About Red Klotz
Lived 1921 – 2014 (aged 92). Red Klotz was an American basketball player and basketball coach.
Louis Herman "Red" Klotz (October 21, 1920 – July 12, 2014) He began playing basketball at age 12. He also played in six playoff games, scoring six points.
At , he is tied as the fourth-shortest person to play in an NBA game, and the shortest to play on a championship team.
Washington Generals Klotz played for the Philadelphia Sphas of the ABL until 1947; the team had beaten the Harlem Globetrotters on more than one occasion. In 1995 Klotz "disbanded" the Generals and formed the New York Nationals to take their place, to erase their record and "change their luck". The Generals remained a separate organization from the Globetrotters until 2017, three years after the passing of Klotz. Klotz claimed the team still tried to win every game.
Achievements Klotz was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He became the first non-Globetrotter to receive the Globetrotters' "Legend" award on March 10, 2007. Red has stated he has lost over 13,000 games in his coaching career.
In 2009 the Philadelphia Sportswriter's Association presented Klotz with the "Living Legend" award, previously given to such Philadelphia notables as Robin Roberts, Chuck Bednarik, Harry Kalas and Wilt Chamberlain.
The Globetrotters inducted Klotz into their Legends Ring, the team's version of a hall of fame, in 2007. He remains the first non-Trotter so honored. In 2011, the Trotters and Generals retired Klotz's number 3 jersey and raised a banner honoring him to the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Klotz's biography, The Legend of Red Klotz: How Basketball's Loss Leader Won Over the World, 14,000 Times, was published in November 2013.
Personal life Klotz was married. He attributed much of his success to his wife, Gloria.
He died at age 93 in Margate City, New Jersey, where he had long kept his office.
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Important facts
People in Red Klotz's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Red Klotz's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Red Klotz?
American basketball player and coach (1921-2014)
When was Red Klotz born?
Red Klotz was born on 21 October 1921 in Philadelphia.
When did Red Klotz die?
Red Klotz died on 12 July 2014 in Margate City.
What was Red Klotz's occupation?
Red Klotz was a basketball player and basketball coach.
What nationality was Red Klotz?
Red Klotz was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Red Klotz. https://biography.guide/red-klotz/
MLA: "Red Klotz." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/red-klotz/.
Chicago: "Red Klotz." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/red-klotz/.
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