By Mike May
If you were one of the thousands of people lined up along Wellington’s Forest Hill Boulevard during the 2024 Wellington Holiday Parade on Sunday, December 8, you probably saw the red convertible with the parade’s Grand Marshall sitting on the back seat. That tall, distinguished gentleman was former, 40-year Wellington resident Dennis Witkowski. He was the perfect choice as the Grand Marshall since it was the 40th edition of the Wellington Holiday Parade, which is an event that he founded, directed, and organized for its first 35 years.
Witkowski and his wife Maureen now live in Palm Beach Gardens in order to be closer to their grandchildren. But, part of their hearts and souls remain in Wellington.
Outside of being a parade organizer, Witkowski is well known in two other different pursuits: basketball and restaurants.
Back in the late 1960s, Witkowski was a college student at Fordham University in New York. In addition to studying for a degree, Witkowski used his 6’ 8” frame to play for Fordham’s men’s basketball team. He was a tall, strong and talented player. He’s still tall and strong, but probably not as talented, by his own admission. In college, Witkowski played in a number of big games against strong teams in well-known arenas around the country. As a junior and as a senior, he played in the NIT (National Invitation Tournament) at Madison Square Garden when it was a rival to the NCAA Tournament.
As a sophomore, Witkowski and his Ram teammates traveled to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to play the 10th-ranked Eagles from Boston College, where they defeated the Eagles, 85-81. In that same year, Fordham took a road trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to play North Carolina State University. Fordham prevailed, 65-63. And, on two occasions in his sophomore year, Fordham played Army and, unfortunately, lost both games. Army’s head coach at the time was future coaching legend Bobby Knight and Army’s point guard in those games was future collegiate and U.S. Olympic basketball coaching legend, Mike Krzyzewski, aka, Coach K, who led Duke University to five NCAA national championships during his long and decorated coaching career.
As a junior, Witkowski’s most vivid memory took place on March 19, 1968.
“We played the University of Dayton, led by Hall of Fame head coach Don Donoher, in the quarterfinals of the NIT in Madison Square Garden,” recalls Witkowski. “We had defeated Duquesne two days prior in the first round of the NIT and our team was on a five-game winning streak, but we lost a heartbreaker to the Flyers, 61-60. Their best player was All-American Donnie May. They eventually won the NIT, beating JoJo White and the Kansas Jayhawks in the final. JoJo later had a long career with the NBA’s Boston Celtics.”
In his senior year at Fordham, the Rams had a number of big-time wins – defeating Syracuse, Seton Hall, Connecticut, George Washington, and Pittsburgh. Another satisfying win came against Army on February 4, 1969 when Witkowski and his fellow Rams defeated the Cadets, 52-42, which were led, again, by Coach Knight and senior point guard Krzyzewski. Witkowski’s senior year came to an end at Madison Square Garden in the first round of the NIT when they lost to Louisville, 73-70. Not many people can say that their last college basketball game was played in Madison Square Garden, but, Dennis Witkowski, now 77, certainly can.
After graduating from Fordham in 1969, the most memorable part of his basketball career was on the horizon. In 1970 and 1971, he was a member of the Washington Generals (aka, New Jersey Reds, Chicago Demons, and the United States All Stars), the regular ‘opponent’ for the Harlem Globetrotters. Witkowski played against Frederick ‘Curly’ Neal and Meadowlark Lemon, two of the greatest Harlem Globetrotters of all time. He quickly became great friends with both Neal and Lemon, as they traveled, played, ate, and partied together.
“Being with the Globetrotters was like being a part of one big family,” recalled Witkowski, whose nickname was Wit. “There was a closeness to our group which included both teams, our referees, the public address announcer, and others.”
As a member of the Generals, he lived a ‘jet-set’ existence.
“In two years, I played in 500 basketball games in 45 states and 15 countries. We often played seven days a week and sometimes two games on a Sunday,” recalled Witkowski.
He will never forget the summer of 1970 which was spent playing basketball in western Europe. The tour included a memorable week in England.
“We played 10 games in seven days at the Wembley Arena in London,” recalled Witkowski. “Two of our games were broadcast ‘live’ on the BBC. People thought that we were the second-best basketball team in the world.”
On that same European tour, he’ll never forget the trip to Rome.
“In Rome, we played in an open-air arena under the stars in an old ancient Roman coliseum where the court was surrounded by statues of great Roman athletes,” said Witkowski. “The Italians love basketball. And, they loved the Globetrotters.”
After two years on the road, Witkowski came home to play more basketball.
He signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pipers of the old American Basketball Association (ABA). That didn’t last long as the Pipers soon folded. Then, he found another basketball playing opportunity in the old Eastern League.
After retiring from playing basketball, Witkowski transitioned into the restaurant business. His restaurant career has been longer and more profitable than his basketball-playing career. He got his start as a singing waiter at The Red Onion in Manhattan. Years later, his restaurant career brought him to Wellington where he was the original owner of Cobblestones.
Currently, he’s retired from a full-time restaurant career. He and Maureen are returning to gyms in Palm Beach County, as they now spend time watching their grandchildren play basketball games. Those venues remind him of his days playing against the Harlem Globetrotters as he whistles to the tunes of “Sweet Georgia Brown,” the theme song of the Harlem Globetrotters. But, don’t ask him to sing it!
For Witkowski, he’s still in the restaurant business as he maintains a controlling interest in the Stadium Grill in Jupiter.
Without a doubt, two of the most famous people that he met while playing basketball and owning restaurants were Wilt Chamberlain and actor Paul Newman.
“While I was playing against the Globetrotters, Wilt Chamberlain, who used to play for the Globetrotters, would stop by to play cards with us in the locker room. Wilt was my favorite basketball player,” recalled Witkowski. “And, when I owned Cobblestones, Paul Newman walked in with friends to eat one day. His closing comments to me were “Good chow, good chow.”
Thinking ahead, Witkowski would be the perfect choice as the Grand Marshall for the 41st edition of the Wellington Holiday Parade in December 2025, with a basketball and restaurant menu in hand.
