Iztok Puc
Encyclopedia
Iztok Puc was a Slovenian handball
player who was one of the world's top players of the 1980s and 1990s. During his career he has played professionally for RK Borac
, RK Zagreb
, RK Celje and RD Prule 67
and won a total of 18 domestic trophies. He was also a member of the RK Zagreb
squad which won the elite EHF Champions League
in 1992 and 1993. He is the only handball player who represented three different countries at the Summer Olympics (Yugoslavia, Croatia
and Slovenia
), winning bronze with Yugoslavia in 1988 and gold with Croatia in 1996. In 2009, he was named the best overall player in the history of Slovenian handball. After his death an award named in his honour was introduced and is awarded annually to the most promising young handball players in Slovenia and Croatia, given alternately one year to Slovenian and another year to Croatian player.
, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia on 14 September 1966. During his youth he lived in Šoštanj
with his mother and without his father, whom he met for the first time at the age of 25. In elementary school a gym teacher named Miro Požun, who was aware of the situation at Puc's home, took young Puc under his wing and became his mentor. Požun, who eventually became one of the best coaches in history of Slovenian handball, was the first who noticed the enormous talent that Puc had and eventually introduced him to the local handball club RK Šoštanj, which he also coached. There Puc became the most promising young player of Yugoslav handball.
in 1983 when their goalkeeper, Yugoslav international Zlatan Arnautović
, spotted him and reported his findings to the club officials. He was then tracked by the club and their scouting service and a few years later the young promising player was given an offer to join their club. Abas Arslanagić
, the coach of Borac, which was one of the top Yugoslav clubs at the time, wanted the young teenager to join his team immediately, however, Puc was persuaded by Miro Požun to finish high school first and complete at least some form of education. Puc listened to his mentor, finished high school one year later and finally joined Borac in 1985 where he signed his first professional contract. Upon his arrival in Banja Luka
, he immediately became the best player of the team and the best goalscorer of the entire league. Although he has never won any major domestic honours with Borac, he is nevertheless considered as one of the best players in history of the club.
He later played for RK Zagreb
from Croatia, and RK Celje and RD Prule 67
from Slovenia. During his career he won a total of 18 domestic trophies and was a member of the Zagreb squad which won the elite EHF Champions League
in 1992 and 1993. He is most remembered for the game-winning goal in the 1993 Champions League final where he scored in the final seconds of the game. He has also won three Croatian league
and three Croatian cup
titles. His longest spell was with Celje where he played for five years during which time he won five Slovenian league
and five Slovenian cup
titles and played in the EHF Champions League semi-final three times in a row. Miro Požun was the head coach of Celje during the 1994–95 season with whom Puc won his first Slovenian league and cup title. He made a total of 136 appearances for Celje, scoring 630 goals in the process. Puc last played for Prule 67 where he won both domestic titles, league and cup, in the 2001–02 season and appeared in another Champions league semi-final one year later.
at the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul
. He played his last game for Yugoslavia at the 1990 World Championship
where his team finished fourth. With 97 appearances, he is the third most capped Slovenian player in history of the Yugoslav national team.
Following his move to RK Zagreb in 1990 and the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Puc became a Croatian citizen and played for the Croatian team
with whom he won gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta. He won two other medals in major tournaments with Croatia, a bronze medal at the 1994 European Championship
and a silver medal at the 1995 World Championship
.
In the late 1990s he switched his national side allegiance in favour of Slovenia, the country of his birth. He then played for the Slovenian team
at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, where the team finished eighth. Slovenia qualified for the Sydney tournament after finishing fifth at the 2000 European Championship
. The play-off match fifth place was played in Zagreb
against host nation Croatia, Puc's former team. Puc was one of the best players of the game and Slovenia won the match 25–24, thus securing the last available spot for the 2000 Olympics. He played 34 games for Slovenia, during which he scored 120 goals.
, USA together with his wife Jasenka, who is the daughter of the Croatian handball player and 1972 Olympic
gold medalist Hrvoje Horvat
, in support of their son's Borut tennis career. He and his wife sold all of their family possessions and enrolled their son to the world famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
. At the time of his father's death, Borut Puc was ranked 502nd on the ATP
list with Goran Ivanišević
as his tennis coach. Similar to his father, he also represented both Slovenia and Croatia. He started his career representing Slovenia and did so until the late 2000s when he changed his allegiance to Croatia.
