Ivan Edeshko went down in sports history as an outstanding basketball master, the author of the famous pass to Alexander Belov, who brought gold to the USSR national team Olympic medals in Munich.
Born on March 25, 1945 in the village of Stetski, Grodno region of Belarus. Father - Edeshko Ivan Alexandrovich (1907-1997). Mother - Edeshko Anna Vikentyevna (1912-1988). Wife - Larisa Andreevna Edeshko (born May 25, 1946). Daughter - Edeshko Natalia Ivanovna (born 1970).
Graduated from the Belarusian State Institute physical culture(1965-1970). By profession - trainer-teacher.
Ivan Edeshko went down in sports history as an outstanding basketball master, the author of the famous pass to Sergei Belov, which brought the USSR national team gold Olympic medals in Munich. His sports career began in Minsk in 1963-1970, where he played for Spartak. Since 1970, I. Edeshko has been on military service. In 1971-1977, 1979 and 1980 he plays for the CSKA club in 1978 and 1981. played for SKA (Kyiv). From 1980 to 1984 - coach national team juniors and the USSR national basketball team. From 1984 to 1987 - worked as a coach in Guinea-Bissau. In 1987-1990 - coach of the CSKA team and the USSR national team. In 1990-1992 - head coach CSKA basketball. From 1992 to 1995 he worked as a coach in Lebanon. In 1995 he returned to CSKA, where until 1997 he was the coach of the CSKA team. From 1997 to present he works as a trainer basketball club"Sporting" in Lebanon.
I.I. Edeshko - Olympic champion (1972), silver medalist Olympic Games(1976), world champion (1974), world championship medalist (1978), European champion (1971, 1979), silver medalist of the European Championship (1975), bronze medalist of the European Championship ( 1973), winner of the European Champions Cup (1971), champion of the USSR (1971-1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980), silver medalist of the USSR Championship (1975), winner of the Spartakiads of the Peoples of the USSR ( 1975, 1979).
Victory at the Olympic Games was marked with the Honorary title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and the Order of the Badge of Honor. For training the players of the USSR national team and winning the world championship, he was awarded the Honorary title of Honored Coach of the USSR and awarded a medal"For labor valor." He was also awarded the badge “For Sports Valor” and an anniversary medal.
Loves everything related to nature: working in the country, traveling. He is interested in music of the 70-80s, jazz and pop music. Favorite writer - Jack London. He prefers domestic cinema, especially films with the participation of V. Vysotsky, A. Mironov, E. Leonov, M. Ulyanov. He tries not to miss the opportunity to meet old friends, friends of his youth. He considers the main success in life to be that his work coincided with his favorite hobby - basketball.
Ivan Dvorny was born on January 5, 1952 in the village of Yasnaya Polyana, Omsk region. Sports, athletics, started studying in high school. He proved himself at regional competitions and was noticed by sports specialists, who offered him a choice between wrestling and basketball. Ivan chose basketball and moved to the city of Omsk. Since 1966, he played basketball in the youth school. sports school with Honored Trainer Viktor Nikolaevich Promin.
He began playing for the Uralmash basketball club in 1969, under the leadership of coach Alexander Kandel. Then, at the invitation of Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin, he moved to the city of St. Petersburg to play for Spartak.
In 1972, after the appointment of Vladimir Kondrashin to the position of Head Coach of the USSR national team, Dvorny joined the national team. The following year, together with the team, he went to the XX Summer Olympic Games in the German city of Munich, where he won the title of Olympic Champion. After the Olympics, he successfully played for the Spartak club for another year.
A year after their triumph at the Olympics, in 1973, the basketball team went on a two-month tour of America. After playing more than a dozen matches at different tournaments, the team returned home. The players took things with them to relatives and for resale. At Sheremetyevo airport, at customs, all these things were described. They decided to arrange a show trial and the choice fell on Ivan Dvorny. The basketball player was sentenced to 3 years. With the assistance of Vladimir Kondrashin, he was released early and transferred to the village of Nurma, Leningrad Region.
In 1976, Ivan Vasilyevich was allowed to play; Spartak-Primorye from the city of Vladivostok, Primorsky Territory took the team. The team played very well under him, and the athlete himself often scored 20 points per game. Two years later he moved to the Moscow club Dynamo, but did not stay long at the club. Previously, he became the silver medalist of the USSR Championship, the winner of the European Cup Winners' Cup, the silver medalist of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, the winner of the First World Basketball Festival in the Republic of Peru and the tournament in memory of Yu.A. Gagarin.
In 1980, Dvorny returned home to his village and took up beekeeping. After some time, he moved to the city of Omsk, got a job as a mechanic at the Moskovka locomotive depot. He worked at the depot for 14 years and another 6 years at the fire department. At the same time he played for the Omsk teams Shinnik and Lokomotiv.
