Lujo Györy (28 May 1930 – 28 March 2012) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player, referee and official. Györy was born 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, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

on May 28, 1930. He was engaged in sport from an early age, first swimming, then water polo and football. With the persecution of

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

in the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

his father was taken away in an unknown direction, never to be heard of again. During that time Györy was educated at the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

s grammar school in

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

. Toward the end of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, after high school graduation, he returned to Zagreb. In 1948 he moved to

Poreč Poreč (; known also by several alternative names) is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, west Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, which was designated a UN ...

where he founded the

NK Jadran Poreč NK Jadran Poreč is a Croatian football club based in the city of Poreč. It was founded in 1948 by Croatian handball player Lujo Györy. History Jadran began play in the Croatian second division in 1992–93. Jadran won the 1996-97 3.HNL ''zap ...

for which he played. In addition to football, Györy and several of his friends founded the swimming club of the same name. After military service in the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

Györy returned to Zagreb where he attended and graduated from the Higher Pedagogical Academy at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

. At that time he played handball. In 1956 he won the Yugoslavian Cup with RK Mladost Zagreb, and in 1957 Yugoslav Handball Championship second place. In 1960 Györy moved to GRK Zagreb with whom he won the Yugoslav Handball Championship in 1962, 1963 and 1965. From 1961 to 1965 he played for the Yugoslavia national handball team with 15 appearances. He also played on the

1964 World Men's Handball Championship The 1964 World Men's Handball Championship was the fifth team handball World Championship. It was held in Czechoslovakia. Romania won the championship. Preliminary round Group A All games are played in Gottwaldov. Group B All gam ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. Györy retired from active playing in 1967 only to become referee. He judged in the Yugoslav Handball Championship from 1970 to 1980 in 1260 handball matches. After he served as the league federal controller since 1981 to 1990. With Croatia independence, from 1991 to 1998, he worked as a supervisor and delegate in the

Croatian Premier Handball League The Croatian Handball Premier League () is the highest men's handball league in Croatia. It is organized by the Croatian Handball Federation (''Hrvatski rukometni savez''). The league comprises 16 teams. The league was formed in 1991 with the d ...

. He was later named handball instructor-supervisor. In 2009

Croatian Olympic Committee The Croatian Olympic Committee (, 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 Olympic Games. It also organizes the ...

awarded Györy with the

Matija Ljubek Matija Ljubek (; 22 November 1953 – 11 October 2000) was a Croatian sprint canoeist who competed in the 1970s and 1980s and later became a sports official. Born in Belišće, Osijek-Baranja, Ljubek competed in four Summer Olympics where he ...

award. Györy donated €100,000 to Zagreb oncology foundation and over 30 paintings drawn by his late wife Mira Györy. He was a member of the Jewish community of Zagreb. Györy died on March 28, 2012, in Zagreb and was buried at the

Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, ), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery (), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members of all religious groups: Catholic, Orthodox, M ...

. Gradska groblja Zagreb: Lujo Györy, Mirogoj Ž-7A-II/I-71

Honours

;Mladost Zagreb *Yugoslav Cup (1): 1956 *Croatian Championship (2): 1956, 1961 ;Zagreb *

Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...

(3): 1961–62, 1962–1963, 1964–65 *Yugoslav Cup (1): 1962

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gyory, Lujo 1930 births 2012 deaths Handball players from Zagreb Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Croatian Jews Croatian male handball players Yugoslav male handball players RK Zagreb players Croatian philanthropists 20th-century philanthropists