Kansas City, Mo. - Former Springfield College graduates, men's basketball head coaches and athletic administrators Dr. Edward Steitz '48 and Charlie Brock '76 G'80 have been selected for prestigious honors from the Small College Basketball organization.
Steitz, who coached the Springfield College men's basketball program from 1956-66, was selected for induction into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2023, while Brock, who coached the Pride from 1998-2021, was selected to receive the Larry Smith Award.
The Larry Smith Award is presented annually to a former Small College Basketball player who has used the game of basketball to learn and apply life lessons that have significantly enhanced their life and then given back to impact the lives of others and change the world for good.
Steitz spent his entire career on Alden Street, the same place at which James Naismith invented the game of basketball. He earned his Master's and Doctoral degrees at Springfield College, taught there beginning in 1948 and served as the college's Athletic Director for 33 years before retiring in 1990.
Steitz was one of the founders of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which began operation in 1959, and was elected into the Hall in 1984. He was also enshrined as a contributor in the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Hall of Fame in 2007 and the USA Basketball's Edward S. Steitz award was created in his honor in 1991 to recognize individuals for their valuable contributions to international basketball.
Steitz was the editor of the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee from 1968 until 1990 as he was considered the worldwide authority for amateur basketball rules and wrote or edited 91 books and more than 300 articles for magazines and professional journals on the game. He was widely given credit for the introduction of the 45-second shot clock in 1986, the three-point shot in 1987 and for bringing the dunk back into the collegiate game.
Steitz was a co-founder of the Amateur Basketball Association, now called USA Basketball and was its president for ten years. Additionally, Steitz was a part of the executive committees for both the U.S. Olympic Committee, which he was the Chairman from 1964 and 1980, as well as the NCAA.
Brock, who is the first Larry Smith Award winner from Springfield College, not only made a difference on the court, but also in his teachings and relationships with others.
Brock's coaching tenure spanned 42 years and four institutions as he was one of 36 Division III men's basketball coaches to record at least 586 victories. Brock, who took three schools to the NCAA Division III Tournament twice, registered an overall record of 586-496 (.542 win percentage), and won 356 of those games at the helm of the Pride. He took Springfield College to the NCAA Championship Tournament seven times, including a historic trip to the Final Four in 2017-18, and coached nine student-athletes who scored more than 1,000 points while with the program.
The 2017-18 season was filled with plenty of professional highlights for Brock. He was named the President of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was chosen for the 2018 Glenn Robinson Award, which is presented annually to the top Division III coach in the nation, following Springfield's historic postseason run to the Final Four in Salem, Virginia.
A two-time New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Coach of the Year, Brock eclipsed the 20-win plateau six times throughout his career and earned his 500th career win on November 21, 2015 when Springfield topped No. 12 nationally-ranked Trinity College (Conn.), 80-69, in Blake Arena.
Over the course of his career, Brock served on the prestigious NABC Board of Directors, as well as the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee, which included a year as the National Chair during the 2009-10 season, ultimately selecting which programs competed in the 2010 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
Locally, Brock was the facilitator of the Springfield College Pride's Literacy Awards program, which is funded by the Springfield Office of Community Development. The purpose of this program is to promote the importance of reading to children, targeting first through third grades. While internationally, Brock also maintained a long tradition of Springfield coaches who lent their teaching skills to other countries traveling to Venezuela, Taiwan, Japan and Estonia to teach the game of basketball to its citizens.
For more information about the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame or the Larry Smith Award, visit: https://www.smallcollegebasketball.com/
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.
(Story courtest of Springfield Sports Information)