settled out of court for $1.3 million in Connie's favor.

After the cash settlement, the NBA assigned Hawkins to the Phoenix Suns. There he averaged 24.6 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game in 81 games. In the final game of his rookie season, he thrilled a packed house at the Phoenix Suns auditorium by scoring a stunning 44 points. He also had 20 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks and five steals.

When knee injuries began to plague him, the team reduced his playing time and Connie eventually retired from basketball. The Suns kept him on board and gave him a job in public relations and ticket promotion that he still holds.

The last time I visited the Arizona Casino, I spoke with one of the cocktail waitresses about Connie.

'He is one of the sweetest, most gentle off men,' she said. 'He treats everyone with respect. And he really loves to play poker.'

Get a copy of 'Foul' and read it. Like me, you'll be pleased that Connie 'The' Hawk Hawkins is still soaring.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter. If you have a unique gambling story to share with him, you may qualify for a cash award. Send your story with all the details to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).