Arrigoni Hall of Fame
For nineteen years Artie Wilkins served the athletic department at Iona as both a coach and administrator.
A Bronx native, Wilkins joined Jim McDermott at Iona in 1947, taking over the freshman basketball squad. It was a position he held for the next 19 seasons until his death in 1967. Wilkins came to Iona after teaching at LaSalle Academy and All Hallows High School, and used his skills as both a teacher and coach to guide the Gaels to 19 consecutive winning seasons as freshman basketball coach. Wilkins also assisted Jim McDermott with the baseball team, and eventually took over the team as head coach in 1963.
His final promotion came in 1966, just a year before his death, when Athletic Director McDermott named Wilkins an Assistant Athletic Director as well as baseball and freshman basketball coach.
Artie Wilkins died in 1967 leaving his wife Patricia and three children, and a legacy of students and athletes that will always remember him as a top-notch educator, both on and off the athletic field.
