{{Short description|American basketball player (1926–1995)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Alex Groza | image = Alex Groza.jpg | width = | caption = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 7 | weight_lb = 218 | birth_date = {{birth date|1926|10|07}} | birth_place = Martins Ferry, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1995|01|21|1926|10|07}} | death_place = San Diego, California, U.S. | high_school = Martins Ferry<br />(Martins Ferry, Ohio) | college = Kentucky (1945–1949) | draft_league = BAA | draft_year = 1949 | draft_round = 1 | draft_pick = 2 | draft_team = Indianapolis Jets | career_start = 1949 | career_end = 1951 | career_number = 15 | career_position = Center | years1 = {{nbay|1949|start}}–{{nbay|1950|end}} | team1 = Indianapolis Olympians | cyears1 = 1959–1966 | cteam1 = Bellarmine | cyears2 = 1970 | cteam2 = Kentucky Colonels | cyears3 = 1974–1975 | cteam3 = San Diego Conquistadors | highlights = * NBA All-Star ({{nasg|1951}}) * 2× All-NBA First Team ({{nbay|1949|end}}, {{nbay|1950|end}}) * 2× NCAA champion (1948, 1949) * 2× NCAA Final Four MOP (1948, 1949) * 2× Consensus first-team All-American (1947, 1949) * Consensus second-team All-American (1948) * First-team All-SEC (1949) | stats_league = NBA | stat1label = Points | stat1value = 2,925 (22.5 ppg) | stat2label = Rebounds | stat2value = 709 (10.7 rpg) | stat3label = Assists | stat3value = 318 (2.4 apg) | medal_templates = {{MedalSport|Men's basketball}} {{MedalCountry | {{flagu|United States}} }} {{MedalOlympic}} {{MedalGold|1948 London | Team competition}} }}
'''Alex John Groza'''<ref>[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/grozaal01.html Alex Groza Player Statistics] Basketball-Reference.com</ref> (October 7, 1926 – January 21, 1995) was an American professional basketball player from Martins Ferry, Ohio. Resulting from the 1951 college basketball point-shaving scandal, Groza was banned from the National Basketball Association (NBA) for life in 1951. In college, he won two NCAA championships as captain of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, and was a two-time All-NBA player for the Indianapolis Olympians before his career abruptly ended.
==Early life== Groza grew up in Martins Ferry, Ohio and attended Martins Ferry High School. He was the brother of future Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Lou Groza.
Alex Groza led the Purple Riders to two undefeated regular seasons and to the Ohio state tournament both years, as Martins Ferry finished 24–1 in 1943 and 26–1 in 1944. In 1944, he scored 628 points, including 41 in one game, and was named first-team All-Ohio.<ref name="ovac.org">[http://www.ovac.org/HallOfFame/Details/31 Alex Groza] Ohio Valley Athletic Conference</ref>
==College career== [[File:Alex-Groza-jersey.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A jersey honoring Groza hangs in Rupp Arena.]] Groza was the captain and center of the "Fabulous Five" that won the 1948 and 1949 NCAA Men's Basketball Championships, as well as the leading scorer on the gold medal-winning 1948 US Olympic basketball team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.straitpinkie.com/kentucky-2/all-time-kentucky-team-starting-pg-12-ralph-beard/ |title=All-Time Kentucky Team (Starting PG): #12 Ralph Beard |publisher=straitpinkie.com |access-date=May 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005231849/http://www.straitpinkie.com/kentucky-2/all-time-kentucky-team-starting-pg-12-ralph-beard/ |archive-date=October 5, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/alex-groza-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418081158/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/alex-groza-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Alex Groza Olympic Results |access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref> Groza was three-time All-American and All-SEC, and two-time NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
==Professional career== Groza was drafted in the 1st round of the 1949 BAA draft by the Indianapolis Jets.<ref>{{cite news |title=3 'Tucky Stars among choices in BAA draft |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-herald-3-tucky-stars-among/150059153/ |access-date=25 June 2024 |work=The Journal Herald |agency=United Press |date=22 March 1949 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref> While he signed a contract to play for the Jets, he later changed his mind and signed with Indianapolis Olympians of the National Basketball League as a player and co-owner.<ref>{{cite news |title='I suspect Groza is avoiding me', says B.A.A. president Podoloff in Lexington; He was so right |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-i-suspect-groza-is/150059649/ |access-date=25 June 2024 |work=The Courier-Journal |date=2 June 1949 |page=11 (Section 2) |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Jim O'Leary |title=Basketball merger saved red face for Alex Groza |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-knoxville-news-sentinel-basketball-m/150060431/ |access-date=25 June 2024 |work=The Knoxville News-Sentinel |date=10 August 1949 |page=17 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref> With the merger of the BAA and the NBL to form the National Basketball Association in August the same year,<ref>{{cite news |title=NBL, BAA merge, end pro net war |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-republic-nbl-baa-merge-end-pro-net/149768648/ |access-date=21 June 2024 |work=The Republic |agency=UP |date=4 August 1949 |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref> Groza started his professional career in the new league where he averaged 23.4 points per game in his rookie season and was named NBA Rookie of the Year. Because the award was selected by newspaper writers at the time, the NBA currently does not recognize Groza having won the award. He averaged 22.5 points per game over two seasons before being implicated along with college teammates Ralph Beard and Dale Barnstable in a point shaving scandal during the 1948–49 season at Kentucky. NBA president Maurice Podoloff banned all of the implicated players from the league for life.
