Dr. Alvin Kaltman’64, Designer of First Game Analysis Programs Used By NFL
Among the earliest students of Brevard Engineering College (BEC), the precursor of Florida Tech, Al earned his master’s degree in 1964 and also served as an undergraduate teacher.
Prior to Al’s enrollment at BEC, he joined RCA as a junior mathematician—even though his undergraduate degree was in social sciences, which he earned at the University of the Philippines while serving in Air Force intelligence. He soon learned senior scientists working at Cape Canaveral were setting up an engineering college offering graduate courses in the evening, and he enrolled in the applied mathematics master’s degree program in the fall of 1960. At the invitation of Ray Work, acting dean of BEC, Al also taught a general college chemistry course at what was to become Florida Tech. He then went on to earn his doctorate in political science from George Washington University in 1970.
Dr. Kaltman’s diverse professional experience included systems design, programming, and analysis for government agencies and private organizations. His work not only developed the search algorithm for the prototype of what became GPS, he also designed the first game analysis programs used by several NFL teams. Perhaps his wanderlust began when working on the search algorithm for GPS as Al has traveled extensively. In this photo, he is exploring Cape Washington, Antarctica.
In 1998, with more than thirty years of practical management experience, Al compiled foundational leadership lessons that are still relevant today in an easy-to-read book, Cigars, Whiskey & Winning: Leadership Lessons from General Ulysses S. Grant.
His career included stints as a senior executive vice president of MBNA, group vice president of GEICO Corporation, as well as president and CEO roles with two companies. Today, Al volunteers to teach a course in leadership at George Washington University.
Kaltman was featured in Florida Tech’s 60th Anniversary special edition book, “60 for 60: Celebrating Sixty Years of Alumni at Florida Institute of Technology.” Copies are available for purchase here.
