This book was referenced in the book I just read about Abe Saperstein, and I was intrigued. You may not know the name, but if I tell you Red Klotz was a player, coach, and owner of the Washington Generals, you will now know who he is. Red won championships in high school, college, his professional barnstorming teams, and even the NBA.
He was hired by Saperstein after his non Generals teams almost beat The Harlem Globetrotters a few times, and it was mostly due to his shooting and his small stature. Later, when Red was a player/coach for the Generals, they did defeat them once. Red preached to the Washington Generals that we always try to win, but we also need to allow the Globetrotter entertainment to be top notch. Red even put himself in a lot of the fun things the Globetrotters did, and never got tired of hit. He just loved being able to the play the game of basketball. He played till the age of 68!
Klotz grew up in Philadelphia, and during that time, Eddie Gottlieb was a legend in the making for basketball. Gottlieb gave Red one of his first jobs as a player/coach of the Philidelphia Sphas. I saw a book about Gottlieb and I have put that on my To Be Read list.
One of the best quotes about Red was from Wilt Chamberlain, who played for the Globetrotters. “With Red, you lose on all counts. You’re supposed to pick on somebody your own size, you must always respect your elders, and you can never hit a man with glasses.”
Unlike some other biographies I have read, where the subject doesn’t want anything to do with this book, Red was heavily involved in this one and I really enjoyed all of his stories.