As a result of this ban, Groza became the first player in NBA history to end his career with a season in which he averaged at least 20 points per game (Groza averaged 21.7 PPG during the 1950–51). In NBA history, only three players have had higher scoring averages in their final NBA seasons: Bob Pettit (22.5 PPG in 1964–65), Paul Arizin (21.9 PPG in 1961–62), and Dražen Petrović (22.3 PPG in 1992–93).
Groza, along with Beard, attempted a comeback in late 1952 with the Jersey City Titans, formerly of the American Basketball League, but were barred by Judge Saul S. Streit from participating in any professional athletics while under probation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Groza, Beard cage ban dooms Titans |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/912504167/ |access-date=7 September 2024 |work=The Jersey Journal |date=7 November 1952 |page=16 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{closed access}}</ref>
== NBA career statistics == {{NBA player statistics legend|leader=y}}
=== Regular season === {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" !Year !Team !GP !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !PPG |- | style="text-align:left;" |1949–50 | style="text-align:left;" |Indianapolis |64 |style="background:#cfecec;"|'''.478*''' |.729 |– |'''2.5''' |'''23.4''' |- | style="text-align:left;" |1950–51 | style="text-align:left;" |Indianapolis |'''66''' |style="background:#cfecec;"|.470* |'''.786''' |'''10.7''' |2.4 |21.7 |- class="sortbottom" | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career |130 |.474 |.765 |10.7 |2.4 |22.5 |- class="sortbottom" | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |All-Star |1 |.500 |1.000 |13.0 |1.0 |17.0 |}
=== Playoffs === {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" !Year !Team !GP !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !PPG |- | style="text-align:left;" |1950 | style="text-align:left;" |Indianapolis |'''6''' |'''.595''' |'''.831''' |– |'''2.0''' |22.8 |- | style="text-align:left;" |1951 | style="text-align:left;" |Indianapolis |3 |.493 |.758 |'''14.0''' |0.7 |'''32.3''' |- class="sortbottom" | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Career |9 |.544 |.804 |14.0 |1.6 |26.0 |}
==Coaching career== After his playing career ended, Groza became the coach of Bellarmine College (now University) in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1963, Groza led the Knights to a Kentucky Intercolliegiate Athletic Conference title and was named KIAC coach of the year. Groza left Bellarmine in 1966 for a brief coaching and managerial career in the American Basketball Association. Between 1971 and 1975, Groza coached 40 games with the Kentucky Colonels and San Diego Conquistadors and held a number of front office positions, including becoming the Kentucky Colonels' business manager in 1969 and general manager of the San Diego Conquistadors in 1972 (and, later, San Diego's head coach). Groza was 2–0 as coach of the Colonels but 15–23 as coach of the Conquistadors after replacing Wilt Chamberlain in 1974, putting his career coaching record at 17–23.<ref name=bbrc>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/grozaal01c.html|title=Alex Groza ABA Coaching Statistics|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=9 February 2026}}</ref> He was named general manager of the expansion Conquistadors on August 8, 1972.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/09/archives/personalities-k-c-jones-hired.html White Jr., Gordon S. "Personalities: K.C. Jones Hired," ''The New York Times'', Wednesday, August 9, 1972.] Retrieved November 30, 2020</ref> In 1975 Groza became director of player development for the San Diego Sails of the ABA.<ref>[http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/SanDiegoMaterial/ConquistadorsSailsYearly.html Remember the ABA: San Diego Conquistadors/San Diego Sails Year-by-Year Notes<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225005001/http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/SanDiegoMaterial/ConquistadorsSailsYearly.html |date=December 25, 2008 }}</ref> After the Sails folded, he was named vice president and general manager of the San Diego Breakers of the International Volleyball Association on April 5, 1976.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/06/archives/people-in-sports-danforth-named-tulane-coach.html Harvin, Al. "People in Sports," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, April 6, 1976.] Retrieved January 28, 2023.</ref>
