Robert Busnel

French professional basketball player, coach, and administrator
Personal information
Born	(1914-09-19)19 September 1914 Toulon, France
Died	15 March 1991(1991-03-15) (aged 76) Lyon, France
Nationality	French
Listed height	6 ft 3.75 in (1.92 m)
Career information
Playing career	1929–1952
Position	Power forward
Coaching career	1945–1966
Career history
As player:
1929–	FA Mulhouse
–1945	FC Grenoble
1946–1947	ESSMG Lyon
1947–1949	UA Marseille
1949–1952	Racing Club de France
As coach:
1945–1957	France Women
1947–1957	France
1949–1952	Racing Club de France
1965–1966	Real Madrid
Career highlights and awards
As player: 7× French League champion (1930, 1931, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1951) As head coach: 3× FIBA European Selection (1964, 1966, 1967) Spanish League champion (1966) Spanish Cup winner (1966) French League champion (1951) As contributor: Olympic Order (1990) National Order of Merit (France) Officer of the Legion of Honor (1989) French National Sports Hall of Fame (1994) French Basketball Hall of Fame (2005)
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals Representing  France Men's Basketball Player EuroBasket 1949 Egypt Men's Basketball Head Coach Olympic Games 1948 London EuroBasket 1949 Egypt 1951 France 1953 USSR

Robert Busnel (19 September 1914 – 15 March 1991) was a French professional basketball player, coach, and administrator. During his playing career, the 1.92 m (6'3 3⁄4") tall Busnel, played at the power forward position. He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor, in 1989, and was awarded the Olympic Order, by the IOC, in 1990. He was inducted into the French National Sports Hall of Fame 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 basketball with FA Mulhouse, FC Grenoble, ESSMG Lyon, UA Marseille, and Racing Club de France.

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, a silver medal at EuroBasket 1949 (he was a player-coach in that tournament), and bronze medals at EuroBasket 1951 and EuroBasket 1953.

In the 1965–66 season, he coached Real Madrid, on the club 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), from 1976 to 1982. He served as a President of FIBA, in 1984–1990.

Personal life and death

Busnel received the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945. The French Basketball Cup is named after him, in his honor. Busnel, along with his wife Joëlle, and one of his nephews,^[1] died in an auto crash, in 1991, outside of Lyon.^[2]

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 Winner: (1966)