Eugenio George Lafita
{{Short description|Cuban volleyball coach (1933–2014)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Eugenio George Lafita
| fullname = Rafael Eugenio George Lafita
| nickname = Volleyball guru
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = 29 March 1933
| birth_place = Baracoa, Republic of Cuba
| death_date = {{death date and age|2014|6|1|1933|3|29|df=yes}}
| death_place = Havana, Cuba
| occupation = Volleyball coach
| spouse =
| alma_mater =
| website =
| headercolor =
| medaltemplates-title = Medal record
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Head coach for {{CUB}} women's volleyball}}
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalGold|1992 Barcelona|Team}}
{{MedalGold|1996 Atlanta|Team}}
{{MedalGold|2000 Sydney|Team}}
{{MedalBronze | 2004 Athens | Team }}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championship}}
{{MedalGold|1978 Soviet Union|}}
{{MedalGold|1994 Brazil|}}
{{MedalGold|1998 Japan|}}
{{MedalSilver|1986 Czechoslovakia|}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIVB World Cup}}
{{MedalGold|1989 Japan|}}
{{MedalGold|1991 Japan|}}
{{MedalGold|1995 Japan|}}
{{MedalGold|1999 Japan|}}
{{MedalSilver|1977 Japan|}}
{{MedalSilver|1985 Japan|}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIVB World Grand Prix}}
{{MedalGold| 1993 Hong Kong |}}
{{MedalGold| 2000 Manila |}}
{{MedalSilver| 1994 Shanghai |}}
{{MedalSilver| 1997 Kobe |}}
{{MedalSilver| 2008 Yokohama |}}
{{MedalBronze| 1995 Shanghai |}}
{{MedalBronze| 1998 Hong Kong |}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Grand Champions Cup}}
{{MedalGold|1993 Japan |}}
{{MedalSilver|1997 Japan |}}
{{MedalCompetition|Friendship Games}}
{{MedalGold|1984 Varna|}}
{{Medal|Competition|Pan American Games}}
{{Medal|Gold|1975 Mexico City|Team}}
{{Medal|Gold|1979 Caguas|Team}}
{{Medal|Gold|1983 Caracas|Team}}
{{Medal|Gold|1987 Indianapolis|Team}}
{{Medal|Gold|1991 Havana|Team}}
{{Medal|Gold|1995 Mar del Plata|Team}}
{{Medal|Gold|2007 Rio de Janeiro|Team}}
{{Medal|Silver|1999 Winnipeg|Team}}
{{Medal|Silver|2003 Santo Domingo|Team}}
}}
Eugenio George Lafita (29 March 1933 – 1 June 2014), also known as Eugenio George, was a Cuban volleyball coach. Nicknamed "Volleyball guru",{{Cite web |url=http://www.fivb.org/EN/volleyball/competitions/Olympics/2008/Women/Press/viewnews.asp?No=18008 |title=Eugenio George Lafita, the Volleyball guru, still fighting for the gold |website=International Volleyball Federation |date=18 August 2008 |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114105302/http://www.fivb.org/EN/volleyball/competitions/Olympics/2008/Women/Press/viewnews.asp?No=18008 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |url-status=live }} George led the Cuban women's team to gold medals at the Olympics in 1992, 1996,{{Cite newspaper |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/04/sports/for-cuban-veteran-just-thought-of-pro-career-brings-tears.html |newspaper=The New York Times |title=For Cuban Veteran, Just Thought of Pro Career Brings Tears |last=Araton |first=Harvey |date=4 August 1996 |at=sec. 8 p. 3 |access-date=2 October 2024 }} {{subscription required}} and 2000.{{Cite web |url=http://www.norceca.net/Cubans%20pay%20homage%20to%20Eugenio%20George.htm |title=Cubans pay homage to Eugenio George |date=March 14, 2014 |website=NORCECA |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140604003453/https://norceca.net/Cubans%20pay%20homage%20to%20Eugenio%20George.htm |archive-date=June 4, 2014 |url-status=live }} In 2000, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) named him the Best Women's Volleyball Team Coach of the Twentieth Century.{{Cite web |url=http://www.volleyballadvisors.com/volleyball-teams.html |title=Best Volleyball Teams — Which are the Best Teams Ever? |website=Volleyballadvisors.com |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528170528/http://www.volleyballadvisors.com/volleyball-teams.html |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/the-spectacular-caribbean-girls-cubas-three-volleyball-golds-in-a-row |website=Olympics.com |title='The Spectacular Caribbean Girls': Cuba's three volleyball golds in a row |date=19 January 2021 |access-date=August 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819053038/https://olympics.com/en/news/the-spectacular-caribbean-girls-cubas-three-volleyball-golds-in-a-row |archive-date=August 19, 2023 |url-status=live }} In 2005, he was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.{{Cite web |url=https://www.volleyhall.org/eugenio-george.html |website=International Volleyball Hall of Fame |title=Eugenio George |access-date=August 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605073049/https://www.volleyhall.org/eugenio-george.html |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |url-status=live }}
Early life
George was born on 29 March 1933, in Baracoa, Cuba.{{Cite web |url=http://www.volleyhall.org/ind2005_george.html |title=Eugenio George Lafita, Cuba |website=International Volleyball Hall of Fame |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822123838/http://www.volleyhall.org/ind2005_george.html |archive-date=August 22, 2014 |url-status=dead }} He began playing volleyball in 1947 at the Pepe Barrientos Gymnasium in the Luyano neighborhood in Havana. He played on the Cuban national volleyball team for a few years, and participated in the 1955 and 1959 Pan American Games.
