Ranko Žeravica

Ranko Žeravica
Personal information
Born (1929-11-17)November 17, 1929
Dragutinovo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Died October 29, 2015(2015-10-29) (aged 85)
Belgrade, Serbia
Nationality Serbian
Coaching career 1954–2003
Career history
As coach:
1954–1960 Radnički Belgrade
1960–1965 Yugoslavia (assistant)
1965–1972 Yugoslavia
1971–1974 Partizan
1974–1976 FC Barcelona
1976–1978 Partizan
1978–1980 Pula
1980 Yugoslavia
1980–1986 Crvena Zvezda
1982 Yugoslavia
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:

FIBA Hall of Fame as coach
Medals
Men's Basketball
Head Coach for  Yugoslavia
Summer Olympic Games
1980 MoscowTeam
1968 Mexico CityTeam
FIBA World Cup
1970 Ljubljana Team
1967 Uruguay Team
1982 Colombia Team
FIBA EuroBasket
1971 West GermanyTeam
1969 Italy Team

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 senior 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 — a gold medal on home soil, at the 1970 FIBA World Championship — 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 several generations before his birth to the Mošorin area where they became 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, aged 85, on 29 October 2015 at his Belgrade home.[2]

Yugoslavia national basketball team

Žeravica coached the senior men's Yugoslavia national basketball team to gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympic Games and 1970 FIBA World Championship; as well as to silver medals at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games, 1967 FIBA World Championship, 1969 EuroBasket, and 1971 EuroBasket. He also coached Yugoslavia to the bronze medal at the 1982 FIBA World Championship.

He was also the head coach of Yugoslavia at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games and the 1967 EuroBasket.

FIBA Hall of Fame

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ispovest Ranka Žeravice: "Žućko je umro na rukama moje supruge";Blic, 20 February 2012.
  2. ↑ ODLAZAK KOŠARKAŠKE LEGENDE Preminuo Ranko Žeravica, Blic.rs, 29 October 2015.(in Serbian)
  3. ↑ Full Cast & Crew of We Will Be the World Champions
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