Schulman, Milt

Milton Schulman

In an interview on February 22, 2001, Leonard Lewin, dean of New York sportswriters, made the following observation about Schulman's playing days at New York University in the 1930s, "Schulman was the second-best player on the team -- to Willie Rubenstein -- and they were the best team around."

NYU won the Helms National Championship in 1935, Schulman�s sophomore season, and two years later, as team captain, Milt was described as, ��always a feeder, a restless, roving floorman, who could set up the shots�� He later played one season in the American Basketball League, the top professional league in the East.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
Schulman played guard for NYU in the mid-1930s when the Violets were one of the best teams in the country. In 1935, the year after NYU captured the mythical Eastern championship, doubleheaders began to be played at the famed Madison Square Garden. Such high visibility propelled college basketball into the big-time. NYU, as the Garden's "house" team, was front and center during this time, and Schulman played a large part in NYU's success during the season. In the first official doubleheader, NYU defeated Notre Dame, 25-18, and Schulman, a sophomore, scored seven points in front of a capacity crowd of 16,000.

Schulman, who was a member of the starting line-up right from the beginning of his varsity career, played all 20 games of the 1935 season alongside juniors Len Maidman, Willie Rubenstein, and Irwin Klein, and senior captain Sid Gross. Milt scored 97 points, fourth most on the team, as the Violets finished the season with a record of 19-1, including wins over highly-touted Kentucky and archrival CCNY (City College of New York). At the end of the season, NYU was named the National Champions by the Helms Foundation.

The following year (1936), Schulman moved to forward and became NYU's main floorman, directing traffic and keeping the rest of the team on an even keel. A star on NYU�s powerful team, he was named College Humor first team All-America and was the squad's third leading scorer with 115 points. Schulman helped NYU win its first seven games of the 1936 season, including a victory over previously undefeated Kentucky. Running its winning streak to 20-games, NYU was hailed as the top team in the country before suddenly losing three of four games in the middle of the season (to Georgetown, Temple, and Notre Dame); the Violets finished with an overall record of 14-4.

In 1937, NYU was depleted by the departure of All-Met performers Maidman, Rubenstein, and Klein and NYU endured a tough season, finishing with a record of 10-6. Schulman, the team captain, came down with the flu early in the year, and never regained the form that had made him such a star in 1936. Still, he played well toward the end of the season and helped salvage NYU's year by leading the Violets to a season-ending win over rival CCNY. In the 38-32 victory, Schulman scored four points, but more importantly, "...he was, as usual, the tactician, the floorman, who maneuvered his men beautifully, fed them near lay-up shots and paved the victory path." (New York Evening Post, March 11, 1937) Following the game, Schulman was named game MVP and was awarded the Leeds Trophy over City star Bernie Fliegel. The New York Times described Schulman as, "the guiding genius of the Violet team." (March 11, 1937)

According to records and statistics compiled by basketball historian Robert Bradley, Schulman played professional basketball after his collegiate career at NYU ended. In 1939-40, he has been recorded as having played in six games for the New York Jewels in the American Basketball League, the top pro league in the East in the 1930s and early 1940s. Schulman averaged 1.0 points per game and the Jewels finished 15-15 and in fourth place in the ABL (one of Milt's teammates was former NYU teammate, Willie Rubenstein).

Origin:
New York City

Career Dates:
Schulman played guard and forward at NYU from 1935-1937. He then played in the ABL with the New York Jewels in 1939-40.

Physical description:
5'10", 160 pounds

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