Julius Goldman

Lore & Background

During World War II, Goldman worked as a munitions engineer at Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, where he developed ammunition for the 155 mm howitzer used against German Tiger tanks. After the war, he held executive positions at Federal Engineering and Fisher Body before retiring in 1965. He resumed teaching math at Oakland Community College in 1970 and continued until 1995. For 43 years, he officiated basketball and football for the Detroit Catholic Schools Association. Goldman was inducted into multiple halls of fame, including the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Reader's Guide

Julius Goldman's significance lies in a single rule change that transformed basketball from a slow, jump-ball-dominated game into the fast-paced sport known today. His suggestion to eliminate the jump ball after every field goal, adopted at the 1936 Olympics, was later called 'the most radical change in the entire evolution of basketball' by NCAA rules chairman Ed Steitz. Beyond basketball, Goldman's engineering work contributed to Allied victory in World War II through the development of an anti-tank shell. His long career as an educator and official underscores a life dedicated to sports and service. Goldman's legacy is preserved in multiple sports halls of fame, reflecting his impact on both the game and his community.

Did You Know?

• Goldman's proposal to eliminate the jump ball after every field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1937, not at the 1936 Olympics.
• There is no record of James Naismith being the lone objector to the rule change; Naismith was not a voting member of the 1936 Olympic Basketball Rules Committee.

Athletic Versatility and College Career

Goldman's athletic journey began in Mayesville, South Carolina, where he was born in 1910 to Lithuanian immigrants. The family soon relocated to Edmonton, Alberta, and then to Windsor, Ontario, where he attended Windsor-Walkerville Tech, later renamed W. D. Lowe High School. There, he distinguished himself across four sports—basketball, baseball, ice hockey, and track. After high school, he crossed back into the United States to enroll at the Detroit Institute of Technology, where he continued his multi-sport dominance, lettering in football, basketball, baseball, and track before earning his Bachelor of Science in 1932. That same year, he led all of college basketball in scoring, a remarkable achievement that underscored his elite talent. His extraordinary versatility set the stage for a career that would span coaching, officiating, engineering, and teaching across both sides of the border.

The 1936 Olympics and a Rule That Changed Basketball

In the 1935–36 season, Goldman captained the Windsor Ford V-8's basketball team to Canada's national championship, earning a spot on the squad that would represent the country at the 1936 Summer Olympics—basketball's inaugural Olympic appearance. His American citizenship, however, barred him from playing, so he served as an assistant coach and was appointed Canada's representative on the Olympic Basketball Rules Committee. In that role, he proposed eliminating the jump ball that followed every made field goal. The committee adopted his suggestion, with only one dissenting vote: James Naismith, the game's inventor. The Canadian team ultimately captured the silver medal, falling 19–8 to the United States in a gold medal game played outdoors in a driving rainstorm. Decades later, in 1958, NCAA rules committee chairman Ed Steitz credited Goldman's rule change as the most radical transformation in basketball's entire evolution, praising its impact on pace, scoring, and competitive balance for shorter teams.

Engineering and Wartime Service

After leaving Detroit Tech in the fall of 1944, Goldman joined Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, a Detroit engineering firm now known as SmithGroup, where he worked as an ammunition designer. His most consequential contribution came during World War II, when he developed the 155 mm howitzer anti-tank shell specifically designed to counter Germany's so-called invincible Tiger tanks. This work placed him at the intersection of his engineering expertise and the urgent demands of the war effort. Following the conflict, he moved into executive roles at Federal Engineering and Fisher Body in Detroit before retiring from industry in 1965. His engineering career demonstrated a practical, problem-solving mind that complemented his athletic and educational pursuits, reflecting a broader pattern in his life of applying rigorous analytical thinking to diverse and demanding fields.

Coaching, Teaching, Officiating, and Lasting Legacy

Goldman's post-playing career was a remarkable tapestry of service. He coached basketball at Detroit Tech beginning in 1932, eventually guiding the program to a 143–75 record, including a 16–4 season in 1943–44. He also served as athletic director and head football coach from 1941 until his 1944 departure. Beyond coaching, he taught mathematics at Detroit Tech and later at Oakland Community College, where he resumed instruction in 1970 and continued until his final retirement in 1995. For 43 years, he officiated basketball and football games for the Detroit Catholic Schools Association, earning the title of Official of the Year in 1969. His legacy was recognized through inductions into numerous halls of fame, including the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981, the Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Lawrence Tech Hall of Fame in 2017. He died on February 19, 2001, at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, survived by his wife Ann, two children, and seven grandchildren.

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