James Leslie Kuplic (September 23, 1911 – July 22, 1968) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played for the

Sheboygan Red Skins The Sheboygan Red Skins (or Redskins) were a professional basketball team based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which was an original National Basketball Association franchise during the 1949–50 NBA season, 1949–50 season. History Overview The Re ...

in the National Basketball League for two seasons and averaged 1.2 points per game. After playing football, basketball, and tennis for

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1846 when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It has an enrollment of roughly 1,000 undergradua ...

, Kuplic spent the 1934–35 year coaching all three sports at St. Norbert College. He assisted with the football and basketball teams and was the head coach for the tennis team. Kuplic also taught Japanese history while at St. Norbert. He did not enjoy coaching or teaching, so he left to go work in corporate America. During the late 1930s he played on numerous

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...

teams in

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, which has a pop ...

while also officiating high school basketball games. Kuplic died from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on his way to work on July 22, 1968.

References

1911 births 1968 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Wisconsin Basketball players from Wisconsin Basketball referees Beloit Buccaneers football players Beloit Buccaneers men's basketball players College men's tennis players in the United States College tennis coaches in the United States Forwards (basketball) People from Manitowoc, Wisconsin Sportspeople from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Sheboygan Red Skins players St. Norbert College faculty St. Norbert Green Knights football coaches St. Norbert Green Knights men's basketball coaches 20th-century American sportsmen {{1910s-US-basketball-bio-stub