Julius Goldman
Encyclopedia
Julius "Goldie" Goldman was a Canadian
basketball
player.
A father of modern basketball, Canada's representative on the 1936 Olympic Basketball Rules Committee, Julius Goldman suggested the elimination of the basketball rule that called for a "jump ball" after every field goal
. The 1936 games marked basketball's first appearance in the Olympics. The Rules Committee agreed with Goldman (the lone objecting vote was that of basketball's creator Dr. James Naismith), and the game was forever changed. This rule change has been credited with modernizing basketball; speeding up the pace of the game, increasing scoring and making teams with shorter centers more competitive. In 1958, NCAA rules committee chairman Ed Steitz
credited Goldman's rule change as the most radical change in the entire evolution of basketball.
Goldman was born in 1910 in Mayesville, South Carolina to Lithuania
n immigrants Isaac and Rebecca Goldman. The family moved to Canada when Julius was two. Goldman captained and was the leading scorer for the Windsor Ford V-8's team that won Canada's 1935–36 national championship, qualifying them to represent Canada in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. However, Goldman's U.S. citizenship made him ineligible to play for another country, so he was made an assistant coach and appointed Canada's representative to the Olympic Basketball Rules Committee. The Canadian Basketball team won a silver medal.
(at that time Windsor-Walkerville Tech). After high school, he crossed the border to attend Detroit Institute of Technology
(Detroit Tech) from 1928-32. He was the national collegiate basketball scoring leader in 1932. He was named the top student athlete and a legendary college player. In total, Goldman's teams amassed 36 championships.
anti-tank shell during World War II that allowed the Allied Forces to turn the 1944 tide against Germany's "invincible" Tiger tanks
. He later worked as an executive with both Federal Engineering and Fisher Body in Detroit, retiring in 1965. He then resumed his teaching career at Oakland Community College
in 1970, teaching math until he finally retired for good in 1995 at the age of 85.
membership (98% or above on standardized IQ test)
1969 - Named "Official of the Year" (DCSA)
1973 - Named top student-athlete of the century (1872–1972) at W.D. Lowe Secondary School
1977 - Inducted to International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
1978 - Inducted to Detroit Catholic High School League Hall of Fame
1981 - Inducted to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
1981 - Inducted to Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame
1990 - Inducted to the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame
1991 - Inducted to Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player.
A father of modern basketball, Canada's representative on the 1936 Olympic Basketball Rules Committee, Julius Goldman suggested the elimination of the basketball rule that called for a "jump ball" after every field goal
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
. The 1936 games marked basketball's first appearance in the Olympics. The Rules Committee agreed with Goldman (the lone objecting vote was that of basketball's creator Dr. James Naismith), and the game was forever changed. This rule change has been credited with modernizing basketball; speeding up the pace of the game, increasing scoring and making teams with shorter centers more competitive. In 1958, NCAA rules committee chairman Ed Steitz
Ed Steitz
Edward S. "Ed" Steitz was an American basketball coach and official. He was considered the leading worldwide authority on amateur basketball rules. A graduate of Cornell University, he was a coach of Springfield College for ten years and a director of athletics from 1956 to 1990...
credited Goldman's rule change as the most radical change in the entire evolution of basketball.
Goldman was born in 1910 in Mayesville, South Carolina to Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n immigrants Isaac and Rebecca Goldman. The family moved to Canada when Julius was two. Goldman captained and was the leading scorer for the Windsor Ford V-8's team that won Canada's 1935–36 national championship, qualifying them to represent Canada in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. However, Goldman's U.S. citizenship made him ineligible to play for another country, so he was made an assistant coach and appointed Canada's representative to the Olympic Basketball Rules Committee. The Canadian Basketball team won a silver medal.
Playing career
Goldman was a four sport star (basketball, track, baseball and hockey) at W. D. Lowe High SchoolW. D. Lowe High School
W. D. Lowe Secondary School was a public secondary school in downtown Windsor, Ontario from 1921 until 2000.- History :...
(at that time Windsor-Walkerville Tech). After high school, he crossed the border to attend Detroit Institute of Technology
Detroit Institute of Technology
The Detroit Institute of Technology was a fully accredited, four-year technical college in Detroit, Michigan that closed operations as a result of economic recession in 1982.First called the Association Institute...
(Detroit Tech) from 1928-32. He was the national collegiate basketball scoring leader in 1932. He was named the top student athlete and a legendary college player. In total, Goldman's teams amassed 36 championships.
Coaching/Officiating career
From 1937 to 1950, Goldman was a math teacher, athletic director and basketball coach at his alma mater Detroit Tech. He led the basketball team to a 143-75 record. For 43 years, he officiated basketball and football for the Detroit Catholic Schools Association.Professional career
Goldman worked for Smith, Hinchman & Grylls in Detroit as a principal designer of ammunition. An electrical engineer with a Master's degree in business engineering, Goldman designed and developed the 155 mm howitzerHowitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
anti-tank shell during World War II that allowed the Allied Forces to turn the 1944 tide against Germany's "invincible" Tiger tanks
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
. He later worked as an executive with both Federal Engineering and Fisher Body in Detroit, retiring in 1965. He then resumed his teaching career at Oakland Community College
Oakland Community College
Oakland Community College is a community college established June 8, 1964 in Oakland County, Michigan. It opened September 1965 with two campuses - Highland Lakes, a renovated hospital in Union Lake, and Auburn Hills, a former Army Nike missile site in Auburn Hills.OCC is the largest of Michigan's...
in 1970, teaching math until he finally retired for good in 1995 at the age of 85.
Personal life
Goldman was married to Ann Goldman (née Warsh) (1913–1990). They had two children; a son Alan (1940- ) and daughter Nancy Kushkin (1944- ), and seven grandchildren.Awards
1950 - MensaMensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
membership (98% or above on standardized IQ test)
1969 - Named "Official of the Year" (DCSA)
1973 - Named top student-athlete of the century (1872–1972) at W.D. Lowe Secondary School
1977 - Inducted to International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
1978 - Inducted to Detroit Catholic High School League Hall of Fame
1981 - Inducted to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
1981 - Inducted to Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame
1990 - Inducted to the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame
1991 - Inducted to Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame