Sachs, Leonard
Basketball
b. Aug. 7, 1897, Chicago, IL
d. Oct. 27, 1942
Sachs attended the American College of Physical Education and played for the Illinois Athletic Club basketball team that won 32 of 33 games and the AAU national championship in 1918.
He became the coach at Loyola College of Chicago in 1925. He's generally credited with inventing the 2-2-1 zone defense, with one player positioned in front of the basket as a "goaltender."
Loyola won 32 consecutive games under Sachs in 1928-29 and in 1939 the team reached the finals of the National Invitation Tournament but lost 44-32 to unbeaten Long Island University.
Sachs died of a heart attack shortly before the 1942-43 season opened. In 18 seasons at Loyola, his teams won 224 games and lost 129. While coaching, Sachs also played professional football from 1920 through 1926 as an end with the Chicago Cardinals, Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, and Louisville Colonels.