It is altogether appropriate that Mickey Wittman has been elected to the

first class of the Nanuet High School Sports Hall of Fame, for he truly is

one of Nanuet’s firsts. As a member of a student committee, he helped

select “Golden Knights” as the school’s nickname, narrowly beating out

“Hilltoppers.”

Mickey led the Golden Knights to their first Rockland County Public School Athletic League (RCPSAL)

and Section 9 basketball championships in 1962. Earning All-County honors in 1961 and 1962,

the 6-foot-7 center led the team in scoring and rebounding and set what was then the RCPSAL record

of 82 free throws in 14 games. He was selected to two high school All-America teams.

Looking back, Mickey recalls, “Playing for a brand new high school was exactly the reason my basketball

career took off. There were no limits, and I instantly became a leader and ‘go-to’ guy on the court. I had

two great coaches—CharlieWalsh and Mike Achille—who always believed I would be able to play

Division I college athletics.Winning the sectional championship my senior year was something I never

will forget. I have always had a special feeling about my athletic training at Nanuet High School, which

enabled me to have a number of colleges to choose from and the confidence to be successful.”

Basketball was Mickey’s best sport, but not the only one at which he excelled. On Nanuet’s first football

team, the 1960 unit, he lined up as a split end and played defensive back. As a right-handed pitcher for

the baseball team, Mickey led the team in strikeouts and victories and was named All-County in 1962.

Another first: Mickey was the first Nanuet athlete to earn All-County honors in two sports.

Upon graduation, he attended Los Angeles State, where he averaged more than 30 points per game playing

college basketball. In 1963, Mickey transferred to the University of Miami, where he became the

third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder in school history. He averaged 21.8 points per game

(ppg) as a junior, and as a senior ranked 18th in the nation with a scoring average of 22.3 ppg. While

scoring more than 30 points three times and more than 20 points 16 times, his senior year was highlighted

by a 45-point game against Oklahoma City.

Taken by the St. Louis Hawks in the third round—the 54th selection overall—in the 1966 NBA draft,

Mickey was the team’s last cut at the end of the preseason. First playing in Europe and South America,

and then returning to the United States, Mickey was an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) All-America

selection for the Phillips 66ers, a team composed of players representing the Phillips Oil Company in the

U.S. Industrial League. Earning an invitation to the 1968 U.S. Olympic basketball team trials, Mickey

suffered a broken arm and broken thumb, accidents that ended his basketball career.

Retired today after a successful 30-year career responsible for coordinating the Goodyear Blimp’s television

coverage, Mickey lives in St. Joseph, Mich., with his wife, Susan, and daughters Alex and Colby.

MickeyWittman Timeline

1958-1962: Attended high school in Nanuet, first two years at Highview School, last two years at the

newly built Nanuet Junior-Senior High School

1960 and 1961 seasons: Nanuet football team

1960-61 and 1961-62 seasons: Nanuet basketball team

1961 and 1962 seasons: Nanuet baseball team

1962-63 season: Los Angeles State basketball team

1963-64 through 1965-66 seasons: University of Miami basketball team

1966: Drafted by St. Louis Hawks of the NBA

1966-67 season: Gulf Oil basketball team in Europe and South America

1967-68 season: Phillips 66 basketball team in U.S. Industrial League

1968: U.S. Olympic basketball team trials

1968: Began 30-year career with Goodyear Blimp

Statistics and Awards

1960-61, Nanuet basketball: team leader in scoring and rebounding; RCPSAL leader in rebounding; All-

County center

1961, Nanuet baseball: team leader in victories and strikeouts

1961-62, Nanuet basketball: team leader in scoring and rebounding, team won RCPSAL and Section 9

championships; RCPSAL leader in rebounding; set RCPSAL record for free throws, 82 in 14 games; All-

County center; chosen to two high school All-America teams

1962, Nanuet baseball: team leader in victories and strikeouts; RCPSAL leader in strikeouts; All-County

pitcher (right-handed)

1962-63, Los Angeles State basketball: Averaged more than 30 points per game

1963-64, University of Miami basketball: starting center and teammate of Rick Barry, later an NBA star

1964-65, University of Miami basketball: starting center; averaged 21.8 points and 10 rebounds per game

1965-66, University of Miami basketball: starting center; averaged 22.3 points (18th in nation) and 11.5

rebounds per game; scored 45 points against Oklahoma City, scored more than 30 points three times and

more than 20 points 16 times; honorable mention Converse All-America; played in North-South

NCAA All-Star Game; finished three-year Miami career as third-leading scorer and second-leading

rebounder in school history

1966, summer: Chosen by St. Louis Hawks in the third round (54th selection overall) of the NBA draft.

1967-68, Phillips 66 basketball team in U.S. Industrial League: Amateur Athletic Union All-America

1968, spring: Invitation to U.S. Olympic basketball team trials.