George Hotchkiss
Personal information
Born(1906-07-01)July 1, 1906
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
DiedDecember 25, 1989(1989-12-25) (aged 83)
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
NationalityAmerican
Career information
High schoolOshkosh (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
CollegeWisconsin (1924–1928)
PositionGuard
Career history
As player:
1926–1936Oshkosh All-Stars
As coach:
1936–1941Oshkosh All-Stars
Career highlights and awards
As player
As coach

George Henry Hotchkiss (July 1, 1906 – December 25, 1989) was an American professional basketball coach for the Oshkosh All-Stars in the United States' National Basketball League (NBL). He was the NBL Coach of the Year in 1940–41.[1] During Hotchkiss' tenure, the All-Stars transitioned from being a barnstorming team in 1936–37 to a perennial NBL powerhouse, winning four straight regular season division or league titles from 1938 to 1941, made four straight NBL championship series appearances in that span, and won the league championship in 1941.[1] He stepped down as coach after that season.[1]

As a player, Hotchkiss played football and basketball for the University of Wisconsin in the 1920s.[2][3] In basketball, he was named to the All-Big Ten Conference second-team as a senior in 1927–28.[1] He then played for the Oshkosh All-Stars prior to the formation of the NBL in 1937–38.[1]

In his post-basketball career, Hotchkiss was a self-employed insurance agent for Northwestern Mutual.[4]

Head coaching record

The below season records reflect Hotchkiss' tenure as head coach when the Oshkosh All-Stars were in the NBL. In 1936–37 they were still a barnstorming team and that season is not counted toward official NBL coaching records.[1]

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Oshkosh 1937–38 14 12 2 .857 1st in Western 5 3 2 .600 Lost in NBL Finals
Oshkosh 1938–30 28 17 11 .607 1st in Western 5 2 3 .400 Lost in NBL Finals
Oshkosh 1939–40 28 15 13 .536 T–1st in Western 8 4 4 .500 Lost in NBL Finals
Oshkosh 1940–41 24 18 6 .750 1st 5 5 0 1.000 Won NBL Championship
Total 94 62 32 .660 23 14 9 .609

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Marcus, Jeff (2003). A Biographical Directory of Professional Basketball Coaches. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 97–98. ISBN 0-8108-4007-3.
  2. ^ "George Hotchkiss of U. Athletic Fame Marries". Kenosha News. Newspapers.com. September 24, 1928. p. 14. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  3. ^ "George Hotchkiss". ProBasketballEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "Obituaries: George H. Hotchkiss". Oshkosh Northwestern. Newspapers.com. December 26, 1989. p. 12. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
Categories