An outstanding administrator, coach, ambassador and mentor, the late Wilbur “Pony” Wilson served 28½ years as the athletic director at Rutgers-Camden, from August 1969 through Feb. 1, 1998.
Wilson also served three stints as the men’s basketball coach, covering 18½ years and compiling a 187-275 career record. He owns 36 percent of the wins in the 59-year history of the Rutgers-Camden men’s basketball program, including the two most successful seasons in school history: 20-4 in 1974-75 and 20-5 in 1971-72. Both of those teams played in the NAIA District 31 playoffs, with the 1974-75 team finishing as the runnerup to Monmouth. Rutgers-Camden also went 19-9 in 1975-76, again finishing as the NAIA District 31 runnerup, this time to Dowling.
Wilson was named the NAIA District 31 Coach of the Year (1971-72) and the Rutgers-Camden Coach of the Year (1983-84).
Under Wilson’s leadership, Rutgers-Camden expanded from five varsity sports to as many as 14, opened its on-campus gymnasium and added women’s sports to its athletic program.
A three-sport star in football, basketball and track at both Haddonfield Memorial High School (seven varsity letters) and Virginia State University (10 varsity letters), he was the 1954 NAIA long jump champion with a record leap of 24-8-5/8. He finished third in the NCAA long jump, earning All-American status. He received his BS in Physical Education from Virginia State in 1955 and later added a Masters in Administration from Glassboro State.
Wilson was inducted in the South Jersey Track Club Hall of Fame (July 1985), the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame (Feb. 1989), the Virginia State University Hall of Fame (May, 1989) and the Haddonfield Memorial High School Sports Hall of Fame (May 1993). On October 15, he will be among the inaugural class inducted into the Camden County Sports Hall of Fame. He also was the first name enshrined in Rutgers-Camden’s Circle of Honor, Feb. 19, 2000.
Among his numerous other honors are the Herb Good Basketball Club of Philadelphia’s Outstanding Contribution to Basketball Award (1990) and the New Jersey track and Field Officials Association’s Official of the Year (1996).
Wilson passed away July 31, 1999.
