Lou Goetz - R.I.P.

Rutgers Targum February 1969

 I was greatly saddened to learn of the death on January 19th of  Lou Goetz, a three time Rutgers basketball letter winner and my long time friend.  Lou and I first met when we were freshman at Rutgers in the fall of 1964, he was the first of my many Rutgers basketball friends.  At the time freshman were not eligible to play varsity basketball so he played and I managed on the last Rutgers freshman team coached by Bruce Webster, a unique experience in its own right.  Lou had to sit out the following year due to illness, but he returned for the 1966-67 team and was a valuable reserve on the great Lloyd-Valvano led 1967 NIT team.  Lou started every game over the next two seasons and was an extremely important part of the 1969 NIT team.  For that season, Lou, at 6' 1," moved to forward where he always played at height disadvantage.  In spite of that challenge, his ability to contribute in ways that don't show up in the box score was a major reason why basically the same roster improved from 14-10 to 21-4.  In the process the 1969 team won 16 straight (the second longest winning streak in school history) and finished with the second highest winning percentage in over 100 years of Rutgers basketball (.840). 

 

Lou laying one in against Bucknell in February of 1968

In a February 1969 interview with the Rutgers Targum, Coach Bill Foster explained that even though Lou only averaged about six point per game he was invaluable because "he plays one way - aggressively."  The possible problems caused  by Lou's lack of size at the forward's spot, didn't bother Foster because Goetz "makes up for his lack of height with hustle."  Equally important was the fact that Lou was "one of the most unselfish players I've ever seen."  With those comments, it's no wonder Foster wanted to keep Lou around after his playing days were over.  After graduation, Lou became one of Foster's assistants at Rutgers and followed him to both Utah and Duke.  During the 1978-79 season, Lou and former Rutgers player and coach Bob Wenzel were on the coaching staff of Duke's NCAA runner-up team, a season immortalized in John Feinstein's Forever's Team.  Lou finished his coaching career as the head coach of the University of Richmond.

Lou with his (and my) longtime friend Steve Weinstein at the 50th anniversary of the 1967 NIT team

Lou's death brought back a lot of memories of our times together at Rutgers.  I remember a freshman game at Manhattan College played in a gym so decrepit that there aren't enough adjectives to describe how bad it was.  Suffice to say the scoreboard clock didn't go any higher than 10 minutes probably dating back to the days when college basketball played 10 minute quarters.  As a result the time was kept at the scorer's table for the first ten minutes of each half and then the scoreboard took over.  During a foul shot in the second half, Lou, who was on the court, asked me on the bench, "How much time is left?"  Thinking he didn't know the clock was working, I responded - "The scoreboard's working."  He said, "I know, but I can't read the numbers from here."  It was probably no surprise that not long after he began wearing contact lens.  In fact, it was his success with them, that led to my getting them, so among other things, I owe over 50 years of better eyesight to Lou.  

Lou with the late Dick Stewart (far left) and Jack Penhall

Four years later during a game against Dartmouth, then coached by Dave Gavitt, Rutgers put on one of those second half spurts that causes the other team to call timeout.  Caught up in the excitement, Lou ran from the floor into the huddle, yelling "Let's run them out of the gym."  It was an admirable sentiment, but since the "gym" in question was Madison Square Garden, his word choice was less than memorable.  Needless to say, he heard about that for a few days afterwards.  Later that same season we were playing a Bob Knight coached Army team at West Point.  If there is a worse experience in college basketball, I don't want to know about it.  Down late in the second half, Lou guarded the man bringing up the ball so relentlessly that he forced a 10 second violation.  It would be nice to say that it was the turning point in a Rutgers come from behind victory, but it wasn't.  A day or so later, however, Lou said me the play made him ask himself - "Why can't I do that all the time?"  In some ways that sums up Lou Goetz both as a player and a person.   He worked relentlessly at whatever he did, analyzed what happened and used what he learned to improve.  Lou Goetz was a credit to his team, his university and everything he touched - may he rest in peace.