Ratko Rudić (born 7 June 1948 in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

PR Serbia , life_span = 1944–1992 , status = Constituent state of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia , p1 = Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia , flag_p1 = Fla ...

FPR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

) is a retired Croatian

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

coach and a former water polo player. , he has won 38 medals as a coach at major events, making him the most successful water polo coach in history, and second most successful

team sport A team sport includes any sport where individuals are organized into opposing sports team, teams which compete to win or cooperate to entertain their audience. Team members act together towards a shared objective. This can be done in a numb ...

coach of all time. He won four gold medals, of which three consecutive, with three different national teams at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, as well as three gold medals with three national teams at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, among many others. In 2007 was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

, described as "one of the best, if not the best, water polo coach to walk the deck of the pool". In 1989 received AVNOJ award, the highest Yugoslav award. In 2007 received

Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport ( hr, Državna nagrada za šport "Franjo Bučar") is the highest recognition that Republic of Croatia gives for extraordinary achievements and contributions of remarkable meaning for the development of sport in Cr ...

as Yearly Award, while in 2012 Award for Life Achievement. In 2012 was the recipient of

Order of Duke Branimir The Order of Duke Branimir ( hr, Red kneza Branimira) is the 7th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for excellence in promoting Croatia in international relations ...

in Croatia, while in 2018 of Palma al Merito Tecnico by the

Italian National Olympic Committee The Italian National Olympic Committee ( it, Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in Italy. ...

. In 2012 he retired from coaching and became sports director of the

Croatian Water Polo Federation The Croatian Water Polo Federation (HVS) ( hr, Hrvatski vaterpolski savez) is the governing body of water polo in Croatia. It is based in Zagreb. League system It also organizes the Croatian Cup of Water Polo as well as the Croatian national w ...

until late 2013 when he became the coach of the Brazil men's national team to lead them through the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. From 2018 to 2020 he was the coach of Italian water polo club

Pro Recco A.S.D. Pro Recco (Official name: Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Pro Recco) is an Italian water polo club from Recco, in Liguria. It currently plays in Serie A1. Pro Recco is the most successful club in men's water polo. In men's domestic ...

. On 6 May 2020, Rudić announced his retirement from water polo.

Early life

He was born on 7 June 1948 in

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

, to father Jakov and mother Zorica. As his father was a military officer he lived two years in Belgrade, four years in

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...

and

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

, and six years in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

. He started playing water polo in 1958 as a child in club Jedinstvo from Zadar. His debut in a first league game was in 1963 (as 15 years old), for

VK Jadran Split Vaterpolski klub Jadran Split ( en, Jadran Split Water Polo Club), commonly referred to as Jadran Split or simply Jadran, is a professional water polo club based in Split, Croatia. As of 2021–22 season, the club competes in the Croatian Lea ...

against

HAVK Mladost Hrvatski akademski vaterpolo klub Mladost ( en, Croatian Academic Water Polo Club Mladost) or simply HAVK Mladost is a professional water polo club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club was formed in 1946 and it is part of the Mladost sports societ ...

. Although his desire was to study at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

(and continued to paint), he initially studied architecture in Zagreb, but as professional player moved to Belgrade in 1971, and there finished studies at the Faculty of Physical Education. He lived in Belgrade until 1990, when lived and worked in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

until 2000, and from then until 2004 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He has a daughter Martina who is a

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Playing career

He played for club

from 1963 till 1971, when moved to

VK Partizan Vaterpolo klub Partizan ( sr-cyr, Ватерполо клуб Партизан) is a professional water polo club based in Belgrade, Serbia. VK Partizan is one of the sports clubs in Serbia that is part of sport society Partizan. As of 2021–22 ...

. He decided for the club because it was the only alongside

from Zagreb which had full year training, and several other Croatian players were brought in the same year, as well the coach from Dubrovnik. With the team won eight Yugoslavian championships, six Yugoslavian cups, and two European Champions League in 1974 and 1975. Rudić played 297 games for the Yugoslavian water polo team, winning gold medals in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

and 1979, and silver medal at the 1975 Mediterranean Games; bronze medals in 1970 and 1974, and silver medal at the 1977 European Championship; bronze medal at the 1973 World Championship; and silver medal at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

. At the 1968 Olympics he was injured before the tournament and was unable to play with his team which went on to win the gold medal. At the World Championship in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, he was falsely accused of doping, and so the entire Yugoslav national team was disqualified. Only after a subsequent investigation by

Manfred Donike Manfred Donike (23 August 1933, Köttingen, Rhine Province – 21 August 1995, on a flight from Frankfurt am Main to Johannesburg) was a German cyclist and chemist, known for his research on doping. Donike lived in Rölsdorf. Donike stud ...

proved that Rudić did not take any banned substances, he and his team were exonerated. His case was included in professional literature as an example of the wrong analysis. At the 1976 Olympics was a reserve due to injury, but helped tactically and soon became assistant coach in VK Partizan.

