Harry Litwack
From Hoopedia
Harry Litwack (September 20, 1907 – August 7, 1999) was born in what is now Austria. As a child he emigrated with his parents and ended up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended South Philadelphia High School from 1921-1925.
He was the MVP and captain of the Temple team in 1928 and 1929. He then played for the Philadelphia SPHAs of the Eastern League and American Basketball League from 1930-36 and helped the team win championships in both leagues.
He began his coaching career at Simon Gratz High School (1930-31). He started coaching the Temple freshman team in 1931. He led the team to a 181-32 record over 16 seasons. He became the varsity head coach in 1947. He finished with a record of 373-193 and had only one losing season. His Owls went to 13 postseason tournaments and won the 1969 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title and went to the NCAA Final Four in 1956 and 1958.
From 1948-51, Litwack was also an assistant coach of the Philadelphia Warriors under Head Coach Eddie Gottlieb. Gottlieb was a mentor to Litwack, stretching back to the days when Gottlieb coached Litwack on the SPHAs.
"Gottlieb taught Harry not only about the game of basketball but the game of life," Litwack's widow said. "If there was one way to describe Eddie to Harry, Eddie was his guardian angel."
Litwack is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, and the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame.
