Dr. Edward S. Steitz, widely recognized as the creator of the three-point shot in College Basketball, was very influential in the world of basketball during his career. He had many roles in basketball, beginning as the head basketball coach at Springfield College to being named to the Executive Board of the U.S Olympic Committee. In these roles, he left a legacy that can still be seen in the game of basketball today. Steitz was born on November 7th, 1920 in Beacon, New York. After graduating from Beacon High School, Steitz served as a member of the United States Army from 1942 to 1946. Steitz went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell which he followed with a Master of Education (1948) and a Doctor of Physical Education (1963) from Springfield College.

In 1948, Steitz began his professional career at Springfield College as a faculty member. He was appointed as the head varsity basketball Coach in 1956. In the ten years that he coached, his teams never had a losing season, and he ended with a 185-86 record. In 1965, he took the Springfield College basketball team in an around-the-world tour for the United States State Department, posting a 25-0 won-lost record. As well as being the coach of Springfield College, Steitz served and the Director of Athletics at Springfield for 33 years before retiring in 1989.

Steitz had a strong impact on the rules of the game. He served as the national secretary and editor of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee from 1967 through his death in 1990. He is perhaps best known as creating the three-point shot for collegiate basketball in 1986. He decided that, for the rule to work, that the shooter would need to be 19 feet 9 inches from the basket. He compiled statistics from 1980 onwards to support this rule change, claiming that 38% of the shots taken from the three-point distance would be hit. He was spot on when teams hit 38% of the three point shots attempted in the rule’s first year. Some of the other famous rules he helped enact were the reinstatement of the dunk shot in 1976, the elimination of the jump ball except at the start of the game in 1981, and the 45-second shot clock in 1985. For this work and his passion for game, Steitz was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.

Steitz continued his work in basketball, still serving as the national secretary and editor of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee, until he unexpectedly died on May 21, 1990 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. He was only 69, but had over 40 years of contributions to Springfield College and the game of basketball. Dick Vitale, one of the severest critics of the three-point shot as well as one of Steitz’s colleagues, remembers Steitz as a man who was “honest, had unquestionable integrity and a great love of the game of basketball.”

- Written and researched by Mikaela Corbett (Class of 2017), February 2017

November 7th, 1920: Born in Beacon, New York

1942-1946: Served as member of the Unites States Army

1943: Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University

1948: Master of Education Degree from Springfield College

1948: Joined the Springfield College faculty

1950: Appointed Assistant to the Director of the School of Physical Education at Springfield College

1954: Appointed Assistant Director of Athletics

1956: Appointed Head Varsity Basketball Coach at Springfield College (coached the team until 1966, posting a 185-86 won-lost record)

1963: Doctor of Physical Education degree from Springfield College

1964: Served on the United States Olympic Basketball Committee during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

1965: Directed the Springfield College basketball team on an around-the-world tour for the United States State Department (team posted a 25-0 won-lost record)

1966: Became Director of Athletics, position he held until1989

1967: Served as the national secretary and editor of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee (Served on the committee from 1967 to 1990)

1972: Served as Vice Chairman for the 1972 Olympic games in Munich

1974: He founded and served as president for the Amateur Basketball Association of the United States of America, now known as USA Basketball

1983: Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame

1985: Introduced the 45-second shot clock

1986: Introduced the three-point shot

May 21, 1990: Died at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA

- Written and researched by Mikaela Corbett (Class of 2017), February 2017