ITA - In memorian of Cesare Rubini, FIBA Order of Merit
MILAN - Italian sport on Monday lost one of its most famous faces with the passing of Cesare 'il Principe' Rubini, who died in Milan at the age of 87. An outstanding all-round sportsman, Rubini won titles, medals and honours both in water polo and in basketball, while in later coaching and managerial roles his competitiveness and determination rubbed off ...
MILAN - Italian sport on Monday lost one of its most famous faces with the passing of Cesare 'il Principe' Rubini, who died in Milan at the age of 87.
An outstanding all-round sportsman, Rubini won titles, medals and honours both in water polo and in basketball, while in later coaching and managerial roles his competitiveness and determination rubbed off on almost all he worked with, as he matched his successes as an athlete.
As a water polo player, Cesini won Olympic Gold in London in 1948 and bronze four years later in Helsinki.
Alonside Adolfo Bogoncelli, he was instrumental in the creation of Olimpia (Borletti) Milan, the most successful team in the history of Italy's Serie A basketball league.
All but five of the club's 20 titles were secured with Rubini's involvement, first as player-coach then as full time coach.
The Prince - as he became known - also led Olimpia to the first European Cup title for an Italian club in 1966.
Handed the reins of the national team in the late 70s, he masterminded Italy’s international success of the early 1980s, including silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and Gold at the 1983 EuroBasket.
He was inducted into the water polo Hall of Fame and Springfield's basketball Hall of Fame, and received the FIBA Order of Merit in 2002, placing him among a select number of sportsmen having received top honours in more than one sport.
Rightly perceived as fiercely strict and dedicated, those who worked closely with him also noted his great enthusiasm and a deeply moving humanity.
Commenting on his passing, FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann said: "Cesare Rubini's accomplishments within sport are difficult to sum up in few words.”
“With success at every stage of his career, he shone in two totally different sports, something extremely rare and almost unheard of today. Nicknames are easy to hand out but far more difficult to live up to; but Rubini more than lived up to his.”
“Sport and basketball have lost a true Prince," Baumann concluded.
FIBA