Walter Hirsch

Walter E. Hirsch (July 15, 1929 – May 10, 2022) was an American college basketball player. He is known for winning three NCAA championships at the University of Kentucky, and for being a central figure in the point shaving scandal that impacted American college basketball in the 1950s.

Early life Hirsch was born in Dayton, Ohio, on July 15, 1929. He attended Northridge High School in his hometown, and was part of the school's basketball team that won the Class B state championship in 1945.

After his career was over, Hirsch became embroiled in a point shaving scandal that implicated players from seven different schools across the nation. Hirsch, along with former UK teammates Bill Spivey and Jim Line, was accused of taking money to affect the outcome of several games during the 1950–51 season. Hirsch and Line admitted to shaving points and implicated Spivey as well. However, Hirsch was never formally charged.

Hirsch's involvement with gamblers led to a ban from minor league baseball for the promising first baseman prospect. He was coming off a strong 1952 season for the Danville Dans of the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League, but Minor League president George Trautman (a former college basketball coach himself at Ohio State) declared him permanently banned from minor league baseball.

Personal life Hirsch married Vicki Pals in October 1960. They met while he was working in Waterloo, Iowa,