Coaching
=Cuban men's national team=
George's coaching career began in 1963 with the Cuban men's junior team. He built up the foundation of the Cuban men's volleyball team that took the gold medal at the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Juan.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fivb.org/viewPressRelease.asp?No=46039&Language=en |title=Volleyball mourns passing of coaching legend |website=International Volleyball Federation |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607115323/http://www.fivb.org/viewPressRelease.asp?No=46039&Language=en#.U5L9Pb3P32c |archive-date=June 7, 2014 |url-status=dead }}
=Cuban women's national team=
In 1968, George took charge of the Cuban women's national volleyball team.{{Cite web |url=http://amateursport.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/legendary-cuban-volleyball-coach-passes-away/ |title=Legendary Cuban volleyball coach passes away |date=June 21, 2014 |website=Amateursport.wordpress.com |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202051526/https://amateursport.wordpress.com/2014/06/21/legendary-cuban-volleyball-coach-passes-away/ |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |url-status=live }}
Under the management of George, the Cubans clinched titles at the FIVB World Championship in the Soviet Union (1978), Brazil (1994) and Japan (1998); the FIVB World Cup in Japan (1989, 1991, 1995 and 1999); and the FIVB World Grand Prix in Quezon City (1993) and Hong Kong (2000). Most notably, he led the Cuban national team to three straight gold medal wins at the Olympics from 1992 to 2000, establishing the Cuban team as the most dominant team of the 1990s. Though he was removed as head coach shortly after the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, he remained involved with the team as an assistant coach up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.{{Cite news |url=https://oncubanews.com/en/sports/mireya-luis-great-jump/ |work=Oncubanews.com |title=Mireya Luis’ great jump |last=Coll Untoria |first=Jorge Luis |date=April 24, 2023 |access-date=September 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504190457/https://oncubanews.com/en/sports/mireya-luis-great-jump/ |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |url-status=live }}
=NORCECA=
George was the president of the NORCECA Technical and Coaches Commission, and was a member of the FIVB Coaches Commission.
In 2009, the NORCECA Congress in Antigua, Guatemala established the "Eugenio George Lafita Trophy" to the Most Outstanding Coach of the biennial Women's Continental Championship.{{Cite web |url=http://www.volleywood.net/volleyball-features/rip-volleyball-features/rip-coach-eugenio-george/ |title=RIP Coach Eugenio George |date=June 3, 2014 |website=Volleywood.net |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806203309/http://www.volleywood.net/volleyball-features/rip-volleyball-features/rip-coach-eugenio-george/ |archive-date=August 6, 2014 |url-status=live }}
Personal life
For more than 40 years, George was married to Graciela González until her death in 2007.{{Cite web |url=http://www.norceca.org/endex.htm |title=Ms. Graciela González, wife of Eugenio George, passed away in Cuba |date=February 2, 2007 |website=NORCECA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202224846/http://www.norceca.org/endex.htm |archive-date=February 2, 2007 |url-status=dead }}
Death
George died in Havana on 1 June 2014, at the age of 81 after a fight with cancer.{{Cite news |url=https://oncubanews.com/en/sports/eugenio-george-heart-of-the-cuban-school-volleyball-died/ |title=Eugenio George, heart of the Cuban school volleyball, died |date=June 1, 2014 |work=Oncubanews.com |access-date=August 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819121037/https://oncubanews.com/en/sports/eugenio-george-heart-of-the-cuban-school-volleyball-died/ |archive-date=August 19, 2023 |url-status=live }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.volleyhall.org/eugenio-george.html International Volleyball Hall of Fame profile]
- [http://www.olympedia.org/athletes/2400041 Olympedia profile: Eugenio George]
- [https://volleybox.net/eugenio-george-lafita-p43578 Volleybox.net profile]
{{FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship winning managers}}
{{Cuba squad 1978 FIVB Women's World Championship}}
{{Cuba squad 1985 FIVB Women's World Cup}}
{{Cuba squad 1986 FIVB Women's World Championship}}
{{Cuba squad 1991 FIVB Women's World Cup}}
{{Cuba women's volleyball squad 1992 Summer Olympics}}
{{Cuba squad 1994 FIVB Women's World Championship}}
{{Cuba squad 1995 FIVB Women's World Cup}}
{{Cuba women's volleyball squad 1996 Summer Olympics}}
{{Volleyball Hall of Fame members}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafita, Eugenio George}}
Category:Sportspeople from Havana
Category:Cuban volleyball coaches