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

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 Profile

FIBA Hall of Fame Profile

Robert 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