Edward S. Steitz (November 7, 1920 – May 21, 1990) was an American
basketball coach and official, working for the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He was considered the leading worldwide authority on amateur basketball rules.
Early life
Born in
Brooklyn, New York, Steitz was a lived in
Beacon, New York
Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2020 census placed the city total population at 13,769. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area as we ...
. He was a graduate of
Cornell University before earning master's and doctoral degrees at
Springfield College
Springfield College is a private college in Springfield, Massachusetts. It confers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
It is known as the birthplace of basketball because the sport was invented there in 1891 by Canadian-American instructor J ...
. After receiving his PhD, he started teaching at Springield in 1948.
Career
Coach and athletic director
Steitz became men's basketball coach at Springfield College from 1956 to 1966 and then became director of athletics from 1966 to 1990.
NCAA
He worked for the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee as a secretary, editor and national interpreter from 1965 to 1990. He was involved in most of college basketball's major changes over the years, most notably the advent of the 45-second shot clock in 1986 and the introduction of the 3-point field goal in 1987.
He was also a longtime member of the NCAA executive committee.
International basketball
In 1974 he founded and served as a president for Amateur Basketball Association of the United States of America (ABAUSA), now
USA Basketball
USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympi ...
. He was a member of the Technical Commission of
FIBA. He was also a member of the United States Olympic Committee's executive committee.
Honors and awards
He was enshrined in the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
in 1984. In 2007, he was enshrined as a contributor in the
FIBA Hall of Fame.
Edward S. Steitz Award
USA Basketball's Edward S. Steitz Award was created posthumously in 1991 to recognize an individual for her or his valuable contributions to international basketball.
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References
External links
*
FIBA Hall of Fame page on Steitz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steitz, Ed
1920 births
1990 deaths
American men's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from New York (state)
Cornell University alumni
FIBA Hall of Fame inductees
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
People from Beacon, New York
Sportspeople from Brooklyn
Springfield College alumni
Springfield Pride athletic directors
Springfield Pride men's basketball coaches