Willie "Woo Woo" Wong

Willie Woo Wong was a Chinese-American basketball player who was born and raised in Chinatown, San Francisco. Though Wong was only 5'5" tall, he excelled, and was known as one of the finest Chinese-American basketball players in his time. He was called Willie "Woo Woo" Wong, because fans would shout "Woo Woo" while he played.[1]

He starred at Poly and Lowell high schools in San Francisco before being recruited to the University of San Francisco (USF). After playing for USF, Wong continued to compete at various local and national tournaments as part of the San Francisco Saints team. Wong died at the age of 79.

Legacy

After Wong died, local residents successfully petitioned the City and County of San Francisco to rename "Chinese Playground" to "Willie "Woo Woo" Wong Playground".[2]

The University of San Francisco inducted Wong into its Hall of Fame in the spring of 2007.[3] Though Wong had died, Wong's family members accepted the honor on his behalf.

References

  1. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/04/13/SPGLEC7FUR1.DTL, San Francisco Gate, "Willie "Woo Woo" Wong, USF's little big man", Dwight Chapin, April 13, 2005, retrieved April 29, 2011.
  2. ^ http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=7f18511e410cdc2e72f06cb2b75a1899 Playground Named After "Woo Woo"
  3. ^ http://usfdons.cstv.com/genrel/012307aab.html USF To Induct Four Into Athletic Hall of Fame, University of San Francisco, "USF To Induct Four into Athletic Hall of Fame", January 23, 2007, retrieved April 29, 2011.