Christian Steinmetz
(1882-1963)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1961
Card Shown:
1986-2002 Hall of Fame Metallic
Position: F
Height: 5’9″
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Christian Steinmetz, known as the “Father of Wisconsin basketball,” was a prolific scorer and one of the first college basketball stars. In the early years of basketball, from 1895 through 1920, Steinmetz was considered the leading scorer in the game. In 1904-05, he scored an incredible (for that era) 462 points, averaging 25.7 points per game on a University of Wisconsin team that averaged 37.8 points per game. Christian set Wisconsin records for most free throws in a season (238), scoring average in a season (25.7 ppg), most field goals in a game (20), and most made free throws in a game (20).
Awards and Honors
- As a senior, Christian led his Milwaukee South Division High School basketball teams to the city and state basketball titles in 1902.
- Steinmetz played three seasons at the University of Wisconsin. He became the first player to score nearly 1,000 points (950) in his college career.
- The Helms Athletic Foundation chose Steinmetz as their first Player of the Year for his performance during the 1904-05 season.
- In 1905, Christian became the first Wisconsin basketball player to be named an All-American.
- Steinmetz was inducted into the Wisconsin State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1958.
Points of Interest
- While playing for Wisconsin in 1905, Christian scored 462 points. This total was 23 points more than all the points scored by Wisconsin opponents that year.
- In the early 1900s, one player was selected to shoot all of the free throws for his team. Steinmetz was the man for Wisconsin. He made 238 of 317 free throw attempts in 1905, good for a 75.1% mark.
- Christian scored 50 points in 1905 in a game against Sparta. His total was higher than most teams totaled for a single game and stood as a Wisconsin record for 50 years.
- Steinmetz graduated from Wisconsin with a law degree and practiced law for over a half-century.
- Christian had four children and he was proud to say that the three boys, Christian, Alan, and Don, had all followed in his footsteps by lettering in sports at Wisconsin.
Christian Steinmetz Videos
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