Irv Torgoff

Who was Irv Torgoff?

Irving Torgoff was an American basketball player of the 1930s and 1940s.

Torgoff was born in Brooklyn, New York and played basketball at Tilden High School. He attended Long Island University from 1935 to 1939 and was a two-time All-American for coach Clair Bee. In 1939, Torgoff led LIU to an undefeated record and a National Invitation Tournament championship over Loyola University Chicago. At the end of the season, he was named the winner of the Haggerty Award as the top collegiate player in the New York City area. After graduating, Torgoff played professional basketball with the Detroit Eagles of the National Basketball League, the Philadelphia Sphas of the American Basketball League, and the Washington Capitols, Baltimore Bullets, and Philadelphia Warriors of the Basketball Association of America.

Red Auerbach, who coached the Capitols before gaining fame as coach of the Boston Celtics, said of Torgoff, "He was really the first player who became known as a sixth man in basketball. Torgoff was the kind of player who could come off the bench and was as good as any of the starters. He could turn a whole game around. He was one of the great players."