Former St. John's Basketball Star Solly Walker Dies At 85

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Solly Walker, a St. John's basketball star in the 1950s and the school's first black player, has died. He was 85.

The school said he died Friday but did not disclose other details Tuesday.

Walker played at St. John's from 1951-54. In his first year, he helped lead St. John's to the NCAA championship game, the first of the school's two Final Four appearances. In his last year, he averaged 14.0 points and 12.2 rebounds, both team highs.

He was drafted by the New York Knicks but pursued a career in education, becoming a principal at a Manhattan school. He was inducted into the St. John's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.

Walker was born in South Carolina and moved to Brooklyn with his family as a child.

Memorial services and a public viewing will be held Monday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Siloam Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, followed by a celebration of Walker's life.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)