He began his coaching career at high schools in Norwich and Massapequa, New York before moving up to the college level.
Lotz served as an assistant coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina under head coach Dean Smith from 1965 to 1973. During his eight seasons with Smith's Tar Heels, the team made four appearances in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Lotz was the head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of Florida in Gainesville from 1973 to 1980. Lotz's 1976–1977 Gators finished 17–9 overall, and 10–8 and in fourth place in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). That was his only winning record in conference play. Following a 4–7 start to the 1979–80 season (including 1–3 in conference play), Lotz was fired. He finished his seven-year tenure as the Florida Gators' head coach with an overall record of 83–88 and 46–66 in the SEC.
Life after basketball
After his coaching career ended in 1980, Lotz returned to the University of North Carolina as an assistant athletic director and he directed the community outreach program. He involved hundreds of North Carolina student-athletes in various volunteer projects, including the Thanksgiving food drive for underprivileged families, the Juvenile Diabetes Walkathon, and clothing collections for the needy. Lotz received the Governor's Award for Excellence for Crime Prevention in recognition of his work with youth in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
Lotz died in Chapel Hill on May 5, 2001, after a brief fight with a malignant brain tumor;[3] he was 64 years old. He was survived by his wife Vicki and their two daughters. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) inducted Lotz into its "Hall of Champions" in 2001.[4] In 2003, the FCA established its annual John Lotz Barnabas Award to "honor a basketball coach who best exhibits a commitment to Christ, integrity, encouragement to others and lives a balanced life"; past winners include John Wooden and Steve Alford.[5] The Chapel Hill Police Department named its summer basketball camp in Lotz's honor.
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion
Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion
Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion
^ abcLotz was fired after the eleventh game of the 1979–1980 season. Assistant coach Ed Visscher finished the season as the Gators interim head with an overall record of 3–14 and a 1–13 record in the SEC.
^2009–10 Florida Gators Men's Basketball Media Guide, History, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 126–127, 132, 134 (2009). Retrieved February 12, 2011.
Bibliography
Koss, Bill, Pond Birds: Gator Basketball, The Whole Story From The Inside, Fast Break Press, Gainesville, Florida (1996). ISBN978-0-8130-1523-1.