Red Holzman
Encyclopedia
William "Red" Holzman was an NBA basketball
player and coach
probably best known as the head coach
of the New York Knicks
from 1967 to 1982. Holzman helped lead the Knicks to two NBA Championship
s in 1970 and 1973, and was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1985. In 1996, Holzman was named one of Top 10 Coaches in NBA History.
, New York in 1920, to Jewish immigrant parents, as the son of a Romanian
mother and Russian
father. Holzman grew up in that borough's Ocean Hill
-Brownsville
neighborhood and played basketball for Franklin K. Lane High School
in the mid-1930s. He attended the University of Baltimore
and later the City College of New York
, where he played for two years until graduation in 1942. Holzman joined the United States Navy
in the same year, and played on the Norfolk
, Virginia
Naval Base
team for two years.
Rochester Royals
, which won the NBL championship in Holzman's first season. Holzman was Rookie of the Year in 1944–45. In 1945–46 and 1947–48 he was on the NBL's first All League team; in the interim year he was on its second team.http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:4RgyWTilxa8J:www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/6925/nbl.html+red+holtzman+rochester&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us Holzman stayed with the team through their move to the NBA and subsequent NBA championship in 1951. In 1953, Holzman left the Royals and joined the Milwaukee Hawks as a player-coach, eventually retiring as a player in 1954 but continuing as the team's head coach. During the 1956–1957 season, Holzman led the Hawks (then in St. Louis
, Missouri
) to 19 losses during their first 33 games, and was subsequently fired.
In 1957, Holzman became a scout for the New York Knicks
for ten years ending in 1967, whereupon he became the team's head coach for the most part until 1982. (Holzman's former player, Willis Reed
, replaced him as Knicks head coach in 1977, but Holzman returned near the start of the 1978–1979 season.) During this 15-year span as Knicks' coach, Holzman won a total of 613 games, including two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973.
In 1969, Holzman coached the Knicks to a then single-season NBA record 18-game win streak, breaking the 17-game record first set back in 1946. For his efforts leading up to the Knicks' 1970 championship win, Holzman was named the NBA Coach of the Year
for that year. He was one of very few individuals to have won an NBA championship as both player and coach. As a coach, his final record was 696 wins and 604 losses. In 1985, he was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The New York Knicks
have retired the number 613 in his honor, equaling the number of wins he accumulated as their head coach.
He lived with his wife in a home they bought in Cedarhurst, New York
in the 1950s. Following his lengthy NBA coaching career, Holzman was diagnosed with leukemia
and died at Long Island Jewish Medical Center
in New Hyde Park, New York
in 1998.
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 coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
probably best known as the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
from 1967 to 1982. Holzman helped lead the Knicks to two NBA Championship
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
s in 1970 and 1973, and was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
in 1985. In 1996, Holzman was named one of Top 10 Coaches in NBA History.
Early career
Born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York in 1920, to Jewish immigrant parents, as the son of a Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
mother and Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
father. Holzman grew up in that borough's Ocean Hill
Ocean Hill, Brooklyn
Ocean Hill is a subsection of Bedford-Stuyvesant in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Founded in 1890, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11233...
-Brownsville
Brownsville, Brooklyn
Brownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
neighborhood and played basketball for Franklin K. Lane High School
Franklin K. Lane High School
Franklin K. Lane High School is a public high school in New York City, United States. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education as H.S. 420.-Location:...
in the mid-1930s. He attended the University of Baltimore
University of Baltimore
The University of Baltimore , located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood at 1420 N. Charles Street, is part of the University System of Maryland. Through the Freshman Initiative or Lower Division Initiative, UB has transformed from an upper division university to a...
and later the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, where he played for two years until graduation in 1942. Holzman joined the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in the same year, and played on the Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
Naval Base
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
team for two years.
Professional career
Holzman was discharged from the Navy in 1945 and subsequently joined the NBLNational Basketball League (United States)
Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
Rochester Royals
Rochester Royals
The franchise that would become the Sacramento Kings initially started in the city of Rochester, New York, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League....
, which won the NBL championship in Holzman's first season. Holzman was Rookie of the Year in 1944–45. In 1945–46 and 1947–48 he was on the NBL's first All League team; in the interim year he was on its second team.http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:4RgyWTilxa8J:www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/6925/nbl.html+red+holtzman+rochester&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us Holzman stayed with the team through their move to the NBA and subsequent NBA championship in 1951. In 1953, Holzman left the Royals and joined the Milwaukee Hawks as a player-coach, eventually retiring as a player in 1954 but continuing as the team's head coach. During the 1956–1957 season, Holzman led the Hawks (then in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
) to 19 losses during their first 33 games, and was subsequently fired.
In 1957, Holzman became a scout for the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
for ten years ending in 1967, whereupon he became the team's head coach for the most part until 1982. (Holzman's former player, Willis Reed
Willis Reed
Willis Reed, Jr. is a retired American basketball player, coach and manager of basketball teams. He spent his entire professional playing career with the New York Knicks. In 1982, his outstanding record and achievements were recognized by his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall...
, replaced him as Knicks head coach in 1977, but Holzman returned near the start of the 1978–1979 season.) During this 15-year span as Knicks' coach, Holzman won a total of 613 games, including two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973.
In 1969, Holzman coached the Knicks to a then single-season NBA record 18-game win streak, breaking the 17-game record first set back in 1946. For his efforts leading up to the Knicks' 1970 championship win, Holzman was named the NBA Coach of the Year
NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966...
for that year. He was one of very few individuals to have won an NBA championship as both player and coach. As a coach, his final record was 696 wins and 604 losses. In 1985, he was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
have retired the number 613 in his honor, equaling the number of wins he accumulated as their head coach.
He lived with his wife in a home they bought in Cedarhurst, New York
Cedarhurst, New York
Cedarhurst is a village in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, New York, in the USA. The population was 6,592 at the 2010 United States Census. The village is named after a grove of trees that once stood at the post office....
in the 1950s. Following his lengthy NBA coaching career, Holzman was diagnosed with leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and died at Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
Long Island Jewish Medical Center shares the title of clinical and academic hub of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. It is an 827-bed voluntary, non-profit tertiary care teaching hospital serving the greater New York metropolitan area. The campus is east of Manhattan, on the border of Queens...
in New Hyde Park, New York
New Hyde Park, New York
New Hyde Park is a village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island.The population of the Village of New Hyde Park was 9,712 at the 2010 census...
in 1998.