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| Harry Litwack | |
|---|---|
| Name | Harry Litwack |
| Birth date | June 5, 1907 |
| Birth place | Radomyshl, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) |
| Death date | October 27, 1999 |
| Death place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Basketball coach, player |
| Years active | 1920s–1980s |
Harry Litwack
Harry Litwack was an American collegiate basketball coach and former player best known for leading the Temple University Owls to the 1958 National Invitation Tournament championship and multiple postseason appearances. Over a coaching career spanning three decades he became a prominent figure in Philadelphia basketball, earning inductions into several halls of fame and influencing generations of players and coaches in the Big 5 and beyond.
Born in Radomyshl in the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine), Litwack emigrated to the United States with his family and grew up in the Bronx. He attended Stuyvesant High School and played high school basketball before enrolling at Temple University as a student-athlete. Litwack earned a degree from Temple University and later completed graduate work at institutions associated with collegiate athletics and Philadelphia coaching circles.
Litwack starred as a guard in amateur and semi-professional circuits in the 1920s and 1930s, competing in leagues and tournaments that included teams from New York City, Philadelphia, and other Northeastern markets. He played against contemporaries who later became coaches and administrators in organizations such as the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball League. His playing experience informed his transition into coaching at the collegiate level with exposure to tactics popularized by figures connected to Dr. James Naismith’s legacy and early basketball innovators.
Litwack began his coaching career with the Temple Owls program, eventually serving as head coach from 1952 to 1973. Under his leadership Temple won the 1958 National Invitation Tournament crown and made multiple postseason runs in tournaments that included the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and the NIT. His teams faced programs such as Kansas Jayhawks, Duke Blue Devils, Kentucky Wildcats, UCLA Bruins, and North Carolina Tar Heels during intersectional play and regional matchups. Litwack coached notable players who went on to professional and international careers and who later held positions with the NBA, ABA, and coaching staffs at institutions like Villanova Wildcats, La Salle Explorers, Penn Quakers, and Princeton Tigers. He also served in administrative and scouting roles connected to conferences and tournaments that shaped mid-20th-century college basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference sphere and northeastern colleges.
Litwack emphasized fundamentals, disciplined defense, and adaptability, reflecting contemporary trends from innovators associated with teams like Holy Cross Crusaders, Seton Hall Pirates, and Syracuse Orange. His approach influenced coaching trees that extended to assistant coaches and former players who later joined staffs at programs such as St. Joseph's Hawks, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Boston College Eagles, and Georgetown Hoyas. Litwack’s legacy is tied to the rise of Philadelphia as a collegiate basketball hub alongside the Big 5 rivalry, contributing to recruiting networks that included Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware talent pools. His methodologies were referenced in coaching clinics and symposiums attended by representatives of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Association of Basketball Coaches, and regional athletic organizations.
Litwack received numerous honors including induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame-adjacent recognitions and halls at institutions recognizing college coaching excellence. He was honored by Temple University with distinctions for his contributions to the program and was inducted into regional halls that celebrate Philadelphia and Pennsylvania athletics. National bodies such as the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and associations for former players and coaches acknowledged his achievements across postseason championships and career victories.
Litwack lived in Philadelphia for much of his adult life, maintaining ties to Jewish community institutions and athletics organizations in the metropolitan area. He was married and had family who survived him at his passing on October 27, 1999, in Philadelphia. His death was noted by regional and national sports media and by collegiate programs that celebrated his impact on mid-20th-century basketball.
Category:Temple Owls men's basketball coaches Category:1907 births Category:1999 deaths