George 'Dutch' Newman
Birth and Death Dates:
unknown
Career Highlights:
A guard and forward during his three years at LIU, Newman joined the team as a sophomore in 1937 with classmates (and future All-Americans), Irv Torgoff, Dan Kaplowitz, and Jack Bromberg. Newman played in 26 games off the bench that year and contributed 53 points as the Blackbirds finished 28-3 and won the mythical New York Metropolitan championship. Although they did not defend the national championship they'd won the previous year, LIU was still considered one of the top teams in the country.
In 1938, Newman played a more prominent role for the Blackbirds and finished sixth on the team in scoring with 135 points (the five starters, including Torgoff, Kaplowitz, and Bromberg all finished in the top six in the Metropolitan area). LIU finished the regular season with a record of 23-3 and played in the first-ever national postseason competition, the NIT (National Invitational Tournament). In the first round, LIU played New York University, and lost the game, 39-37; Newman scored two points in the contest.
In 1939, Newman joined the starting line-up as a guard and reached the pinnacle of his college career, helping LIU to finish the year undefeated in the regular season (21-0). Led by their outstanding senior class (Newman, Togloff, Kaplowitz, and Bromberg were all starters), the Blackbirds dominated their opponents, outscoring them by an average of 19 points per game; Newman played in every game and scored 81 points, eighth on the team. They again went to the NIT and defeated New Mexico A&M; and Bradley to reach the final. In a battle of undefeated teams, LIU beat undefeated Loyola of Chicago (which boasted a 23-0 record), by a score of 44-32, to capture the NIT and Helms National Championship. Newman scored three points in the final match, and averaged 1.7 points per game in the NIT.
Origin:
unknown
Career Dates:
Newman played guard and forward at LIU from 1936-1939.