Birgir Örn Birgisson (23 September 1942 – 11 December 2017) was an Icelandic

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He was one of the inaugural players of the Icelandic national basketball team in 1959 and played a total of 33 national team games. He played twenty seasons in the Icelandic top-tier league with Ármann and helped the club to its first and only men's national championship in 1976. In 1968, Birgir was the first player to win the league's

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...

trophy, given by Dave Zinkoff.

Early life

Birgir was born in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

to Birgir Einarsson and Hulda Jónsdóttir. He first played basketball in 1954 when he stumpled into a basketball practice.

Career

Birgir played his first senior team game for Ármann in 1958, at the age of 16, and spent twenty seasons with the club, winning the Icelandic Basketball Cup two times, in 1975 and 1976. In 1976 he helped Ármann break ÍR and KR twenty year monopoly in the national championship by beating KR 84-74 in the championship clinching game. After the season he took over as head coach while suiting up in uniform late in the season due to injuries to key players. In June, 1977, Birgir left Ármann and took over as head coach of ÍS. In 1978, he guided Íþróttafélag Stúdenta to victory in the Icelandic Basketball Cup. In 1980, Birgir was hired as the head coach of

Haukar Knattspyrnufélagið Haukar ( en, Hawks F.C.) is an Icelandic multi-sport club from Hafnarfjörður with divisions in Football, Handball, Basketball, Karate, Skiing & Chess. Club history The club was founded on 12 April 1931, when 13 young boys ...

and led them to Division II championship in his first season and promotion to Division I.

National team

Birgir, at the age of 16, played in the Iceland's first official national team game, against

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, in 1959, and in its first 32 official games overall. In 1976, after a six year hiatus from the team, he played his 33rd and last national team game. He was a co-coach for the national team in 1976, with Kristinn Stefánsson, and in 1977 with

Einar Bollason Einar Gunnar Bollason (born 6 November 1943) is an Icelandic former basketball player, coach and TV analyst. As a player, he won the Icelandic championship six times with KR. In 2001, he was named to the Icelandic basketball team of the 20th ce ...

Personal life

Birgir was married to Aldís Einarsdóttir and together they had four children. On November 8, 2000, Birgir's 27-year-old son Einar Örn Birgisson, a former football player, went missing. A week later, Atli Helgason, Einar's business partner and former teammate, confessed to his murder and hiding his body near

Grindavík Grindavík () is a fishing town on the Southern Peninsula of Iceland not far from the tuya Þorbjörn. It is one of the few cities with a harbour on this coast. Most of the inhabitants work in the fishing industry. The Blue Lagoon, Grindavík ...

. On 29 May 2001 Atli was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the murder.

Death

Birgir passed away in Borgarspítalinn,

, on 11 December 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birgis, Birgir Orn 1942 births 2017 deaths Birgir Orn Birgis Birgir Orn Birgis Forwards (basketball) Birgir Orn Birgis Birgir Orn Birgis Birgir Orn Birgis Birgir Orn Birgis Birgir Orn Birgis Birgir Orn Birgis Birgir Orn Birgis Basketball players from Reykjavík