Coaching career

During his career Rudić coached five national teams: Yugoslavia (1984–1988), Italy (1990–2000), USA (2001–2004), Croatia (2005–2012), and Brazil (2013–2016). As a coach he works with much preparation, including control training, testing, tactics, and technique. He is one of the first coaches who had a multidisciplinary coaching staff, with specific emphasis on cooperation with psychologists. He especially works on the long-term programmes which leave behind long-term positive consequences in the national teams. Rudić is the most successful water polo coach in Olympic history. He led three different men's national teams to win four gold medals and one bronze medal at the Summer Olympics. He is one of a few sportspeople who won Olympic medals in water polo as players and head coaches.

Yugoslavia

Rudić started his coaching career as the coach of juniors in VK Partizan between 1980 and 1983, and between 1983 and 1984 of the Yugoslavian junior national team, which won silver medals at the World (1983) and European Championship (1983, 1984). Several players like

Dubravko Šimenc Dubravko Šimenc (born 2 November 1966 in Zagreb) is a former Croatian water polo player who competed for both Yugoslavia and Croatia, and later water polo coach. Dubravko Šimenc's father Zlatko was a water polo player who won the silver med ...

Perica Bukić Perica Bukić (born 20 February 1966) is a Croatian former professional water polo player and politician. He represented Yugoslavia at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. Bukić was given the honour to carry the national flag of Croatia at the ...

, and

Igor Milanović Igor Milanović ( sr-Cyrl, Игор Милановић; born 18 December 1965) is a Serbian professional water polo head coach and former player. He is considered one of the best water polo players of all time. Milanović had an illustrious profe ...

formed the core in the following Yugoslavian golden period. He received the nickname Tiranin (Tyrant) because he demanded a considerable amount of work and discipline. He was the coach of the

Yugoslavia men's national water polo team Yugoslavia men's national water polo team was the national water polo team that represented the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1920–1929), the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929–1941) and the Federal Yugoslavia (1946–1992). They were o ...

between 1984 and 1988, and won two consecutive gold medals at the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

and

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

; gold medal at the 1986 World Championship; two consecutive silver medals at the 1985 and 1987

European Water Polo Championship The European Water Polo Championship is a sport competition for national water polo teams, currently held biannually and organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN), the governing European aquatics federation. There are both men's and wom ...

; and gold medal at the 1987 World Cup.

Italy

After the coach position at VK Partizan between 1988 and 1990 ( COMEN Cup), in 1990 he became the coach of Italy. His work in Italy initially was in the conflict with the players who had tactical and technical skills but lack of physical working philosophy. As the very strenuous trainings were accepted they eventually became the best national team at the time. They were the first national team to win all titles in one Olympic cycle. In 1994, after the gold medal at the 1994 World Championship, changed almost the whole team with younger players which was received with harsh criticism by the sport journalist in Italy, but nevertheless won gold medal at the 1995 European Championship. The period as the coach of the Italian national team, however, ended in controversy: at the end of the quarterfinals of the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

in which Italy lost against Hungary 5–8, Rudić reportedly accused the officials for a planned conspiracy against the Italian team (due to referee decisions), which cost him a yearly suspension from all competitions by

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

. As the coach of

Italy men's national water polo team The Italian national water polo team represents Italy in men's international water polo competitions and is controlled by Federnuoto (the Italian Aquatics Federation). The national men's team has the nickname of "Settebello", a reference to both t ...

he won gold medal at the

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, and bronze at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

; gold medal at the 1994 World Championship; gold medals at the 1993 and

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, and bronze at the 1999 European Championship; gold medal at 1993, and silver medals at the

and 1999 World Cup.

