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 stats
UW 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