Irving Torgoff (March 6, 1917 – October 21, 1993) was an American professional basketball player.
 Torgoff, circa 1946 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 6, 1917 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | October 21, 1993 (aged 76) Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Tilden (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College | LIU Brooklyn (1935–1939) |
| Playing career | 1939–1949 |
| Position | Forward |
| Career history | |
| 1939–1940 | Detroit Eagles |
| 1940–1946 | Philadelphia Sphas |
| 1946–1948 | Washington Capitols |
| 1948–1949 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1949 | Philadelphia Warriors |
| 1949–1950 | Trenton Tigers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editTorgoff was born in Brooklyn, New York, and played basketball at Tilden High School.
Education
editHe attended Long Island University from 1935 to 1939 and was a two-time All-American for coach Clair Bee. In 1939, Torgoff led LIU to an undefeated record and a National Invitation Tournament championship over Loyola University Chicago. At the end of the season, he was named the winner of the Haggerty Award as the top collegiate player in the New York City area.
Career
editAfter graduating, Torgoff played professional basketball with the Detroit Eagles of the National Basketball League, the Philadelphia Sphas of the American Basketball League, and the Washington Capitols, Baltimore Bullets, and Philadelphia Warriors of the Basketball Association of America.[1]
Red Auerbach, who coached the Capitols before gaining fame as coach of the Boston Celtics, said of Torgoff, "He was really the first player who became known as a sixth man in basketball. Torgoff was the kind of player who could come off the bench and was as good as any of the starters. He could turn a whole game around. He was one of the great players."[2] He has the lowest career shooting percentage of any player with at least 1,000 shot attempts at 24.6%. [3]
After his basketball career ended, Torgoff sold fabrics and yarn. He died of a heart attack in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1993.[2]
BAA career statistics
edit| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–47 | Washington | 58 | .273 | .730 | .5 | 8.4 |
| 1947–48 | Washington | 47 | .205 | .813 | .7 | 7.2 |
| 1948–49 | Baltimore | 29 | .253 | .768 | 1.1 | 4.6 |
| 1948–49 | Philadelphia | 13 | .292 | .875 | .9 | 2.7 |
| Career | 147 | .246 | .771 | .7 | 6.8 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Washington | 6 | .160 | .684 | .8 | 6.5 |
| 1949 | Philadelphia | 2 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 |
| Career | 8 | .155 | .684 | .9 | 4.9 | |
References
edit- ^ Entry at Jews in Sports. Retrieved on August 26, 2008.
- ^ a b Irving Torgoff, 75, a Star Player In Early Days of Pro Basketball. Retrieved on August 26, 2008.
- ^ "Player with Worst Shooting Percentage with a Minimum of 1000 Field-goals Missed in NBA History".
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com