United States

Rudić lived and worked as the coach in the United States from January 2001 until 2004. As water polo in USA was mostly a Southern California college level sport, Rudić recalls that the initial organization and competition system was in bad condition, with small number of players, and the first years were the hardest part of his career. He praised the work ethic in USA compared to other teams which helped his stay, and several players like

Wolf Wigo Wolf Wigo (b. May 8, 1973) is an American water polo player and water polo coach. He has played competitive water polo at the national level since age 13. Wigo was a four-year All-America collegiate water polo player and led his Stanford Universi ...

and

Tony Azevedo Anthony Lawrence Azevedo (born November 21, 1981) is a Brazilian-born American water polo player. He is a 2008 Olympic silver medalist and a five-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). Azevedo ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list ...

acknowledged his method of work. He organized the entire professional work in their association, which included working with youth categories, the selection and training of trainers, selection of players, and their preparation. As the coach of

United States men's national water polo team The United States men's national water polo team is the representative for the United States of America in international men's water polo. The team is the only non-European squad to win medals in the men's Olympic water polo tournament, most re ...

he won a gold medal at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

; and bronze medal at the 2003 World League. Although there was a strategic programme by Rudić titled Project Gold to take the team through the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

, and signed four-year contract before the 2004 Olympics, in the late 2004 on the behalf of the

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the President of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Predsjednik Republike Hrvatske), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the ...

Stjepan Mesić Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatian lawyer and politician who served as President of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was prime minister of SR Croatia (1990) after the fir ...

accepted the new coaching mission. However, in the USA they continued to work by his programme and won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics.

Croatia

According to Rudić surprisingly the most motivational work on cohesion inside and outside the national team had to do in Croatia. He was critical of the poor funding considering the results achieved by the team in comparison with football. By the

Croatian Olympic Committee The Croatian Olympic Committee ( hr, Hrvatski olimpijski odbor (HOO)) is the non-profit organization representing Croatian athletes in the International Olympic Committee. The COC organizes Croatia's representatives at the Summer and Winter Olymp ...

was awarded for the most successful Croatian coach in 2007, and 2012. As the coach of

Croatia men's national water polo team The Croatia men's national water polo team represents Croatia in international water polo competitions and is controlled by the Croatian Water Polo Federation. They have won gold medals in the Olympics, World and European Championships, FINA Wor ...

he won gold medal at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

; gold medal at

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, and bronze medals at the

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

and 2011 World Championship; gold medal at the 2010 European Championship; silver medal at the

2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

; silver medal at

, bronze at

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, and gold at the 2012 World League.

Brazil

Rudić became the coach of

Brazil men's national water polo team The Brazil men's national water polo team represents Brazil in international men's water polo competitions and friendly matches. Results Olympic Games * 1920 – 6th place * 1932 – disqualified * 1952 – 9th place * 1960 – 12th place * 1 ...

in November 2013. He led the team to the bronze medal at the 2015 World League; and silver medal at the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

. He was awarded for the best coach of the Olympic Committee of the host country of the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

. Brazil have been drawn into

Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...

of the Olympic competition, alongside

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Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. They won against Serbia 6-5, who were unbeaten more than two years.

Pro Recco

Rudić returned once again from retirement in June 2018, as 70 years old, when became the coach of Italian water polo club

. With the club he won one Serie A1 and

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

as well bronze medal at the 2018–19 LEN Champions League. On 6 May 2020, Rudić announced that he had officially retired from water polo at age of .

Coaching style

It is considered that Rudić is the most responsible for the contemporary water polo playing style, although did not invent it. Rudić is an heir of the Yugoslavian system and style, and due to his success many coaches tried to adopt his methods and style. However, Dante Dettamanti criticized the style for being too static and vertical, which is best suited for the physically big sized players. The style favors size aspect rather than speed. Another product of the system is the long and torturous training sessions, for which Rudić is also famous. It includes 8 hours a day of swimming in the pool, heavy style weight lifting sessions, leg work, and skill and tactical sessions. United States player

Layne Beaubien Ronald Layne Beaubien (born July 4, 1976) is an American water polo player. He was a member of the United States men's national water polo team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the championship game, the USA team won the silver medal, after defe ...

recalls that in the

American colleges Below are links to lists of institutions of higher education in the United States (colleges and universities) by state, grouped by Census Region, as well as lists of institutions in United States insular areas and of American institutions locat ...

a daily norm was 3,000 meters, while under Rudić initially 5,000 and later up to 18,000 meters, noting "it's all mental. That's all it is. That's why he makes us do it. Being able to push yourself when you're so tired, being able to push yourself to the next level". As Ricardo Azevedo noted, "if a player quits in practice, he will eventually quit in a game". Dettamanti considered that such methods are unnecessary for the international water polo, and that Rudić's success is rather the result of his game knowledge, teaching of skills and tactics.

Quotes

References

External links