Cecil K. Watkins (1929-2009) was a leader in sports and community recreation who was recognized nationally for his knowledge and success in establishing sports league programs and events for youth in major urban and suburban areas. His lengthy career helped to provide countless young people with outlets for growth and expression through participation in athletics.

Watkins was born in Harlem on December 13, 1929. In high school, he earned varsity letters in both baseball and basketball. After serving in the United States Army for two years, he married Valerie Morgan in 1963. In 1965, he co-founded Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities, Inc., a nonprofit community service organization serving the neighborhoods of East Elmhurst, Corona, and Jamaica. Watkins was the executive director, and according to the organization’s website, Elmcor is now “the longest, continuously-operating Black-led and Black-founded organization in Queens.”

In 1968, he moved his family to East Elmhurst where they lived for 10 years, eventually settling in Westbury, New York. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1975, and a master’s in 1986, both from Adelphi University, where he studied sports administration and management. His career included serving as director of recreation of New York City’s Department of Parks & Recreation, where he co-founded the U.S. Youth Games for the city. By 1978, he had joined the staff of the National Basketball Association, where he served for 18 years, working in various roles including observer scout, referee recruiter, assistant supervisor of officials, and director of community and special programs.

Watkins also served as governor and boys basketball chairman of the New York Metropolitan Amateur Athletic Union, an organization that develops and promotes sports programs for participants of all ages. He was president and CEO of the National Pro-Am City Leagues Association, a nonprofit community service organization that develops and administers sports league programs and sporting events in major urban and suburban areas across the country. Over a four-decade career, his work helped more than 1,800 student athletes in the New York metro area to acquire scholarships.

Among his many honors, Watkins was named the “Father of Community Recreation” by the National Recreation Association in 1970. In addition, he received the Queensborough President’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Basketball Congress International Commissioner of the Year Award. He was inducted into both the New York State and New York City Basketball Halls of Fame, as well as at Adelphi University and Elmcor. In 2007, he received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Adelphi University

He died on October 10, 2009, from complications from pancreatic cancer and was survived by his wife, Valerie, two daughters, and two grandchildren. Cecil K. Watkins Street is located at the intersection of 95th Street and Astoria Boulevard in his former neighborhood of Elmhurst and about a mile from Elmcor, the nonprofit he co-founded.