On the advice of a friend, in November 2001 he left for permanent residence in Baltimore, USA. Then he returned to his homeland and lived in the city of Omsk. Later, the story “Block Shot” by Vladilen Lech, dedicated to the dramatic fate of the Olympic Champion, was published.
Dvorny was appointed president of the Omsk Region Basketball Federation in February 2012. In October of the same year he joined coaching staff basketball club "1716" as a consultant coach.
Dvorny Ivan Vasilievich died on September 22, 2015 from lung cancer. He was buried in the city of Omsk at the Novo-Yuzhnoe cemetery.
For services to sports activities Ivan Vasilyevich was awarded the title “Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.”
Ivan Ivanovich Edeshko(March 25, 1945, Stetski village, Grodno district, Grodno region, Belarusian SSR, USSR) - Soviet basketball player. Height - 196 cm. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1972).
Graduated from the Belarusian Institute of Physical Education (1970).
Biography
He played for Spartak (Minsk), CSKA (Moscow), SKA (Kyiv).
He is remembered for his “golden” pass to Alexander Belov three seconds before the end of the final match with the US team at the Olympics in Munich (1972).
Coach of the USSR national team at the 1982 World Cup (1st place) and the 1987 European Championship (2nd place). Honored Trainer of Russia, Honored Trainer of the USSR.
Coach of the CSKA men's team - champion of Russia in 1992. Head coach of the Russian junior team in 1998-2000. Since 2000, head coach of the Russian youth team.
Achievements
- Olympic champion 1972, bronze medalist of the Olympic Games-76
- World champion 1974, silver medalist at the 1978 World Cup
- European champion 1971, 1979, silver medalist of the European Championship 75; bronze medalist of European Championship 73
- Champion of the USSR 1971-74, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980. Silver medalist of the USSR Championship 1975
- Universiade champion 1970; silver medalist - 1973
- Owner of KECH-71.
- Awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor (1972), the Order of Honor (2006), and the Medal for Labor Valor (1982).
Family
Father - Edeshko Ivan Alexandrovich (1907-1997). Mother - Edeshko Anna Vikentievna (1912-1988). Brother - Evstafiy Edeshko - works at the Department of Physical Education at the Grodno State University named after Yanka Kupala.
Wife - Edeshko Larisa Andreevna (born 1946), graduated from Moscow State University, worked as a teacher. Daughter - Edeshko Natalia Ivanovna (born 1970), tennis player, master of sports, worked at CSKA. Son-in-law - Nechaev Andrey Artemyevich, (born 1963), former president of the Khimki basketball club (August 2012 - January 2013). Grandchildren: Artem, Ivan.
Sources
- 100 years of Russian basketball: history, events, people: reference book / Compiled by V. B. Kvaskov. - M.: Soviet sport. - 274 p.: ill. ISBN 5-9718-0175-9
Legends are different. In any case, they evoke the awe that invariably appears when coming into contact with the great pages of history. Communication with the best basketball player of Belarus at the age of 80, in addition to awe, also evokes professional admiration: not every star is able to interest the interlocutor so much that an hour of conversation seems like a minute, and for some reason the questions written in a journalist’s notebook do not want to end.
Ivan EDESHKO does not like hackneyed topics that, alas, cannot be avoided. But, having diplomatically said: “You know, I’d better play you a videotape with my own recording,” he repeats the memorized answers, and with pleasure delves into philosophical reasoning, having caught a fresh thought in the conversation. Last weekend in Vitebsk, where the basketball anniversary was celebrated, our illustrious fellow countryman was constantly in the spotlight, but he agreed to an interview for “PB” unquestioningly.
FROM THE “PB” DOSSIER
Ivan EDESHKO. Born on March 25, 1945 in Grodno. 195 cm. Defender/Forward. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, Honored Trainer of the USSR and Russia. He started playing basketball at the age of 14. The first coach is Yakov Fruman. He played for Spartak (Minsk) (1963-67), Radiotekhnik (Minsk) (1968), Burevestnik (Minsk) (1970), CSKA (1971-77, 79-80), SKA (Kyiv) ( 1978). From 1971 to 1980 - player of the USSR national team. Olympic champion (1972), silver medalist of the Olympic Games (1976), world champion (1974), silver medalist of the World Championship (1978), European champion (1971, 79), silver medalist of the European Championship (1975), bronze medalist of the European Championship (1973 ), winner of the European Champions Cup (1971), champion of the USSR (1971-74, 76, 77, 79, 80), silver medalist of the USSR Championship (1975), winner of the Spartakiads of the Peoples of the USSR (1975, 79). Awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and the Medal for Labor Valor. Head coach of the USSR junior team (1980-82), coach of the USSR national team (1982-84, 87-90), head coach of the Russian youth team (1999-2001), coach of the Russian national team (2002). He headed the clubs of Guinea-Bissau (1984-87), Lebanon (1992-94, 95-96), CSKA (1990-92), Shakhtar (Cheremkhovo/Irkutsk) - 2000-2002. Coach of CSKA (1994-95, 97-98, 2002-03), Dynamo (Moscow region) - since 2003. As a coach - world champion (1982), Russian champion (1992, 96, 98), Lebanese champion (1993, 94, 96), bronze medalist of the Asian Champions Cup (1996).
