Lenny Sachs
Lenny Sachs (1897-1942)
Teams coached: Loyola Ramblers
Loyola (IL) record: 224-129 (.635)
Overall record: 224-129 (.635)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 0
- NIT Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 1939)
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1939)
Awards:
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 1961)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1923-1942 | Loyola (IL) |
Lenny Sachs Facts
- Leonard David Sachs
- Born August 7, 1897
- Died October 27, 1942
- Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
- Alma Mater: American College of Physical Education (BA, 1923) / Loyola University Chicago (MA, 1935)
- Attended Carl Schurz HS in Chicago, where the star athlete earned eleven varsity letters
- Served with the US Navy during World War I from 1917-1919
- After the war, Sachs attended and graduated from the American College of Physical Education (later part of DePaul University)
- During his time in college, Sachs played professional football for the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals
- Continued his playing career after college, playing for the Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros and Louisville Colonels
- Became the head men’s basketball coach at Loyola in 1923, while still playing football during the fall
- Coached the Ramblers for 19 seasons, compiling an overall record of 224-129
- Was also an assistant football coach at the school under Roger Kiley
- Loyola was an Independent for his whole tenure and much of his career took place before the NIT and NCAA Tournaments
- His 1928-29 squad went a perfect 16-0, part of a streak of 31 straight victories spanning three seasons
- Did finish Runner-up in the second ever NIT (1939), falling to Long Island in their only loss of the season (21-1)
- Served as Loyola’s first athletic director from 1935-40
- Known for his innovations on both offense and defense, including a style that prompted making goaltending illegal in 1937
- Died from a heart attack in October 1942 at just 45 years old
Lenny Sachs Coaching Tree
- John Connelly (Loyola IL)