Maidman, Len

Leonard Maidman

Maidman played forward at New York University in the mid-1930s, and was a member of the National Championship team in 1935. An All-Metropolitan performer the following season, he was described by University of California head coach Nibs Price as, "the best player I've seen around." (New York Evening Post, December 19, 1935)

After graduating from NYU in 1936, Maidman attended NYU's College of Medicine and graduated in 1940. During World War II, he served as a captain in the Medical Corps, stationed in France, Holland, and Germany with the 83rd Division. After the war, Len moved to Wilton, Connecticut, where he practiced medicine until his retirement in 1985.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Oct. 12, 1915 - d. Dec. 22, 2001

Career Highlights:
Maidman played for NYU in the mid-1930s and was a member of some of the greatest teams of the era. The child of Eastern European immigrants, Len grew up in New York City. A 6'1" guard and forward, he attended Evander Childs High School in the Bronx, but did not play varsity basketball in high school. After graduating, he attended NYU (New York University) and became the captain and star for the freshman team.

In 1935, Len joined the varsity team, the year after NYU went undefeated (16-0) and captured the mythical Eastern championship. Maidman brought an extra skill to the team: he was ambidextrous (the ability to use either hand to dribble or shoot), so he was instantly inserted in the starting line-up and played alongside guards, junior Willie Rubenstein, and sophomore Milt Schulman, senior forward (and captain) Sid Gross, and junior center Irwin Klein.

This collection of Jewish stars proved that the Eastern title the Violets captured in 1934 was no fluke. The squad was even better with Maidman in the line-up and beat some of the best teams in the country. 1935 was the first year that Madison Square Garden hosted doubleheaders, which brought together top teams from around the country. NYU headlined many of these contests. In the beginning of the season, they played a very tough Notre Dame team in the first doubleheader of the season and won, 25-18, in front of 16,000 spectators. Len scored six points in the contest. They then took on the top Southern team in the country, Adolph Rupp's Kentucky Wildcats, and won the match, 23-22.

As the season wore on, it was apparent that the NYU squad was something special. In a 38-22 victory over Temple, Maidman scored a game-high 10 points and began earning more praise for his play. Described as a versatile player who was the "spark-plug of the team...whose floorwork, assists and shooting are uniformly brilliant," Maidman was also a big and husky player who was considered tough under the basket. With an innate ability go after loose balls and score, Maidman helped NYU win their first 11 games of the season, running their streak to 27.

In the 12th game of the year, NYU was upset by Yale, 33-29, despite Len's team-high eight points. But the Violets quickly rebounded to defeat Georgetown (50-36) and Navy (46-36; Maidman scored a season-high 15 points in that game). NYU went on to win their final eight games of the season and finished with a record of 19-1. At the end of the year, they were awarded the Helms National Championship. Maidman finished third on the team with 135 points (he was 16th overall in the Metropolitan area).

In 1936, Maidman returned to the court with seniors Willie Rubenstein and Irwin Klein, and junior Milt Schulman. These veterans were joined by sophomore sensation Irwin Witty, who replaced the graduated Sid Gross.

Named second team All-Metropolitan, Maidman moved to guard during the season and finished second on the team in scoring with 133 points. NYU finished the year with a record of 14-4. The Violets won their first seven games of the season, including a convincing win over Kentucky, and stretched their winning streak to 20 before losing three games in the middle of the season. Although they did not repeat as National Champions, many hailed the team as one of the best in the country.

Origin:
New York City

Career Dates:
Maidman played forward and guard at NYU from 1934-1936.

Physical description:
6'1", 175 pounds

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