Grodno guy with village registration
It is curious that both laureate players of the survey conducted by “Pressball” are now foreigners. After the breakup Soviet Union Galina Savitskaya became Spanish, and Ivan Edeshko became Russian. However, Ivan Ivanovich considers citizenship a mere formality.
I am a Russian solely by passport. But I have always considered and consider myself a Belarusian. This is my homeland, my roots. And now I was seduced not by the holiday or even the fact that I was recognized as the best in the entire history of Belarusian basketball, although, I must admit, it was very pleasant, but by the opportunity to pay tribute to the country that has given me so much. Therefore, I simply had to be here, meet veterans, friends, many of whom I had not seen for a very long time. Now I work as a senior coach-consultant at Dynamo near Moscow. Of course, I’m not entirely happy with the position - I’m used to being a head coach. But they really asked me to help the new team. Besides, I didn’t really work anywhere last season, but I don’t want to degrade, because in coaching practice is important.
Ivan Ivanovich, you are a popular person, always in the spotlight. Here in Belarus, do you feel treated differently than, say, in Irkutsk or Moscow?
They probably treat me equally normally everywhere. Why is a person treated poorly, with some kind of prejudice? Because not everyone manages to remain human in the biblical sense of the word. Nobody in Russia or Belarus can say that sporting achievements I've been spoiled for being arrogant.
Directories claim that you were born in the small village of Stetski in the Grodno region. How did you end up in big sport and in basketball in particular?
In fact, I was born in Grodno, where my family had previously moved. It was simply recorded in the parish register of the church in the village where my parents were from. How did you get into basketball? I was involved in many sports, and when the basketball section opened, I signed up. There he remained. One of the reasons is that there were a lot of rings in the city back then, in every yard, every school. Even when there was no section, there was an opportunity to throw, play with friends. For a long time I was second to last in height on the team, but between the ages of 16 and 17 I suddenly became 14 centimeters taller. Everything was decided by itself. In addition, we came across good coaches - Yakov Iosifovich Fruman, Anatoly Ivanovich Martsinkevich.
- Who was your first mentor?
In fact, he started working with Fruman, and received the basics of the skill at Martsinkevich’s children’s and youth school. I saw what kind of person he was, how he approached the matter, I saw what a fan, an inventor, an excellent psychologist he was. Nowadays there are few of them... It was from Martsinkevich that I realized who I wanted to become. I am very grateful to Alexander Rymarchuk. I learned a lot from meetings with the team of our agricultural institute, which included Yagovdik, the former Grodno governor of Dubko. Then I was still in school, and our matches were central to all championships in the city and region. As a tenth-grader, I already played with students twice a week at the Krasnoe Znamya cultural center. I ran to the adults after training at the children’s sports school and was already on the regional team.
After school I studied at the Polytechnic Institute. I passed the exam, but did not get into the department I wanted due to the competition. Of course, they kept me in mind as a promising athlete, so they helped me find a department where my scores were sufficient. I took up the specialty “foundry” with an eye to the fact that in a year I would be transferred to a more prestigious faculty. But after completing two courses, I met a person you know well. He talked to me, said that he saw my future in sports, and uttered a phrase that I remembered forever: “It’s better to be good coach than a bad engineer." And he convinced me to move to Spartak.
- And this man...
Kudryashov Vyacheslav Alexandrovich. He was supposed to come to Vitebsk for the holiday, but, unfortunately, he fell ill - he had problems with his leg. I would love to see him.
Belarusian Magic or American Edeshko?
Actually, at Spartak Edeshko was coached first by Gukov, then by Kudryashov. And Ivan Panin became the first coach who assigned him to the position that glorified Edeshko as a brilliant dispatcher and allowed him to become the author of the most famous assist in the history of basketball.
Back then, with a height like mine, they sent me to the position of a winger, but I could do everything. Later, when he moved to Moscow, he became, probably, the first in the Union who, with a height of 195 centimeters, was a point guard. It’s interesting that at that time in the national team there were many little ones faster than me - they overtook me at 100, 200 meters. But I was faster with the ball. There are many nuances here: a sense of the situation, gaining speed before receiving a pass... The ball never bothered me when accelerating. And it was easy to distribute passes while moving.
