Lawrence Apitz (1936-43) (1999) - Athletics Hall of Fame

Lawrence Apitz (1936-43)

Induction:
1999
Class:
1943

Lawrence "Laurie" Apitz arrived in Louisville in 1936 as head football coach and to serve as the Director of Physical Education, Student Health and Athletics.

The budget constraints caused by the Great Depression also forced Apitz to serve as head men's basketball coach and track coach until 1940. With the outbreak of World War II, university participation in football was suspended, and Apitz was reassigned to the physical education program for the hundreds of Navy cadets on campus.

After leading UofL through its most trying of times, he left the school in 1943 and became a manager for United Airlines. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he was an All-Big Ten end for Amos Alonzo Stagg's football team.