St. John's University Athletics
SJU Mourns Passing of Hoops Star Harry Boykoff
2/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Boykoff graduated from St. Johns in 1947, but was one of the early stars of the basketball program under the legendary Joe Lapchick. In his first season on the team, he led the team to the 1943 NIT Championship, then the biggest college tournament in the country. That season, Boykoff led the team with 16.6 points per game and St. Johns finished the season with a 21-3 record. He was named the most valuable player of the NIT after scoring 56 points in three games. In addition, he was named to several All-American teams that year, including a selection on the All-America basketball team that appeared in The Sporting News, then the national sports newspaper. Boykoff also broke the Madison Square Garden record with a 45-point scoring spree against St. Josephs on February 8, 1943.
After serving in the United States military during World War II, Boykoff rejoined the team during the 1945-46 season. He led the team that year with a 16.5 scoring average and again the following year with a 16.7 mark. In that final season, Boykoff became the first St. Johns player ever to score 1,000 points. He scored 54 points against St. Francis on March 11, 1947, outscoring the entire opposing teams point total on his own.
Boykoff was a consensus All-American selection all three years he played at St. Johns.
He went on to play professionally in the Continental Basketball Association and then in the NBA. At one point, he was the highest paid player in the league, earning $15,000 per year. Boykoff ended his professional career with the Boston Celtics after the 1950-51 season.
Boykoff is a member of the St. Johns Athletics Hall of Fame and the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Bea, sister Molly and children, Amy, Randy and Terry.
