John Kotz (basketball)

John P. Kotz (March 27, 1919 – May 8, 1999) was an American college basketball player and early professional, best known as the Most Outstanding Player of the 1941 NCAA tournament as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers.

John Kotz

Personal information
Born	(1919-03-27)March 27, 1919 Rhinelander, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	May 8, 1999(1999-05-08) (aged 80) Elk Grove Village, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Career information
High school	Rhinelander (Rhinelander, Wisconsin)
College	Wisconsin (1940–1943)
Position	Forward
Career history
1945–1946	Sheboygan Red Skins
Career highlights
NCAA champion (1941) NCAA final Four Most Outstanding Player (1941) Consensus first-team All-American (1942) Consensus second-team All-American (1943)

Collegiate career

Kotz, a 6'3 forward from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1940 to 1943. As a sophomore, Kotz led the Badgers to the 1941 NCAA Championship and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He was an All-American in 1942 and 1943. Kotz left Wisconsin as the school's leading scorer.^[1]

He was inducted into the University of Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.

Professional career

After his standout career, he played professionally for the Sheboygan Red Skins of the National Basketball League in the 1945–46 season.