Andrew Joseph “Fuzzy” Levane was a star on the basketball courts of Brooklyn, leading his James Madison High School team to a city championship in 1939. After an exceptional college career at St. John’s, Fuzzy played several seasons in professional ball, including a stint as a player-coach with the Milwaukee Hawks.
After he stopped playing, Levane was hired as the Knicks’ fourth head coach. He got off to a fast start, leading the team to a 40-32 record in the 1958-59 season, but a mediocre start the following season led to his departure. Levane would remain a fixture around the Knicks, however, after he was hired as a scout in 1967 by Red Holzman – a former schoolboy rival who once replaced Levane as coach of the Hawks.