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Wilt’s legacy: He’s still giving back

Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors holds a sign reading "100." (AP File Photo/Paul Vathis)
Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors holds a sign reading "100." (AP File Photo/Paul Vathis)Read more
    by Stan Hochman | Columnist
    Published 

The first winner of a Wilt Chamberlain Memorial Fund scholarship enrolled at MIT. MIT? Does MIT even have a basketball team?

"Athletics don't even enter into it," explained Barbara Lewis, Wilt's sister. "I don't think we've ever given a scholarship to an athlete. We look for good grades; we look for good citizenship; we look at volunteer work, giving back to the community."

Applications are available through the public-school system and through the Catholic-school system. The field is narrowed to about 100 and then a committee, which includes former Temple coach John Chaney, picks the winners.

It is a gift that keeps on giving. It's a vital part of Chamberlain's legacy kept alive by Steve Cozen, one of Philadelphia's leading attorneys and son of legendary basketball coach Sam Cozen.

"In the closet at my law office," Cozen says, "I have Wilt's warmup jacket from that 1967 team. And I have all those memories, too. I first saw him at Shoemaker Junior High. I told my dad about him, and he brought him to Overbrook High, put him through some drills. He was very gangly then, but also very athletic. He saw the potential. My dad asked Jackie Moore, who had become an All-American at La Salle, to work with Wilt. All summer long, every day, they worked at the Haddington rec center. By the time he got to Overbrook, he was a tremendous player. They played West Catholic for the city championship and West Catholic stuck four guys on Wilt. None of Wilt's teammates could make a shot that day, and West won the title.

"He wound up changing the game in the NBA. And now, he's still changing lives through the Memorial Fund."

Cozen teamed with Billy Cunningham, who played with Wilt on that championship '67 Sixers team, to create both that unique statue of Chamberlain and the Memorial Fund in 2002.

And now, 10 years later, there are 23 scholarship winners enrolled at places like Penn State and Johns Hopkins. Anyone seeking more information about the fund, or to make contributions, can contact Pat Dolan at Wilt Chamberlain Memorial Fund, Box 800, West Conshohocken, PA 19428.