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Alberto Bucci facts for kids

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Alberto Bucci
Alberto Bucci.jpg
Personal information
Born (1948-04-25)25 April 1948
Bologna, Italy
Died 9 March 2019(2019-03-09) (aged 70)
Rimini, Italy
Coaching career 1974–2004
Career history
As coach:
1974–1974 Fortitudo Bologna
1974–1979 Basket Rimini
1979–1983 Fabriano Basket
1983–1985 Virtus Bologna
1985–1989 Libertas Livorno
1989–1991 Scaligera Verona
1991–1993 V.L. Pesaro
1993–1997 Virtus Bologna
1999–2000 Fabriano Basket
2003–2004 Virtus Bologna
Career highlights and awards
  • 3× Italian League champion (1984, 1993, 1995)
  • 4× Italian Cup winner (1984, 1991, 1992, 1997)
  • Italian Supercup winner (1995)

Alberto Bucci (born May 25, 1948 – died March 9, 2019) was a famous Italian basketball coach. He was also the president of the Virtus Bologna basketball team from 2016 to 2019. Many people thought Bucci was one of Italy's best coaches ever. He won three Italian championships and four Italian Cups during his career.

Alberto Bucci's Coaching Journey

Elvis Rolle and Alberto Bucci
Bucci and Elvis Rolle, after the 1984 title

Alberto Bucci started his coaching career very young, at just 25 years old. In 1974, he became the head coach for Alco Bologna.

The next year, he moved to Rimini. He stayed there for five seasons, from 1974 to 1979. During this time, he helped the team move up from a lower division to Serie A2, which is a higher league.

After helping Rimini, he joined Fabriano. In the 1981-82 season, he led Fabriano to reach the top basketball league in Italy, called Serie A. The next year, he helped them avoid being moved down to a lower league.

Success with Virtus Bologna

Bucci's great work at Fabriano caught the eye of Virtus Bologna. They hired him to coach their team for two years, from 1983 to 1985. Right away, he led Virtus Bologna to win both the Italian League and the Italian Cup in the same year! This was a huge achievement against a very strong team, Simac Milano.

His second year with Virtus was not as successful. They finished seventh in the championship. In a big European competition, the 1984–85 FIBA European Champions Cup, they reached the top six teams but finished last in their group.

Coaching in Serie A2 and Cup Wins

After leaving Bologna, Bucci spent six years coaching in the Serie A2 league. He coached Enichem Livorno and then Glaxo Verona. With Glaxo Verona, he achieved something special: he won the Italian Cup in 1990-91. This was amazing because Glaxo Verona was an A2 team, and it was the first and only time an A2 team won this cup.

After these successes, he joined Scavolini Pesaro. His time there was also successful. The team reached the play-off finals and won the Italian Cup. However, they lost in the final of the 1991–92 FIBA Korać Cup, another European competition.

In the 1992-93 season, Alberto Bucci led Scavolini to the play-off semi-finals. They also reached the quarter-finals of the 1992–93 FIBA European League but were knocked out by another strong team.

Return to Virtus Bologna

In the summer of 1993, Alberto Bucci returned to coach Virtus Bologna after eight years. He stayed there for four years. With a strong team that included talented Italian players and foreign stars like "Saša" Danilović, he won two more Italian League titles (1993–94, 1994–95). He also won another Italian Cup (1996–97) and an Italian Super Cup (1995).

Even with these wins in Italy, Bucci's Virtus team couldn't win a major European title. They were stopped in the quarter-finals of the European League twice.

In the summer of 1997, he left Virtus. His last coaching jobs with professional clubs were with Fabriano in 1999-2000 and Progresso Castelmaggiore in 2003-04.

In 2016, Alberto Bucci became the president of Virtus Bologna. He passed away on March 9, 2019. Many people in Italian sports, including his friend Carlo Ancelotti, shared their sadness and respect for him.

Alberto Bucci's Achievements and Awards

  • Italian League (championships): 3
    • With Virtus Bologna: 1983-84, 1993–94, 1994–95
  • Italian Cup (winners): 4
    • With Virtus Bologna: 1983-84, 1996–97
    • With Scaligera Verona: 1990-91
    • With Victoria Libertas Pesaro: 1991-92
  • Italian Supercup (winner): 1
    • With Virtus Bologna: 1995
  • Promotions to Serie A1 (top league): 3
    • With Fabriano: 1981-82
    • With Libertas Livorno: 1985-86
    • With Scaligera Verona: 1990-91

Other Recognitions

  • FIBA European Champions Cup quarterfinalist:
    • With Virtus Bologna: 1984-85, 1993-94, 1994-95
    • With Victoria Libertas Pesaro: 1992-93
  • FIBA Korać Cup finalist:
    • With Victoria Libertas Pesaro: 1991-92
  • Italian Basketball Hall of Fame: (2015)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Alberto Bucci para niños

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