Christian Steinmetz
Steinmetz in Wisconsin uniform, 1905
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| Personal information | |
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| Born |
June 28, 1882 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Died | June 11, 1963 (aged 80) Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 137 lb (62 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | South Division (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) |
| College | Wisconsin (1902–1905) |
| Position | Forward |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
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College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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Christian "Chris" Steinmetz (June 28, 1882 – June 11, 1963) was an American basketball player. He played forward for the University of Wisconsin from 1903 to 1905. He was college basketball's leading scorer in the game's first 25 years from 1895 to 1920. He became known as the "Father of Wisconsin Basketball" and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961.
Steinmetz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1882. He was the son of Chris, a Milwaukee real estate man, and Frances Steinmetz.
Steinmetz attended Milwaukee's South Division High School where he was a member of the school's basketball and track teams. He led South Division to the state high school basketball championship in 1902 and was the state champion in the high jump that year.
Steinmetz enrolled at the University of Wisconsin where he was a member of the Badgers' track and basketball teams from 1903 to 1905. Despite his modest size at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and 137 pounds (62 kg), he became one of the greatest scorers in basketball history. One writer who saw him play wrote: "He was a human dynamo on the basketball floor. Possessed of an uncanny eye for the basket and a bulldog on defense, Steinmetz always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. He was to basketball what Willie Heston (of Michigan) was to football."
Steinmetz was credited with being an innovator in technique. In an era when the underhand, two-handed shot was the norm, Steinmetz often used a "one-hander." Steinmetz later recalled that the one-hander was "always good for three or four baskets before they caught on to it." He also had the ability to rebound or catch a pass and shoot while in the air, "a feat that was unheard of in those days." In 1958, Steinmetz told a reporter that the modern game was as different from the game he played as "hearts is from poker." He concluded that the biggest change in the game was eliminating the "center jump," in which there was a jump ball at center court after every score. He noted: "It makes basketball a percentage game. Whichever team is hitting for the best percentage of their shots wins. It used to be that the good team would get the ball again in the center jump and one team would pull farther ahead of the other."
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