that spread to his liver and bones, and succumbed to the disease on 20 October 2011 in a San Diego hospital, just a few days before the Champions League game between Zagreb and Barcelona, with the revenue of the match intended to be donated to help cover the costs for his treatment. On 5 November 2011, a Handball Day was held in Celje
, Slovenia, where two matches were played. In the first one, the 2000 Olympics Slovenian squad beat the Croatian squad composed of players who won the 1996 Olympic gold medal 29-25, while in the second match the regular squad of Slovenia beat the squad of RK Celje 35-32. This event was organized prior to Puc's death and matches would have been played even if he would still had been alive, as the main purpose was to gather donations for Puc and his family as financial aid for his treatment. Organizers collected around 17,000 euros and the revenue was bestowed on Puc's family. At the end of the match, which was seen by 4,000 spectators, the arena was completely dimmed. He is survived by his wife Jasenka and son Borut, a tennis player who resides in Florida, where the family moved to in 2005.
hosted Barcelona in a EHF Champions League match at Arena Zagreb. A clip of his match-winning goal for Zagreb in the 1993 EHF Champions League final was shown and 15,000 people joined in a minute-long standing ovation in memory of Iztok Puc. In 2011 the Slovenian Olympic Committee
togheter with the Croatian Olympic Committee
and in collaboration with the Handball Federation of Slovenia and Croatian Handball Federation
, introduced a joint award named in honour of Puc (Iztok Puc Award) that is awarded annually to the most promising U–18 handball player. The award is alternating between the two nations every year and is given alternately one year to Slovenian and another year to Croatian player.
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
player who was one of the world's top players of the 1980s and 1990s. During his career he has played professionally for RK Borac
RK Borac Banja Luka
Rukometni klub Borac Banjaluka is a team handball club from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.It is part of the sports society Borac.The handball club RK Borac was founded in 1950.The federal league of Yugoslavia was founded in 1957...
, RK Zagreb
RK Zagreb
RK Zagreb is a team handball club from Zagreb, Croatia. Currently, RK Zagreb competes in the Croatian First League of Handball and the Croatian Handball Cup....
, RK Celje and RD Prule 67
RD Prule 67
RD Prule 67 was team handball club from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Due to financial problems, the club was terminated. They have won the Slovenian First League of Handball once, in season 2001–02.-Team:2003–04 Team*Ales Franetic*Backovic Ognjen*Bucar Jaka...
and won a total of 18 domestic trophies. He was also a member of the RK Zagreb
RK Zagreb
RK Zagreb is a team handball club from Zagreb, Croatia. Currently, RK Zagreb competes in the Croatian First League of Handball and the Croatian Handball Cup....
squad which won the elite EHF Champions League
EHF Champions League
The EHF Champions League is the most important professional club handball competition in Europe . The competition was started in the 1956–57 season, and is administered by the European Handball Federation.The most successful teams are from Germany and Spain...
in 1992 and 1993. He is the only handball player who represented three different countries at the Summer Olympics (Yugoslavia, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
), winning bronze with Yugoslavia in 1988 and gold with Croatia in 1996. In 2009, he was named the best overall player in the history of Slovenian handball. After his death an award named in his honour was introduced and is awarded annually to the most promising young handball players in Slovenia and Croatia, given alternately one year to Slovenian and another year to Croatian player.
Early life
Puc was born in Slovenj GradecSlovenj Gradec
Slovenj Gradec is a town and a municipality in northern Slovenia. It is part of the historic Lower Styria region, since 2005 it belongs to the NUTS-3 statistical region of Carinthia...
, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia on 14 September 1966. During his youth he lived in Šoštanj
Šoštanj
Šoštanj is a town and municipality in northern Slovenia. It was first mentioned in written documents dating to around 1200 as Schönstein in relation to its castle. As a market town it was first mentioned in 1348. It was given town status in 1919 and until the 1960s was the center of the Šalek...
with his mother and without his father, whom he met for the first time at the age of 25. In elementary school a gym teacher named Miro Požun, who was aware of the situation at Puc's home, took young Puc under his wing and became his mentor. Požun, who eventually became one of the best coaches in history of Slovenian handball, was the first who noticed the enormous talent that Puc had and eventually introduced him to the local handball club RK Šoštanj, which he also coached. There Puc became the most promising young player of Yugoslav handball.
Club career
Puc was first noticed by RK BoracRK Borac Banja Luka
Rukometni klub Borac Banjaluka is a team handball club from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.It is part of the sports society Borac.The handball club RK Borac was founded in 1950.The federal league of Yugoslavia was founded in 1957...
in 1983 when their goalkeeper, Yugoslav international Zlatan Arnautović
Zlatan Arnautovic
Zlatan Arnautović is a former Yugoslav handball player who competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics and in the 1984 Summer Olympics....
