Hawkins had enough skill at forward to earn a scholarship from Notre Dame, where he became the first African American player in school history to be an All-American.
In 1987, the Los Angeles Dodgers hired Hawkins as Vice President of Communications, and he worked in their organization until retirement in 2004.
Away from sports he wrote poetry and had a weekly radio show in which he spun records from his vast jazz collection.
The Lakers selected him in the first round of the 1959 NBA draft, and he joined the team while it was still playing in the small, creaky Minneapolis Armory.