Hall of Fame
Solomon, a native of Milledgeville, Georgia, and a graduate of Detroit Northern HS, was a two-sport letterman in basketball and baseball at Wayne State. He received letters in basketball in 1971, 1972, and 1973 seasons, and four letters for baseball in the 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973 seasons. During his career with the Tartars in both sports, he established 24 individual single game, season, and career records. On the basketball court in his freshman season with WSU, Solomon led the squad in seven categories and set three freshman records. During his next three season on the varsity, Solomon would set several season and career records for scoring and scoring average. He became the only Wayne State player ever to lead the Tartars for three seasons in points, scoring average, rebounds, rebounding average, field goals, field goal percentage, and free throws. In the 1971 season, playing 22 games, Solomon finished with 464 points, 21.1 scoring average, 322 rebounds, 14.6 rebounding average, 190 field goals, 50.4 field goal percentage, and 84 free throws. His junior season Solomon played 23 games, scoring 525 points for a 22.8 points per game average, grabbed 287 rebounds, a 12.5 per game average, made 204 field goals, hitting on 48.0 percent of the field goals, and made 117 free throws. Solomon's last year with Wayne State saw him set a new individual season scoring mark of 623 points and 26.0 scoring average in 24 games, both which still stand today. He also had 300 rebounds, averaging 12.5 per game, and made 241 field goals and 141 free throws. Solomon's senior year squad, under Coach Frank Gompert, finished 11-13, and Gompert would retire the following that season. Under conclusion of the 1972-73 season, Solomon was selected to the 1973 NCAA College Division Basketball All-America Team. Solomon's career records included a total of 1612 points, a 23.4 career scoring average, 635 field goals made, and a 50.4 field goal percentage. The first three of his career marks are still the standards for the current and future Tartars to surpass. His career rebounding total of 909 was third best in the WSU annals. Solomon was also selected as team MVP all three seasons he was on the varsity, and upon conclusion of his Wayne State roundball career, Solomon was drafted by the NBA's Detroit Pistons. On the ball diamond, Solomon also had a record setting career, setting marks for at-bats with 330, games played with 118, and he tied the record for most runs scored with 61. The 1973 Tartars, who finished with a record-setting 19 wins against 17 losses and one tie under Coach Robert Samaras, saw Solomon bat .325, second bet on the squad, and steal 19 bases. After the 1972 season, Solomon was selected to the Detroit American Amateur Baseball Congress League All-Star Game as centerfielder for the Detroit team. As a prep athlete at Detroit Northern, Solomon was an All-City and All-State player in baseball and football. Baseball was his prime sport, he was named twice to the All-State team while in the Detroit Baseball Federation. Interestingly, though Solomon's Wayne State athletic exploits are mainly remembered from the basketball court, he originally attended the University on a baseball scholarship. Solomon entered the Detroit School system as an elementary school teacher upon his graduation in 1973 with a Bachelor in Education. Single, Solomon resides in Detroit, and remains active in youth basketball and baseball. During the mid-70's, Solomon worked as an assistant coach for Samaras after the latter had taken over the reigns of the Tartar roundball program.