, spotted him and reported his findings to the club officials. He was then tracked by the club and their scouting service and a few years later the young promising player was given an offer to join their club. Abas Arslanagić
Abas Arslanagic
Abaz Arslanagić is a Bosnian handball player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1972 Summer Olympics and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.He was born in Derventa, Democratic Federal Yugoslavia....
, the coach of Borac, which was one of the top Yugoslav clubs at the time, wanted the young teenager to join his team immediately, however, Puc was persuaded by Miro Požun to finish high school first and complete at least some form of education. Puc listened to his mentor, finished high school one year later and finally joined Borac in 1985 where he signed his first professional contract. Upon his arrival in Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
, he immediately became the best player of the team and the best goalscorer of the entire league. Although he has never won any major domestic honours with Borac, he is nevertheless considered as one of the best players in history of the club.
He later played for RK Zagreb
RK Zagreb
RK Zagreb is a team handball club from Zagreb, Croatia. Currently, RK Zagreb competes in the Croatian First League of Handball and the Croatian Handball Cup....
from Croatia, and RK Celje and RD Prule 67
RD Prule 67
RD Prule 67 was team handball club from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Due to financial problems, the club was terminated. They have won the Slovenian First League of Handball once, in season 2001–02.-Team:2003–04 Team*Ales Franetic*Backovic Ognjen*Bucar Jaka...
from Slovenia. During his career he won a total of 18 domestic trophies and was a member of the Zagreb squad which won the elite EHF Champions League
EHF Champions League
The EHF Champions League is the most important professional club handball competition in Europe . The competition was started in the 1956–57 season, and is administered by the European Handball Federation.The most successful teams are from Germany and Spain...
in 1992 and 1993. He is most remembered for the game-winning goal in the 1993 Champions League final where he scored in the final seconds of the game. He has also won three Croatian league
Croatian Premier Handball League
-Champions by seasons :*1991/92 Zagreb Lotto*1992/93 Badel 1862 Zagreb*1993/94 Badel 1862 Zagreb*1994/95 Badel 1862 Zagreb*1995/96 Banka Croatia Zagreb*1996/97 Badel 1862 Zagreb*1997/98 Badel 1862 Zagreb*1998/99 Badel 1862 Zagreb...
and three Croatian cup
Croatian Handball Cup
The Croatian Handball Cup is a national team handball competition in Croatia operated by the Croatian Handball Federation. It has been held annually since Croatian independence in 1991 and succeeded the former Yugoslavian Handball Cup....
titles. His longest spell was with Celje where he played for five years during which time he won five Slovenian league
Slovenian First League of Handball
The Slovenian First League of Men's Handball is the top men's team handball league in Slovenia. It is organized by the Handball Federation of Slovenia. The league comprises twelve teams.-History:...
and five Slovenian cup
Handball Cup of Slovenia
Handball Cup of Slovenia was first played after Slovenian independece in 1991. Most successful clubs are Celje Pivovarna Laško and Krim Ljubljana .-History:...
titles and played in the EHF Champions League semi-final three times in a row. Miro Požun was the head coach of Celje during the 1994–95 season with whom Puc won his first Slovenian league and cup title. He made a total of 136 appearances for Celje, scoring 630 goals in the process. Puc last played for Prule 67 where he won both domestic titles, league and cup, in the 2001–02 season and appeared in another Champions league semi-final one year later.
International career
His first taste of international success came at the 1987 Junior World Championship when Yugoslavia won gold, and Puc was noticed as the most prominent player of the winning team. One year later he won a bronze medal with the Yugoslav senior teamYugoslavia national handball team
The Yugoslavia national handball team was the national handball team of Yugoslavia. It was organized by the Handball Federation of Yugoslavia.-Accomplishments:Olympics record*1936 - did not participate*1972 - Champion*1976 - 5th place...
at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. He played his last game for Yugoslavia at the 1990 World Championship
1990 World Men's Handball Championship
The 1990 World Championship for men in team handball was the 12th edition of the World Handball Championship. It was held in Czechoslovakia from February 28 to March 10, 1990.-Teams:- Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:- Group 1:...
where his team finished fourth. With 97 appearances, he is the third most capped Slovenian player in history of the Yugoslav national team.
Following his move to RK Zagreb in 1990 and the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Puc became a Croatian citizen and played for the Croatian team
Croatia national handball team
The Croatian national handball team is a handball team that represents Croatia in the international matches and has been playing since the country's independence in the early 1990s...
with whom he won gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta. He won two other medals in major tournaments with Croatia, a bronze medal at the 1994 European Championship
1994 European Men's Handball Championship
-Final ranking:...
and a silver medal at the 1995 World Championship
1995 World Men's Handball Championship
The 1995 World Championship for men in team handball was the 14th World Handball Championship. It was held in Iceland.-Preliminary round:-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Finals:-Final standings:# # # # # # # # # # # #...
