Stepas Butautas facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 25 August 1925 Kaunas, Lithuania |
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| Died | 22 March 2001 (aged 75) Kaunas, Lithuania |
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| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1944–1956 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1958–1970 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1944 | Dinamo Kaunas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1945 | ASK Kaunas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1946 | Dinamo Kaunas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1947–1956 | Žalgiris Kaunas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1955–1956 | Lithuania women | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1958–1964 | Soviet Union women | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960–1966 | Politechnika Kaunas women | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1967–1968, 1970 | Cuba | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1979 | Žalgiris Kaunas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As a player:
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Medals
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Stepas Butautas was a famous Lithuanian basketball player and coach. He was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, on August 25, 1925. He became a big star in basketball, first as a player and then as a coach. He won many medals for his country, including an Olympic silver medal. He was even named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. Stepas Butautas passed away on March 22, 2001, in Kaunas.
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Playing for Clubs
Butautas started his basketball journey with Dinamo Kaunas in 1944. He then played for ASK Kaunas in 1945. After that, he returned to Dinamo Kaunas in 1946.
From 1947 to 1956, he played for Žalgiris Kaunas. With Žalgiris, he helped his team win the USSR Premier Basketball League championship twice. These wins were in 1947 and 1951. He also won six Lithuanian SSR championships. These wins happened in 1945, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, and 1955.
Playing for His Country
Stepas Butautas was a key player for the Soviet Union men's national basketball team. He played for them from 1947 to 1954.
With the Soviet Union team, he won three gold medals at the EuroBasket tournaments. These victories were in EuroBasket 1947, EuroBasket 1951, and EuroBasket 1953. He also earned a silver medal at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki. He played in all eight games during that Olympic tournament.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Butautas became a successful basketball coach.
Coaching Club Teams
He coached the Politechnika Kaunas women's team from 1960 to 1966. Later, he became the head coach for his former team, Žalgiris Kaunas. He coached Žalgiris from 1975 to 1979.
Coaching the Soviet Union Women's Team
Butautas was the head coach of the Soviet Union women's national basketball team from 1958 to 1964. He led them to amazing victories.
His team won gold medals at the FIBA Women's World Cup twice. These wins were in 1959 and 1964. They also won gold medals at the EuroBasket Women in 1960, 1962, and 1964. In 1958, his team won a silver medal.
Coaching the Cuba National Team
Butautas also coached the Cuba men's national basketball team. He was their head coach from 1967 to 1968, and again in 1970. He coached Cuba in important tournaments like the 1967 CentroBasket, the 1968 Summer Olympic Games, and the 1970 FIBA World Championship.
Family Life
Stepas Butautas's son, Ramūnas Butautas, also became a basketball coach. Ramūnas coached the Lithuania men's national basketball team.
See also
- List of EuroBasket Women winning head coaches
