Kresimir Cosic

Enshrined 1996
Born: November 26, 1948
Zagreb, Croatia
Died: May 25, 1995

A hero on and off the court in his native Croatia, the 6-foot-11 center Kresimir Cosic enrolled at Brigham Young University in 1970 after leading the former Yugoslavia to an Olympic Silver Medal in 1968. Equally effective playing near the basket and on the perimeter, Cosic was the first foreign player to earn All-America honors. After his outstanding college performance, Cosic returned to Croatia, where his career continued to catapult, playing in four Olympic Games (1968, 1972, 1976, and 1980), winning a gold medal in 1980. As a member of the former Yugoslavian National team, Cosic also participated in four World Championships and eight European Championships. Professionally he played with, and then coached Olimpia and Cibona, winning five Yugoslavian League titles. Cosic's decision to attend BYU was historic -- it paved the way for international basketball players to come to America to improve their basketball skills at the collegiate level.