Sport: Basketball Inducted: 1988 Country: United States Born: August 10, 1920 in New York, New York Died: November 13, 1998
When he retired, Red Holzman was the second most winning coach in NBA
history (Red Auerbach was number 1), with 696 victories in 18 seasons as a head coach, mostly with the New York Knickerbockers (613 wins). His Knick teams won NBA championships in 1970 and 1973 and lost the 1972 finals. Red was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986.
Holzman coached New York from December 1967 until his first
retirement in 1977. He returned in November 1978, continuing
through the 1981- 82 season. He also coached NBA teams
in Milwaukee (as player-coach) in the 1954-55 season
and in 1956-57 when the franchise moved to St. Louis.
Holzman was the NBA's Coach of the Year for the 1969-70
season. On the occasion of the NBA's fiftieth anniversary
during the 1996-97 season, the Basketball Writers Association
selected Red as one of the League's top ten all-time
head coaches.
A City College of New York (CCNY) All-American in 1942, Holzman
joined the professional Rochester Royals following four
years of U.S. Navy service during World War II. In 1946, the
510 Holzman made the All-League team, as the Royals became
one of the original franchise teams in the Basketball Association
of America, predecessor of the National Basketball Association.
Red was an All-Star member of the Royals' 1950-51 NBA
Championship team, wrapping up his nine-year Royals career
with the 1953-54 season.