Miloslav Kříž facts for kids
Miloslav Kříž (born May 29, 1924 – died May 20, 2013) was a well-known Czech basketball player and coach. He played for teams like Uncas Prague and Sparta Prague. However, he was most famous for being a coach, especially for the Czechoslovakian women's national team. In 2002, he was honored with the FIBA Order of Merit for his important contributions to basketball.
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Playing Basketball
Miloslav Kříž started his basketball journey as a player. He played for a team called Uncas Prague from 1940 to 1943. After that, he joined Sparta Prague in 1944. He continued playing for Sparta Prague until 1948.
Coaching Basketball Teams
Miloslav Kříž began coaching even while he was still playing. He started coaching the women's team at Sparta Prague in 1945. He also coached Sparta's men's team starting in 1947. He left Sparta in 1950 to coach another team, ATK Praha, for one season. In 1953, he went back to Sparta Prague. He coached their women's team for 11 years.
Coaching the National Team
During this time, Kříž also coached the Czechoslovak Women's National Team. He led the national team from 1946 to 1948. He coached them again from 1960 to 1968. Under his guidance, the team achieved great success. They finished third in the 1967 FIBA World Championship for Women in 1967. They were also runners-up (second place) in the EuroBasket Women 1962 and EuroBasket Women 1966 tournaments. In 1964, they finished third at the EuroBasket Women 1964.
Coaching in Germany
After his time with the Czechoslovakian national team, Kříž moved to Germany. From 1968 to 1971, he coached the German Men's National Team. He also coached a club team called VfL Osnabrück. VfL Osnabrück became the German men's club champions in 1969 with him as coach. Between 1964 and 1968, he also coached special teams called the FIBA European Selection teams.
Basketball Leadership Roles
Miloslav Kříž was also very active in leading basketball organizations.
In Czechoslovakia
Within Czechoslovakia, he held several important positions. He was on the board of the Czechoslovak Volleyball and Basketball Federation from 1946 to 1951. He was President of DSO Spartak from 1953 to 1956. From 1956 to 1968, he led the International Commission of the Czechoslovak Basketball Federation. Later, from 1973 to 1986, he was President of the Czech Basketball Federation. He was also Vice-President of the Czechoslovak Basketball Federation during this time. From 1990 to 1993, he served as President of Sparta Prague. After that, he was made Honorary President of Sparta Prague.
Working with FIBA
Internationally, Kříž had many roles within FIBA, the world basketball organization. He was part of the staff for the European zone of FIBA from 1956 to 1968. He returned to this role from 1973 to 1980. He was also a member of the FIBA European Cups commission from 1972 to 1976 and again from 1990 to 1994. From 1980 to 1990, he was a member of FIBA World. During this time, he was also President of the Women's Commission. From 1994 until 2000, he worked as a FIBA Commissioner. In this role, he oversaw a total of 678 basketball games.
Later Life and Career
Between 1970 and 1985, Miloslav Kříž was the head of the sports section at the Czechoslovak press agency. Later in his life, he worked as a lawyer.
See also
- FIBA All-Star Games
- Czechoslovak Women's Basketball Championship
- FIBA EuroBasket Women
- BLC Sparta Prague
