Joe Reiff
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" Reiff was an American
basketball
player and referee. He was a three-time All-American
center
at Northwestern University
.
Reiff, a 6'3 (1.91 m) center from Crane Technical High School
in Chicago, chose to attend nearby Northwestern University
and play for Hall of Fame coach Dutch Lonborg
. Reiff led the Wildcats to a Western Conference
championship in his sophomore year. Reiff led the league in scoring with a 10.0 average. Northwestern finished 13-1 (11-1 in league play) and would later be retroactively named 1931 National Champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation
and Reiff was named a consensus All-American.
In his junior year, Reiff finished second in the conference in scoring to Purdue
senior John Wooden
. In his senior year, Reiff again led Northwestern to a conference title and led the league in scoring for a second time at 14.0 points per game. He was once again named a consensus All-American
After graduating from Northwestern, Reiff played for Rosenberg-Avery of Chicago in the Amateur Athletic Union
(AAU) and was named to the All-AAU team. He then became a basketball referee in the Western Conference from 1937-1947.
Joe Reiff was a charter inductee into the Northwestern athletics Hall of Fame, elected in 1984.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and referee. He was a three-time All-American
NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
The NCAA Men's Basketball All-American teams are honorary teams made up of those NCAA basketball players voted the best in the country by a variety of organizations.-History:...
center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
at Northwestern University
Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball
The Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference. Men's basketball was first introduced at Northwestern in 1901...
.
Reiff, a 6'3 (1.91 m) center from Crane Technical High School
Crane High School (Illinois)
Richard T. Crane Technical Preparatory High School, commonly known as Crane Tech Prep or Crane Tech High School, is a public high school in Chicago, Illinois. It is located at 2245 West Jackson Boulevard in Chicago's Near West Side community area....
in Chicago, chose to attend nearby Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and play for Hall of Fame coach Dutch Lonborg
Dutch Lonborg
Arthur C. "Dutch" Lonborg was an American collegiate basketball and football coach.-Basketball:The Gardner, Illinois native coached for 23 years at McPherson College, Washburn College, and Northwestern University...
. Reiff led the Wildcats to a Western Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
championship in his sophomore year. Reiff led the league in scoring with a 10.0 average. Northwestern finished 13-1 (11-1 in league play) and would later be retroactively named 1931 National Champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
and Reiff was named a consensus All-American.
In his junior year, Reiff finished second in the conference in scoring to Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball
The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball holds the record for most Big Ten Championships with 22, along with being the only program in the conference to boast winning records...
senior John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
. In his senior year, Reiff again led Northwestern to a conference title and led the league in scoring for a second time at 14.0 points per game. He was once again named a consensus All-American
After graduating from Northwestern, Reiff played for Rosenberg-Avery of Chicago in the Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
(AAU) and was named to the All-AAU team. He then became a basketball referee in the Western Conference from 1937-1947.
Joe Reiff was a charter inductee into the Northwestern athletics Hall of Fame, elected in 1984.