John Kotz (March 27, 1919 – May 8, 1999) was an American collegiate

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and early professional, best known as the Most Outstanding Player of the 1941 NCAA tournament as a member of the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

Collegiate career

Kotz, a 6'3 forward from

Rhinelander, Wisconsin Rhinelander is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, Wisconsin, Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,285 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The area that eventually became the city of Rhine ...

, played collegiately at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

from 1940 to 1943. As a sophomore, Kotz led the Badgers to the 1941 NCAA Championship and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He was an All-American in

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

and

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

. Kotz left Wisconsin as the school's leading scorer.2008-09 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball record book

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, retrieved 2009-09-19 He was inducted into the University of Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.

Professional career

After his standout career, he played professionally for the

Sheboygan Red Skins The Sheboygan Red Skins (or Redskins) was a professional basketball team based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which was an original National Basketball Association franchise during the 1949–1950 season. History Overview The Redskins played in th ...

of the National Basketball League in the 1945-46 season.

References

External links

NBL statsUW Athletics Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotz, John 1919 births 1999 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Wisconsin Forwards (basketball) People from Rhinelander, Wisconsin Sheboygan Red Skins players Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players