==Personal life== After the team moved to Houston, Groza remained in San Diego, working as a sales manager for Reynolds International until his death.<ref name="nytimes.com">[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/23/obituaries/alex-groza-basketball-star-for-kentucky-is-dead-at-68.html Alex Groza, Basketball Star For Kentucky, Is Dead at 68] New York Times. January 23, 1995.</ref>
Alex Groza died of cancer in 1995 at age 68. He was survived by his wife of 42 years, Jean (Watson) Groza,<ref name="ovac.org"/> two sons, two daughters, and two grandchildren.<ref name="nytimes.com"/>
*Groza's nickname was "The Beak".<ref name=gould>{{Cite book| last = Gould | first = Todd | title = Pioneers of the hardwood: Indiana and the birth of professional basketball | publisher = Indiana University Press | year = 1998 | page = [https://archive.org/details/pioneersofhardwo0000goul/page/167 167] |url=https://archive.org/details/pioneersofhardwo0000goul| url-access = registration | isbn = 978-0-253-21199-6}}</ref>
==Head coaching record== {{NBA coach statistics legend}}
===ABA=== {{NBA coach statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"|Kentucky | style="text-align:left;"|{{abay|1970}} |2||2||0||{{Winning percentage|2|0}}|| style="text-align:center;"|(interim)||—||—||—||— | style="text-align:center;"|— |- | style="text-align:left;"|San Diego | style="text-align:left;"|{{abay|1974}} |38||15||23||{{Winning percentage|15|23}}|| style="text-align:center;"|(reassigned)||—||—||—||— | style="text-align:center;"|— |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|'''Career'''<ref name=bbrc/> ||40||17||23||{{Winning percentage|17|23}}|| ||—||—||—||— {{s-end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815162222/http://www.nba.com/historical/playerfile/index.html?player=alex_groza |title=Alex Groza at NBA.com |date=mdy}} *[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/grozaal01.html Alex Groza player statistics] at Basketball-Reference.com *[https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/grozaal01c.html Alex Groza coach statistics] at Basketball-Reference.com *[http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Players/Groza_Alex.html Alex Groza] – UK Career Statistics and Biography *{{Olympics.com|alexander-john-groza}} *{{Olympedia}} *{{citation | title=Alex Groza, Basketball Star For Kentucky, Is Dead at 68 | newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 23, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/23/obituaries/alex-groza-basketball-star-for-kentucky-is-dead-at-68.html}} *{{Find a Grave|729110|access-date=September 3, 2010}}
{{navboxes |list= {{S-start}} {{succession box | title=Kentucky Colonels Head Coach | before=Gene Rhodes | years=1970| after= Frank Ramsey }} {{succession box | title=San Diego Conquistadors Head Coach | before=Wilt Chamberlain | years=1974–1975| after= Beryl Shipley }} {{S-end}} {{Bellarmine Knights men's basketball coach navbox}} {{Bellarmine Knights baseball coach navbox}} {{1948 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball navbox}} {{1949 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball navbox}} {{NCAA basketball tournament MOP men}} {{1947 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}} {{1948 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}} {{1949 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}} {{Footer 1948 Olympic Champions Basketball Men}} {{1949 BAA Draft}} {{Kentucky Colonels}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groza, Alex}} Category:1926 births Category:1995 deaths Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:All-American college men's basketball players Category:Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players Category:American Basketball Association executives Category:American men's basketball players Category:Banned NBA players Category:Basketball coaches from Ohio Category:Basketball players at the 1948 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Ohio Category:American people of Hungarian descent Category:Sportspeople of Hungarian descent Category:American people of Romanian descent Category:Bellarmine Knights baseball coaches Category:Bellarmine Knights men's basketball coaches Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Indianapolis Jets draft picks Category:Indianapolis Olympians players Category:Kentucky Colonels coaches Category:Kentucky Colonels executives Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Category:Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Category:NBA All-Stars Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Category:Sportspeople from Martins Ferry, Ohio Category:San Diego Conquistadors coaches Category:San Diego Conquistadors executives Category:Sportspeople involved in betting scandals Category:United States men's national basketball team players