Frank Lubin
Encyclopedia
Frank John Lubin was an American
-Lithuania
n basketball
player.
Lubin was born on the east side of Los Angeles, California
to a family of Lithuanian
immigrants and died in Glendale, California
.
Playing for the UCLA Bruins
from 1928 to 1931, Lubin, a 6-foot 7-inch center, earned All-Pacific Coast Conference honors in his senior season. Following his college career, he joined the Twentieth Century Fox AAU
team, which earned the right to represent the US as part of the first Olympic basketball tournament in 1936 in Berlin
, winning the gold.
During the Olympics, Lubin was invited to come to Lithuania and became their first national coach. They won the EuroBasket
title in 1937, using American-born players of Lithuanian heritage. When the team hosted the tournament in 1939
, they again won the title, this time with Lubin playing and coaching.
Lubin fled Lithuania to California with his family in the face of the Russian invasion in 1939.
Lubin continued to play for the Twentieth Century Fox team until he was 54 years old.
For his contributions and for introducing the now basketball-mad country to the sport, Lubin is often called the "Grandfather of Lithuanian basketball.
In 1997, Lubin was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Helms Sports Hall of Fame.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player.
Lubin was born on the east side of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to a family of Lithuanian
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
immigrants and died in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
Playing for the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
from 1928 to 1931, Lubin, a 6-foot 7-inch center, earned All-Pacific Coast Conference honors in his senior season. Following his college career, he joined the Twentieth Century Fox AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
team, which earned the right to represent the US as part of the first Olympic basketball tournament in 1936 in Berlin
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
, winning the gold.
During the Olympics, Lubin was invited to come to Lithuania and became their first national coach. They won the EuroBasket
Eurobasket
The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...
title in 1937, using American-born players of Lithuanian heritage. When the team hosted the tournament in 1939
Eurobasket 1939
The 1939 European Basketball Championship, commonly called Eurobasket 1939, was the third regional championship held by FIBA Europe. Eight national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation took part in the competition...
, they again won the title, this time with Lubin playing and coaching.
Lubin fled Lithuania to California with his family in the face of the Russian invasion in 1939.
Lubin continued to play for the Twentieth Century Fox team until he was 54 years old.
For his contributions and for introducing the now basketball-mad country to the sport, Lubin is often called the "Grandfather of Lithuanian basketball.
In 1997, Lubin was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Helms Sports Hall of Fame.
External links
- sports-reference.com
- Pictures of Frank Lubin and his grave
- Olympic Oral History interview with Frank Lubin (1988)
- Frank Lubin page on Hoopedia.NBA
- Los Angeles Times Interview with Mary Agnes Lubin
- "Captain of the United States Olympic Basketball Team in 1936 was Frank Lubinas" - U.S. Ambassador John A. Cloud