Lew Hitch

Lewis Rufus Hitch


Born:
July 16, 1929
Griggsville, IL

Died:
February 8, 2012
Wamego, KS


Career
1945-46 Griggsville High School - Illinois (High School)
1946-47 Griggsville High School - Illinois (High School)
1947-48 Culver-Stockton College - Missouri (College)
1948-49 Kansas State University (College)
1949-50 Kansas State University (College)
1950-51 Kansas State University (College)
1951-52 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1952-53 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1953-54 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1954-55 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1954-55 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1955-56 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1956-57 Rochester Royals (NBA)
1956-57 Philadelphia Warriors (NBA)
1957-58 Ellis High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1958-59 Ellis High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1959-60 Ellis High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1960-61 Ellis High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1961-62 Wichita Heights High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1962-63 Wichita Heights High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1963-64 Wichita Heights High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1964-65 Wichita Heights High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1965-66 Wichita Heights High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach
1966-67 Wichita Heights High School - Kansas (High School) Head coach

Born to Rufus and Maurine Hitch, Lew went to Griggsville HS before being awarded a basketball scholarship at Culver-Stockton Junior College. After a year there, he transferred to Kansas State, playing three years.Graduating from KSU, Hitch was a second-round draft pick of the Lakers, where he won two NBA championships in his two years there before being sold to the Hawks in October of 1953.He played with the Hawks until February 15, 1955, when he was traded back to the Lakers in exchange for Bobby Watson and the rights to unsigned players Carl McNulty and Dick Rutherford. He played two more seasons the the Lakers until May of 1956 when he was traded to the Rochester Royals for the draft rights of Bob McKeen. In January of 1957, he was sold to the Philadelphia Warriors. He finished the year with the Warriors and then retired from playing.

His basketball career done, Hitch moved to Ellis, Kansas, and then on to Wichita to teach and coach high school basketball. He moved to Westmoreland, Kansas, in 1971, and eventually became a superintendent until retiring in 1990. Hitch died on 2012 following a long illness.

He married Danna Jean Foltz (d. 2004) in 1953 and they had three sons.

Source:
Chicago Tribune, February 17, 1955
Family Tree
Obituary

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hitchle01.html
www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=hitchle01