Edward S. Steitz coached at Springfield College in Massachusetts for 10 seasons and served as the school's Athletic Director for 34 years. He promoted rule changes that made basketball more up-tempo and higher-scoring and was instrumental in the reinstatement of the dunk shot in 1976. Steitz was an advocate of the 45-second shot clock and three-point shot, implemented in 1985. He served as secretary, editor, and national interpreter of the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee from 1965 to 1990 and was Founder of ABAUSA Basketball (now USA Basketball). Steitz has conducted over 1,000 rules Clinics worldwide. He was Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Selection Committee from 1964 to 1980.

Died May 21, 1990