.
In the late 1990s he switched his national side allegiance in favour of Slovenia, the country of his birth. He then played for the Slovenian team
Slovenia national handball team
The Slovenia national handball team represents Slovenia in international handball matches. The current coach is Zvonimir Serdarušić.- World Men's Handball Championship record :- European Men's Handball Championship record :...
at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, where the team finished eighth. Slovenia qualified for the Sydney tournament after finishing fifth at the 2000 European Championship
2000 European Men's Handball Championship
-Placement Matches:-Final ranking:...
. The play-off match fifth place was played in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
against host nation Croatia, Puc's former team. Puc was one of the best players of the game and Slovenia won the match 25–24, thus securing the last available spot for the 2000 Olympics. He played 34 games for Slovenia, during which he scored 120 goals.
Retirement
After his retirement at Prule 67 he assumed the role of sports director at the club. Soon afterwards he moved to FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, USA together with his wife Jasenka, who is the daughter of the Croatian handball player and 1972 Olympic
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
gold medalist Hrvoje Horvat
Hrvoje Horvat
Hrvoje Horvat is a Croatian handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and in the 1976 Summer Olympics for SFR Yugoslavia.-International career:...
, in support of their son's Borut tennis career. He and his wife sold all of their family possessions and enrolled their son to the world famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy
The Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy is located in Bradenton, Florida, and was founded in 1978 by Nick Bollettieri as a full-time tennis boarding school that combines intensive tennis training with an academic curriculum....
. At the time of his father's death, Borut Puc was ranked 502nd on the ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
list with Goran Ivanišević
Goran Ivaniševic
Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous...
as his tennis coach. Similar to his father, he also represented both Slovenia and Croatia. He started his career representing Slovenia and did so until the late 2000s when he changed his allegiance to Croatia.
Illness and death
In early 2011, Puc was diagnosed with lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
that spread to his liver and bones, and succumbed to the disease on 20 October 2011 in a San Diego hospital, just a few days before the Champions League game between Zagreb and Barcelona, with the revenue of the match intended to be donated to help cover the costs for his treatment. On 5 November 2011, a Handball Day was held in Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
, Slovenia, where two matches were played. In the first one, the 2000 Olympics Slovenian squad beat the Croatian squad composed of players who won the 1996 Olympic gold medal 29-25, while in the second match the regular squad of Slovenia beat the squad of RK Celje 35-32. This event was organized prior to Puc's death and matches would have been played even if he would still had been alive, as the main purpose was to gather donations for Puc and his family as financial aid for his treatment. Organizers collected around 17,000 euros and the revenue was bestowed on Puc's family. At the end of the match, which was seen by 4,000 spectators, the arena was completely dimmed. He is survived by his wife Jasenka and son Borut, a tennis player who resides in Florida, where the family moved to in 2005.
Legacy
Despite being known for his relaxed approach to training, Puc was described as a fiercely competitive and mentally tough player. At the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Handball Federation of Slovenia in 2009, Puc was named the best left back and the best overall player in the history of Slovenian handball. Three days after his death, his former club RK ZagrebRK Zagreb
RK Zagreb is a team handball club from Zagreb, Croatia. Currently, RK Zagreb competes in the Croatian First League of Handball and the Croatian Handball Cup....
hosted Barcelona in a EHF Champions League match at Arena Zagreb. A clip of his match-winning goal for Zagreb in the 1993 EHF Champions League final was shown and 15,000 people joined in a minute-long standing ovation in memory of Iztok Puc. In 2011 the Slovenian Olympic Committee
Slovenian Olympic Committee
Olympic Committee of Slovenia ensures the participation of Slovenian athletes at the Olympic Games, the Mediterranean Games, European Youth Olympic Festival, Youth Games and the Alpe-Adria Youth Games three countries....
togheter with the Croatian Olympic Committee
Croatian Olympic Committee
The Croatian Olympic Committee is the non-profit organization representing Croatian athletes in the International Olympic Committee. The COC organizes Croatia's representatives at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. It also organizes the Croatian contingent at smaller events such as the...
and in collaboration with the Handball Federation of Slovenia and Croatian Handball Federation
Croatian Handball Federation
The Croatian Handball Federation is the governing body of team handball in Croatia. It is based in Zagreb.It organizes the handball leagues:* Croatian First League of Handball* Croatian Second League of Handball...
, introduced a joint award named in honour of Puc (Iztok Puc Award) that is awarded annually to the most promising U–18 handball player. The award is alternating between the two nations every year and is given alternately one year to Slovenian and another year to Croatian player.