Journals

For the Croatian politician, see Krešimir Ćosić (politician).

</th></tr></th></tr></td></tr>

Krešimir Ćosić

File:Kresimir Cosic.jpg Ćosić with KK Zadar.
Personal information
Born	(1948-11-26)November 26, 1948 Zagreb, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
Died	May 25, 1995(1995-05-25) (aged 46) Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Nationality	Croatian
Listed height
Career information
College	BYU (1970–1973)
NBA draft	1973 / Round: 5 / Pick: 84th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Pro career	1965–1983
Position	Center
Career history
1965–1969	Zadar
1973–1976	Zadar
1976–1978	Olimpija (AŠK/Brest)
1978–1980	Virtus Bologna (Sinudyne)
1980–1983	Cibona
Career highlights and awards
2x EuroBasket MVP (1971, 1975) 2x fourth-team All-American – NABC (1972–1973) 3× First-team All-WAC (1971–1973) No. 11 retired by BYU
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006
Medals {#REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other This page is a soft redirect. style="width:100%; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #000000;" #REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other This page is a soft redirect.- |- style="background-color:#eeeeee;text-align:center;" class="adr" ! colspan="3" | Competitor for Yugoslavia |- style="background-color:#eeeeee;text-align:center;" ! colspan="3" | Men's Basketball |- style="background-color:#cccccc;text-align:center;" ! colspan="3" | Summer Olympic Games |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Silver medal – second place|| 1968 Mexico City|| National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Silver medal – second place|| 1976 Montreal|| National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Gold medal – first place|| 1980 Moscow|| National Team |- style="background-color:#cccccc;text-align:center;" ! colspan="3" | FIBA World Cup |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Silver medal – second place|| 1967 Montevideo || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Gold medal – first place|| 1970 Ljubljana || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Silver medal – second place|| 1974 Puerto Rico || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Gold medal – first place|| 1978 Philippines || National Team |- style="background-color:#cccccc;text-align:center;" ! colspan="3" | FIBA EuroBasket |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Silver medal – second place|| 1969 Italy || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Silver medal – second place|| 1971 West Germany || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Gold medal – first place|| 1973 Spain || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Gold medal – first place|| 1975 Yugoslavia || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Gold medal – first place|| 1977 Belgium || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Bronze medal – third place|| 1979 Italy || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Silver medal – second place|| 1981 Czechoslovakia || National Team |- style="background-color:#cccccc;text-align:center;" ! colspan="3" | Mediterranean Games |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Gold medal – first place|| 1967 Tunis || National Team |- style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" |Gold medal – first place|| 1971 Izmir || National Team #REDIRECTmw:Help:Magic words#Other This page is a soft redirect.} </th></tr></table> Krešimir Ćosić (November 26, 1948 – May 25, 1995) was a Croatian professional basketball player who represented Yugoslavia internationally, a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University, and a member of FIBA Hall of Fame and Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also a notable church leader and missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the deputy ambassador of Croatia to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. Basketball career He was born in Zagreb and raised in Zadar, where he started his basketball career in 1965, playing for KK Zadar. He came to the United States to play college basketball at Brigham Young University from 1971 to 1973. In the 1972 NBA Draft he was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 10th round (144th overall). The following year at the 1973 NBA Draft he was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 5th round (84th overall). He was the first foreign player to earn All-American honors from the United Press International, garnering them in 1972 and 1973. After his college career, he rejected several professional offers and returned home to Yugoslavia. Ćosić played in four Olympic Games: 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980 in Moscow when he led his team to the gold medal. He previously led Yugoslavia to a pair of World Championship gold medals in 1970 and 1978. Coaching Following his playing days, he turned to coaching, and led the former Yugoslav team to a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and two bronze medals at the 1986 FIBA World Championship and 1987 EuroBasket. In 1996 Ćosić became only the third international player ever elected to the world's Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball. Church life During his time at the Brigham Young University, he converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and later served as the LDS presiding priesthood holder in post-communist Croatia. He was baptized by Hugh Nibley, one of the LDS church's most celebrated scholars. Ćosić also introduced the LDS Church to Yugoslavia. He translated the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants into Croatian. Death File:Kresimir Cosic 0707.JPG Krešimir Ćosić bust at Mirogoj In the years following basketball he worked in the United States as a Croatian diplomat at the embassy in Washington, D.C., having helped secure the land where the embassy now stands. Ćosić died in Baltimore, Maryland in 1995 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Honors On March 4, 2006, Ćosić became just the second men's basketball player to have his jersey retired by BYU (the other was Danny Ainge). In 2007, he was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Croatian landmark formerly known as Califfi Castle now carries the name of this basketball superstar and Churchman. There is a square in Zagreb, Croatia that bears his name (Trg Krešimira Ćosića). KK Zadar home arena is named after him. A street in Zadar carries his name. One of top medalists of FIBA's World Championships (4 medals) multiple participant of FIBA All-Star Games, playing on the side of European Selection roster FIBA's 50 Greatest Players: 1991 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors: 2008 References "Former BYU All-American's Jersey Retired", Todd Bluth, The Daily Universe, March 6, 2006 External links Krešimir Ćosić at BYUCougars.com Basketball Hall of Fame profile Euroleague.net profile Fibaeurope.com profile Kresimir Cosic Player Profile (InterBasket) FIBA Hall of Fame page on Cosic Krešimir Ćosić: An Off-Court Story (Documentary – byu.tv)