Holzman, "Red" (William)
Basketball
b. Aug. 10, 1920, New York, NY
d. Nov. 13, 1998
After a year at the University of Baltimore, Holzman played for Nat Holman at the City College of New York. He joined the U. S. Navy in 1942 and was with the Norfolk, VA, Naval Base team for two years.
Holzman joined the Rochester Royals of National Basketball League after being discharged in 1945 and the team won the NBL championship in his first season. The Royals moved into the National Basketball Association in 1949, when the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America, and they won the NBA championship in 1951.
A 5-foot-10 guard, Holzman was an excellent defensive player and a good play-maker. He played for the Royals through the 1952-53 season, then went to the Milwaukee Hawks as player-coach.
Holzman retired as a player after only one season but remained as coach. The Hawks moved to St. Louis in 1955 and Holzman was fired after the team lost 19 of its first 33 games in 1956-57.
After ten years as an assistant with the New York Knicks, Holzman became head coach in 1967. They made the playoffs for eight straight years and won NBA titles in 1970, when Holzman was named coach of the year, and in 1973. As a coach, Holzman emphasized a switching team defense and unselfish offense. The Knicks' unofficial team slogan was, "Hit the open man."
Holzman was replaced by his former player, Willis Reed, in 1977, but he returned to replace Reed early in the 1978-79 season. He retired in 1982 with an overall record of 696 wins and 604 losses. His teams won 58 of 105 playoff games.