Michael A. Saxe (December 22, 1886 – May 26, 1955,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player and coach. Saxe was the captain of the basketball team at Philadelphia's Central High School in 1906. He attended the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, where he played from 1908 to 1910, leading the Quakers to a 23–4 record and an

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight school ...

championship in 1908. He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...

in 1910, and served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was the first head men's basketball coach at

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

from 1920 to 1926, compiling a 64-30 (.681) record overall. His best season was 1925, when the team finished 10–1. He later coached at La Salle University. Saxe died of a heart attack at his home in Philadelphia in 1955.

References

Profile, jewsinsports.org, includes references New York Times obituary, May 27, 1955 (subscription required)
1886 births 1955 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players 20th-century American lawyers United States Army personnel of World War I Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Philadelphia La Salle Explorers men's basketball coaches Penn Quakers men's basketball players Villanova Wildcats men's basketball coaches University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Jewish American military personnel Sportspeople from Philadelphia {{1880s-US-basketball-bio-stub