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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

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 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, in 1990. He was awarded the Glory of Sport in 1994. He was inducted into the French Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2005. In 2007, he was enshrined as a contributor to the FIBA Hall of Fame.

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 enterprise ...

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, UA Marseille, and

Racing Club de France Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French 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 at the Bois ...

. Busnel played for the senior French national team, from 1934 to 1949. He played at the 1939 EuroBasket, the 1946 EuroBasket, the 1947 EuroBasket, and the 1949 EuroBasket, 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. 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 ...

, a silver medal at EuroBasket 1949 (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) e ...

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) e ...

. 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. 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 Eur ...

), 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 nam ...

, 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 an ...

. 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 t ...

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 ...

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: (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 footbal ...

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