Red Klotz

Louis Herman "Red" Klotz (October 21, 1920 – July 12, 2014)[1] was an American professional basketball player. He was a National Basketball Association (NBA) point guard with the original Baltimore Bullets, and he was best known for forming the teams that play against and tour with the Harlem Globetrotters: the Washington Generals and the New York Nationals. He was the oldest-living NBA world champion.

Red Klotz
Personal information
Born(1920-10-21)October 21, 1920
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedJuly 12, 2014(2014-07-12) (aged 93)
Margate City, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Listed weight150 lb (68 kg)
Career information
High schoolSouth Philadelphia
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeVillanova (1940–1942)
Playing career1942–1989
PositionPoint guard
Number20
Career history
1942–1947Philadelphia Sphas
1947–1948Baltimore Bullets
1953–1989Washington Generals
Career highlights and awards

Over Klotz's professional basketball career, he coached or played in over 14,000 games during eight decades and in over 100 countries.

Early life

Klotz was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a Jewish family.[2][3] He began playing basketball at age 12.[4] He attended South Philadelphia High School where he led the school team to city basketball championships in 1939 and 1940, both times earning Philadelphia Player of the Year honors.[4]

He attended Villanova University on an athletic scholarship, playing on the undefeated freshman basketball team.[4] He left college for World War II, serving stateside.[4]

Career

Klotz "played for a number of teams in those early and turbulent days of professional basketball", according to Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated.[4] Klotz played with the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association (the Philadelphia Sphas) of the American Basketball League (ABL) as a point guard in the 1940s. In an exhibition game, the Sphas defeated the Harlem Globetrotters , Klotz's first game against them.[5] He played with the Sphas until 1947.[5]

Klotz played during the 1948 season on the Baltimore Bullets team, the year they won the Basketball Association of America championship.[2] He played in 11 games, scoring 15 points.[6] He also played in six playoff games, scoring six points.

At 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m), he is tied as the fourth-shortest person to play in an NBA game,[5] and the shortest to play on a championship team.[4]

Washington Generals

Klotz played for the Philadelphia Sphas of the ABL until 1947; the team had beaten the Harlem Globetrotters on more than one occasion.[4] He later coached and managed the Sphas. In 1953, after playing on several all-star teams against the Trotters during their first international tours, Klotz was approached by Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein about having his team tour with the Globetrotters and play them on a regular basis. Klotz named his new enterprise the Washington Generals, in honor of Dwight D. Eisenhower.[2] From 1953 until 1995, the Generals played exhibitions against the Globetrotters, winning only two games and only one recognized by the Trotters, the last in 1971, and losing more than 14,000.[2][5]

Klotz played with the team as a point guard until the age of 68. At 50 years old, he made the game-winning shot for the New Jersey Reds with three seconds left in their final win. "The crowd wanted to kill me," he said.[2][7] In 1995 Klotz "disbanded" the Generals and formed the New York Nationals to take their place, to erase their record and "change their luck".[7] The team remained the Nationals until 2007, when they reverted to the "Generals" name.[8] The Generals remain a separate organization from the Globetrotters.[9] Klotz claimed the team still tried to win every game.

Achievements

Klotz was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He became the first non-Globetrotter to receive the Globetrotters' "Legend" award on March 10, 2007.[10] Red has stated he has lost over 13,000 games in his coaching career.

In 2009 the Philadelphia Sportswriter's Association presented Klotz with the "Living Legend" award, previously given to such Philadelphia notables as Robin Roberts, Chuck Bednarik, Harry Kalas and Wilt Chamberlain.

The Globetrotters inducted Klotz into their Legends Ring, the team's version of a hall of fame, in 2007. He remains the first non-Trotter so honored. In 2011, the Trotters and Generals retired Klotz's number 3 jersey and raised a banner honoring him to the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Klotz's biography, The Legend of Red Klotz: How Basketball's Loss Leader Won Over the World, 14,000 Times, was published in November 2013.

Personal life

Klotz was married. He attributed much of his success to his wife, Gloria.[11]

He died at age 93 in Margate City, New Jersey, where he had long kept his office.[2]

BAA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1947–48† Baltimore 11.226.333.61.4
Career 11.226.333.61.4

Playoffs
Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1948† Baltimore 6.222.667.21.0
Career 6.222.667.21.0
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See also

References
  1. Schudel, Matt (July 18, 2014). "Red Klotz, Who Led Basketball's Biggest Losers, the Washington Generals, Dies at 93". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC.
  2. Goldstein, Richard (14 July 2014). "Red Klotz, Beloved Foil for the Harlem Globetrotters, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  3. "Klotz, 'Red'". Jews In Sports. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  4. Posnanski, Joe. "A Basketball Carol". Joe Blogs. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  5. Rouen, Ethan (15 March 2004). "The greatest loser in sports is fighting for a second win". Columbia News Service. Archived from the original on 4 April 2004. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  6. "Herm Klotz Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". Databasebasketball.com. October 21, 1921. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  7. "The Generals changed their name from time to time, being known as the Boston Shamrocks, Baltimore Rockets, Atlantic City Seagulls, and the New Jersey Reds". Sports Illustrated. March 16, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  8. What ever happened to the Washington Generals Archived 2014-01-05 at the Wayback Machine, Harlemglobetrotters.com
  9. "Harlem Globetrotters Web Site FAQ". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on July 2, 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  10. "Klotz". Harlemglobetrotters.com.ismmedia.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  11. According to Author Tim Kelly's book, The Legend of Red Klotz. In September 2013, Red Klotz "Dedicated the book in the honor of his wife, Gloria. She made it possible for my success in the world of Basketball."
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