Ratko Rudić (born 7 June 1948) is a retired Croatian

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, 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 water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

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 is a type of sport where the fundamental nature of the game or sport requires the participation of multiple individuals working together as a team, and it is inherently impossible or highly impractical to execute the sport as a s ...

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, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

, 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 () is the highest recognition that Republic of Croatia gives for extraordinary achievements and contributions of remarkable meaning for the development of sport in Croatia. This award has been given since 1991. I ...

as Yearly Award, while in 2012 Award for Life Achievement. In 2012 was the recipient of Order of Duke Branimir in Croatia, while in 2018 of Palma al Merito Tecnico by the

Italian National Olympic Committee The Italian National Olympic Committee (, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in ItalyWithin Italy, CONI recognizes 48 national ...

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

Croatian Water Polo Federation The Croatian Water Polo Federation (HVS) () 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 Croatia national water polo team, Croatian nationa ...

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 (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. From 2018 to 2020 he was the coach of Italian water polo club Pro Recco. On 6 May 2020, Rudić announced his retirement from water polo.

Early life

He was born on 7 June 1948 in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

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

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

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

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, enter ...

, 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, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. 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 (), 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 League, Regional League A1 and LEN C ...

against

HAVK Mladost Hrvatski akademski vaterpolo klub 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 society. As of the 2021–22 season, it competes in ...

. Although his desire was to study at the Academy of Fine Arts (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 Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

until 2000, and from then until 2004 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He has a daughter Martina who is a

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Playing career

He played for club

from 1963 till 1971, when moved to VK Partizan. 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 (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

and

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, and silver medal at the 1975 Mediterranean Games; bronze medals in 1970 and 1974, and silver medal at the 1977

European Championship A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

; bronze medal at the 1973 World Championship; and silver medal at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

. 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 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, Perica Bukić, and Igor Milanović 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 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 Southeas ...

and

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

; 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 wo ...

; 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 Italy 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, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

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 World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in List of water sports, water sports. It is one of several interna ...

. As the coach of Italy men's national water polo team he won gold medal at the

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, 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 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, and bronze at the 1999 European Championship; gold medal at

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, 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 and Tony Azevedo 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 represents the United States, United States of America internationally in men's water polo. They are the only squad outside of Europe to medal in the Water polo at the Summer Olympics, men's Olymp ...

he won a gold medal at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games, officially the XIV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Santo Domingo 2003, were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the Games was made in the mid-1990 ...

; 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 officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, 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 (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president ...

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

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 (, 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 ...

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 Worl ...

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, were 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 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, and bronze medals at the

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

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

2010 World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

; silver medal at

, bronze at

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, and gold at the 2012 World League.

Brazil

Rudić became the coach of Brazil men's national water polo team 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 The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

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

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. Brazil have been drawn into

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

of the Olympic competition, alongside

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. 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 Pro Recco. With the club he won one Serie A1 and

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

as well bronze medal at the

2018–19 LEN Champions League The 2018–19 LEN Champions League was the 56th edition of LEN's premier competition for men's water polo clubs. Overview Team allocation 12 teams are directly qualified for the preliminary round (TH: Champions League title holders). Phases ...

. On 6 May 2020, Rudić announced that he had officially retired from water polo aged .

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 recalls that in the American colleges 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