Elliot C. van Zandt had a major impact on the development of Italian sports from 1947 to 1959. Born in Arkansas in 1915, van Zandt lost his father at a very early age. Census records indicate that Elliot’s widowed mother, a seamstress, probably left him with relatives in the South when she moved to Memphis, Tennessee and then to Chicago, Illinois. During the early 1930s, van Zandt was employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps as director of summer youth sports. He then attended Tuskegee Institute where he obtained a physical education degree in 1943. During his stay at Tuskegee he was a star basketball player, as well as assistant coach for the basketball team. In January of 1943 van Zandt was a referee at the Southwestern Invitational Basketball Tournament quarterfinals held in Marshall, Texas. In late 1943 van Zandt was drafted into military service and sent to northern Italy, where he fought with the 5th Army. He ended the war with the rank of infantry captain. In 1945 van Zandt was stationed near Florence, Italy, where he was a sports instructor; during this period, he also participated in both the softball and badminton championships of the 5th Army. In February … Continue reading Elliot C. Van Zandt (1915-1959)