Robert Busnel (19 September 1914 – 15 March 1991) was a French professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player,
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 ...
, and administrator. During his playing career, the 1.92 m (6'3 ") tall Busnel, played at the
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...
position. He was made an
Officer of the Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
, in 1989, and was awarded the
Olympic Order
The Olympic Order, established in 1975, is the highest award of the Olympic Movement. It is awarded for particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, i.e. recognition of efforts worthy of merit in the cause of sport. Traditi ...
, by the
IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
, in 1990. He was awarded the
Glory of Sport in 1994. He was inducted into the
French Basketball Hall of Fame
The French Basketball Academy ( French: Académie du basket-ball français) is a hall of fame that honors individuals (or whole teams) that have contributed to the spread and improvement of French basketball, through their sporting contributions, ...
, in 2005. In 2007, he was enshrined as a contributor to the
FIBA Hall of Fame
The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA, in 1991. It includes the " Samar ...
.
Basketball playing career
During his playing career, Busnel played
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
basketball with
FA Mulhouse,
FC Grenoble
The Football Club de Grenoble Rugby (FCG) is a French rugby union club based in Grenoble and founded in 1892.
FCG was champion of France in 1954 and runner-up in 1918 and in 1993 during a controversial final, being deprived of the title of cham ...
,
ESSMG Lyon
Éveil sportif Sainte-Marie de la Guillotière de Lyon or Éveil Lyon was a French basketball club that was based in Lyon. The club's name was commonly abbreviated to ESSMG Lyon. The club is now dissolved.
History
The club, affiliated to the pa ...
,
UA Marseille, and
Racing Club de France
Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French Sports club, omnisport club that was founded on 20 April 1882 under the name Racing Club.
Racing Club changed its name to Racing Club de France (RCF) on 21 November 1885. The club is located a ...
.
Busnel played for the senior
French national team, from 1934 to 1949. He played at the
1939 EuroBasket
The 1939 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1939, was the third FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Eight national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) took par ...
, the
1946 EuroBasket
The 1946 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1946, was the fourth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA and the first since 1939 due to World War II. Ten national teams affiliated with the Internat ...
, the
1947 EuroBasket, and the
1949 EuroBasket
The 1949 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1949, was the sixth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Seven national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) took par ...
, where he won a silver medal.
Basketball coaching career
Busnel
coached the senior
French national women's team, from 1945 to 1957. He won a bronze medal at the
1953 FIBA World Championship for Women
The 1953 FIBA World Championship for Women(Spanish: 1953 Campeonato Mundial FIBA Femenino) was the first edition of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. It was held in Chile from 7 March to 22 March 1953. Ten national teams entered the event un ...
. He also coached the senior
French national men's team (1947–1957), winning a silver medal at the
1948 Summer Olympic Games
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
, a silver medal at
EuroBasket 1949
The 1949 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1949, was the sixth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Seven national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) took par ...
(he was a
player-coach
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
in that tournament), and bronze medals at
EuroBasket 1951
The 1951 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1951, was the seventh FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Eighteen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) en ...
and
EuroBasket 1953
The 1953 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1953, was the eighth FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) en ...
.
In the 1965–66 season, he coached
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
, on the
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
level.
Basketball administrative career
Busnel was the technical director (1960–1964), and President (1967–1980), of the
French Basketball Federation
The French Basketball Federation (FFBB) (french: Fédération Française de Basketball) is the governing body of basketball in France.
It was founded in 1932 (and members of the FIBA since 1933).
The Federation operates the France national teams ...
. He was the President of the Standing Conference of Europe (now
FIBA Europe
FIBA Europe is the administrative body for basketball in Europe, within the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which includes all 50 national European basketball federations. In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIBA Euro ...
), from 1976 to 1982. He served as a President of
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...
, in 1984–1990.
Personal life and death
Busnel received the
Croix de Guerre 1939–1945
The ''Croix de Guerre 1939–1945'' (English: War Cross 1939–1945) is a French military decoration, a version of the ''Croix de Guerre'' created on 26 September 1939 to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis forces at any ti ...
. The
French Basketball Cup
The French Basketball Cup, or French Basketball Federation Cup, (french: Coupe de France de Basket) is the annual national basketball federation cup competition of France. It is organized by the French Basketball Federation. It is also known as ...
is named after him, in his honor. Busnel, along with his wife Joëlle, and one of his nephews, died in an
auto crash, in 1991, outside of
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
.
Awards and accomplishments
Club playing career
*7×
French League Champion: (1930, 1931, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1951)
Club coaching career
*
French League Champion: (1951)
*3×
FIBA European Selection
FIBA All-Star Games were all-star basketball exhibition games, which were also known as "FIBA Festivals". The "FIBA Festival All-Star Games" were held from 1964 to 1995. The FIBA European Selection teams won most of the FIBA Festival All-Star Ga ...
: (1964, 1966, 1967)
*
Spanish League Champion: (1966)
*
Spanish Cup
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
Winner: (1966)
References
External links
FIBA Player ProfileFIBA Hall of Fame ProfileRobert Busnel Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busnel, Robert
1914 births
1991 deaths
French men's basketball players
French basketball coaches
Sportspeople from Toulon
FIBA Hall of Fame inductees
Real Madrid basketball coaches
Basketball coaches of international teams
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite
Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for France
Paris Racing Basket players
Paris Racing Basket coaches
Power forwards (basketball)
Union athlétique de Marseille players
ESSMG Lyon players
FC Grenoble basketball players
Foyer alsacien Mulhouse players