George Levis

George Wynden Levis (November 22, 1894 – October 8, 1980) was an American college basketball player and coach during the 1910s and 1920s, respectively. He was a two-time All-American as a player while at Wisconsin from 1912–13 to 1915–16, and was also the Helms Foundation National Player of the Year as a senior in 1915–16. A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Levis decided to stay in his hometown for college, and while enrolled he also played on the school's baseball team.

For the French adult comic artist, see Georges Lévis.
George Levis
Levis from The Arbutus 1922
Biographical details
Born(1894-11-22)November 22, 1894
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedOctober 8, 1980(1980-10-08) (aged 85)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Playing career
Basketball
1912–1916Wisconsin
Position(s)Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Basketball
1920–1922Indiana
Baseball
1921–1922Indiana
Head coaching record
Overall25–16 (basketball)
11–17 (baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
As a player
Awards
As a player

Levis played the forward position and helped lead the Badgers to a 20–1 overall record and the Big Ten Conference championship in 1915–16, and that season would also see them retroactively declared as national champions by the Helms Foundation. Levis also led the conference in scoring as a senior: in 12 Big Ten contests he scored 109 points, which was unusual for an era of basketball in which low-scoring games were standard.

Levis was graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1916. In 1920, Levis became the head basketball coach at Indiana. He spent two seasons guiding the Hoosiers and compiled an overall record of 25–16, including a 9–12 record in conference play. He was set to start his third season as coach in 1922–23 but resigned during the preseason in order to work at his family's glass company in Illinois. It was at Illinois Glass Company where Levis was instrumental in helping to design the glass backboard, the predecessor to the plexi-glass backboards used in basketball today.

Levis also coached baseball at Indiana University during the 1920, 1921 and 1922 seasons.

Levis was born in Madison, Wisconsin. He died on October 8, 1980, at Columbia Hospital in Milwaukee.[1]

Head coaching record

Basketball
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Indiana Hoosiers (Big Ten Conference) (1920–1922)
1920–21 Indiana 15–66–56th
1921–22 Indiana 10–103–79th
Indiana: 25–169–12
Total:25–16

References
  1. "Former UW cager star George W. Levis dies". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. October 10, 1980. p. 18. Retrieved April 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com open access.

Additional sources
  1. Hiner, Jason (2005). Indiana University Basketball Encyclopedia. Champaign, IL: Spprts Publishing L.L.C. pp. 169–173. ISBN 1-58261-655-8. james kase indiana.
  2. Anderson, Dave (2006). University of Wisconsin Basketball. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 0-7385-4121-4.
  3. Kopriva, Don; Mott, Jim (1998). On Wisconsin!: The History of Badger Athletics. United States: Sports Publishing Inc. p. 33. ISBN 1-57167-038-6.
  4. "George Levis". BasketballHistorian.com. 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
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