Ranko Žeravica

Ranko Žeravica
Personal information
Born (1929-11-17)17 November 1929
Dragutinovo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Died 29 October 2015(2015-10-29) (aged 85)
Belgrade, Serbia
Nationality Serbian
Coaching career 1971–2003
Career history
As coach:
1971–1974 Partizan
1974–1976 FC Barcelona
1976–1978 Partizan
1978–1980 Pula
1980–1986 Crvena Zvezda
1987–1989 CAI Zaragoza
1989–1990 Irge Desio
1990 Filodoro Napoli
1991 Conservas Daroca
1991 Slobodna Dalmacija Split
1993–1994 Onyx Juvecaserta
1995–1996 Partizan
1996–1997 Crvena Zvezda
2003 CAI Zaragoza
Career highlights and awards

As head coach:

Ranko Žeravica (Serbian Cyrillic: Ранко Жеравица; 17 November 1929 – 29 October 2015) was a Serbian professional basketball coach.

With a career that spanned over 50 years, he is most noted for his work with the Yugoslav national team during the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. In particular, Žeravica's single biggest achievement is guiding the country to its first ever major competition win — gold medal on home soil at the 1970 World Championships — leading to a huge expansion of the game of basketball throughout Yugoslavia.

Early life

Born to father Milorad and mother Gordana in the village of Dragutinovo (before it merged with Beodra into Novo Miloševo), Žeravica's education started in his village and continued in Kikinda where he traveled every day by train. His family stemmed from Herzegovina by ancestry, having moved to Mošorin area several generations before his birth, becoming wealthy farmers and land owners.[1]

Health problems and death

Ranko Žeravica had a history of cardiac problems. In 2009. he suffered a heart attack and had a triple bypass surgery. In early 2015. he was admitted to hospital due to chest pain and was diagnosed with a mild heart attack. He had a coronary stent surgery and was soon discharged from hospital. Žeravica died at the age of 85 on October 29, 2015 at his Belgrade home.[2]

Yugoslavia national basketball team

He coached the Yugoslavia national basketball team to a gold medal in 1980 Olympics and 1970 World Championship, silver in the 1968 Olympics, 1967 World Championship, 1969 European Championship and 1971 European Championship and bronze in the 1982 World Championship.

He has also coached Yugoslavia in 1972 Olympics and 1967 European Championship.

FIBA Hall of Fame

In 2007, he was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame.

References

External links

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