Max Bielfeldt

(Contributor: Dakota Thompson)

Max Bielfeldt Biography

Max Bielfeldt is an American basketball player from Peoria, Illinois who played for both the University of Michigan and Indiana University. He was a member of the Wolverines from 2011-2015 and played as a graduate transfer for the Hoosiers in the 2015-2016 season under head coach Tom Crean. Bielfeldt was a Forward during his college career. His career accomplishments include playing in the National Title game in 2013 as a Wolverine, and he was named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year at Indiana. Max Bielfeldt is the first player to win Big Ten Championships for multiple schools.

Name: Max Bielfeldt
Position: Forward
Nationality: USA
Age: 31 years old
Birthday: June 7, 1993
Hometown: Peoria, IL
High School: Notre Dame High School (Peoria, IL)
Height: 6’7″ (201 cm)
Weight: 245 lb (111 kg)
Left Calf: 19.5″
Right Calf: 20.0″
Seasons at Michigan: 4 (2011-2012 – Redshirt, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015)
Seasons at Indiana University: 1 (2015-2016)
Jersey: #44, #0
Education: Bachelors of Science in Sport Management (Michigan), Master’s in Strategic Management (Indiana)

Awards and Accolades

2013 National Title Game (Michigan)
2015 Michigan Sixth Man of the Year (Michigan)
2016 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year (Indiana)

Social Media Accounts

Twitter: @MaxBielfeldt
Instagram: maxbielfeldt

Max Bielfeldt High School Recruiting Profile

Max Bielfeldt was a 3-star Power Forward from Peoria, Illinois. He went to Notre Dame High School in Peoria and was a graduate of the 2011 class. He was a three-year starter in high school and is the career leader in points (1,580) and rebounds (886). He was named to the Class 3A All-State first team in 2011, second team in 2010 and an honorable mention in 2009. As a senior he averaged 22.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.6 blocks per game and led Notre Dame to a 28-1 record with an overall No. 2 state ranking.

247 Composite Ranking: 3-Star (0.8444)
Rivals: 3-Star
ESPN: 87 Rating, 72nd National PowerForward

He received offers from University of Michigan, Ball State, Illinois, UIC, Western Michigan, Wright State, Brown, Dartmouth, and University of Pennsylvania. He signed with University of Michigan on April 14, 2011 per ESPN.

Max Bielfeldt Seasons with the Hoosiers

2015-2016 Indiana Basketball Season

Tom Crean (8th Season)
27-8 (15-3 Big Ten)

🏆 1st Place Big Ten
🏅 NCAA Sweet Sixteen

Career Statistics at the University of Michigan and Indiana University

Season	GP	GS	MIN	AVG	FGM	FGA	PCT	3PM	3PA	PCT	FTM	FTA	PCT	OFF	DEF	TOT	AVG	PF	FO	AST	AST/G	T/O	BLK	STL	PTS	AVG
2012-13 (UM)	20	0	106	5.3	9	20	0.45	0	2	0.000	5	12	0.417	15	16	31	1.6	8	0	3	0.2	3	1	3	23	1.2
2013-14 (UM)	19	0	89	4.7	6	21	0.286	3	9	0.333	0	1	0	8	12	20	1.1	14	0	0	0	2	2	2	15	0.8
2014-15 (UM)	30	3	434	14.5	62	129	0.481	8	30	0.267	22	32	0.688	43	65	108	3.6	41	0	14	0.5	20	7	8	154	5.1
2015-16 (IU)	35	5	612	17.5	113	219	0.516	29	64	0.453	31	44	0.705	59	99	158	4.5	75	1	25	0.7	39	16	29	286	8.2
Career	104	8	1241	11.9	190	389	0.488	40	105	0.381	58	89	0.652	125	192	317	3.0	138	1	42	0.4	64	26	42	478	4.6

Max Bielfeldt’s College Basketball Career

Max Bielfeldt initially played for the University of Michigan. For the 2011-2012 season, Bielfeldt redshirted the season. He helped the Wolverines to a 24-10 record which was their best record since 1997-1998 and its first Big Ten title in 26 years.

His sophomore season, Max helped the Wolverines to an 31-8 overall record which was tied for its best single season record. During this season, the Wolverines were able to reach the National Title game for the first time in 20 years and lost to No. 1 Louisville 82-76. Bielfeldt averaged 1.2 points per games and had a season high of 4 points against Northwestern and Illinois. He played 5.3 minutes per game.

For the 2013-2014 season, Michigan had another solid season performance with a 28-9 record. Michigan reached a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament Midwest region and a fourth straight tournament appearance. Max scored 15 points on the season over 19 appearances. Played a season best 12 minutes against Michigan State on March 16.

For his final season with Michigan, Max played in 30 games and recorded 3 starts. He averaged 5.1 points per game and 154 total points – by far his most productive season thus far. He scored a career-best 18 points against Bucknell on November 17. He averaged 14.5 minutes per game and 33 minutes against Michigan State. He was awarded University of Michigan’s Sixth Man Award. Despite the increased productivity, Michigan reached a 16-16 record.

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About Max Bielfeldt’s Calves

During his time at Michigan University, Max Bielfeldt gained notoriety in particular for his sizable calf muscles. His calves themselves earned nicknames of “calves of glory” and “pale tree trunks” and they resulted in the creation of multiple social media accounts dedicated to them.

If you are wondering how Max got his famous leg muscles, Bielfeldt gave some clues on Twitter. Max Biefeldt stated that his mother attempted to measure his calves relative to his father’s calves. The result was that both Bielfeldt and his dad had a 19.5″ right calf muscle and a 20.0″ left calf muscle.

Max Bielfeldt Indiana University Basketball Career

Bielfeldt opted to enter the graduate transfer pool for this RS Senior season and was picked up by the Hoosiers. He had his most productive season of his collegiate career during his time as a member of Indiana. Bielfeldt made 35 appearances and started 5 times. In his debut as a Hoosier, he scored 11 points on 3-3 FG and had 8 rebounds against Eastern Illinois. He posted a season-high 18 points and 14 rebounds against Rutgers which was his first double-double. The Hoosiers made the NCAA Tournament during his year as a member of the team and he added 10 points in the victory against Chattanooga along with 7 rebounds. Bielfeldt also added 15 points against North Carolina in the Regional Semifinals.

Overall, Bielfeldt averaged 8.2 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and 0.5 blocks per game. He had two double-doubles on the season. He had career highs in nearly every category. He was named the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year. He is the first player to win Big Ten Championships for multiple schools

Max Bielfeldt’s Career after Indiana

After his final season, he graduated with a Master’s in Sports Management from the Kelley School of Business and continued his sports management career, forgoing professional play.

According to his LinkedIn page, Max has worked for the Peoria Chiefs, SpotterEDU and currently works at TADA Cognitive Solutions in Chicago, Illinois. He is still periodically seen in Assembly Hall and has helped with broadcasting basketball games on BTN. He continues to be a Hoosier fan favorite broadcaster on the Big Ten Network.