- Do you think this is a natural feeling?
I think yes. In addition, this is also a nuance of the wisdom of the Grodno school, which I absorbed during twice-a-day training as a child. After all, I was later compared to Magic Johnson, who, however, started playing later. I also loved hidden passes, wedging my way into the crowd of opponents, and making discounts.
In 1970, Gomelsky was removed from the national team and Vladimir Petrovich Kondrashin was appointed, who immediately recruited me to the team, despite the fact that I was already 25. And Gomelsky had to listen to a lot of reproaches: “Where was this player before, who now works wonders in national team? And Alexander Yakovlevich became the coach of CSKA and, in defiance of the talk, began to prove that he was right.
It turned out that I was in Kondrashin’s top five, and at CSKA I was on the bench. The relationship with the coach was tense. Only recently on television Gomelsky said: “If Bobrov was in football, then Edeshko was in basketball. I often didn't understand him, but even then he surpassed me in understanding basketball. Yes, I didn’t put him in the lineup because he often lost balls. But Edeshko made basketball spectacular.” If in hockey Petrov was the “fifth column” - this is Tarasov’s statement, then in basketball it was me. We behaved independently and were drawn to our families.
Kondrashin played a decisive role in my destiny. He opened me up for the team, took care of me, trusted me even in difficult times, loved me as much as I loved him - and for this, in particular, Gomelsky then “rewarded” me with antipathy.
- When was your first meeting with Magic Johnson?
At the tournament in Vilnius. It seems like 1979. Magic was only a student then. Then we met with him in America. By the way, in Moscow we also played with Julius Erving and David Thompson - the first figures in the NBA.
- How do you feel?
Very gifted players. I remember well how Irving simply flew over me. Thompson hammered balls from above even over two-meter Sashka Belov. I always liked to say that black athletes have amazing data - when they jump, you can read the size of the sneakers on the sole.
Considered myself a failure before three seconds
Honestly, we didn’t touch on the topic of the famous pass at the Munich Olympics. Talking about the Union national team, for which Edeshko played until the age of 34, about the enormous competition for getting into the squad, about comparison with the current Russian national team, Ivan Ivanovich himself switched to talking about the great confrontation with the States.
Last year we were at the World Championships, and the Americans released a tape dedicated to the 30th anniversary of our victory in Munich. I have it, and probably the only person in Russia. Then I set a condition: I will give an interview only if I receive a copy of the film. First they show the safe where they are silver medals Americans they abandoned, symbols of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA - Red Square, parades of athletes, tanks, a strong army, miners in the face, a scarlet banner, a hammer and sickle, a rapidly developing sport... They give a clip of moments of how rudely he played The Soviet Union, they say, our goal was to win at any cost, to kill, to tear apart... They show footage of the Munich Olympics, the taking of Israeli athletes hostage, the tough training of the US team. They criticize their coach (Henka Aibu. -“PB”. ) , who built defensive tactics in vain. And, of course, everything controversial issues. Amazing cassette. I want to make a good memory for my grandchildren from it and other materials.
- Maybe you’ll try to write a book again? We know that there was already one attempt, but the records disappeared.
No. For only one reason: it would be interesting to read only to those who lived at that time. Young people will not understand the subtleties of that period. And I won’t be able to remember all the feelings and emotions that were once expressed.
- Don’t want to relive everything again?
Not at all. It’s just that in the current state it will not be possible to describe all the moments as richly as it once was. In addition, now much of what was said seems not so significant at all.
Involuntarily we turned to the topic of the 1972 Olympics. The last moments, replayed twice, are etched in the memory of the fans. You took a big risk, giving that pass to Alexander Belov across the court. If you didn't get a successful combination, would you consider yourself a loser all your life?
- Considering that the Soviet Union scored 50 points throughout the game...
The score doesn't say anything. After all, there were no three-pointers back then! And we made three fatal mistakes: the first by Sergei Belov, from whose foot the ball went out of bounds, the second by me, when I stepped on the player and received a personal remark in attack, the third by Sanya Belov, who removed the ball after a miss five seconds before the end and made a pass that resulted in a steal, a foul and Doug Collins free throws.
It was psychologically difficult, probably, not only during the final Olympic match, but also after it, when the American protest hung over our heads...
Believe me, it's not interesting. But returning to the feeling of being a loser: at that moment there was simply agony - I wanted to leave the site as soon as possible. Pass and leave...
The final of the Munich Olympics was overshadowed not only by the protest of the US basketball team, but also by the tragedy with Israeli hostages...
Do you know what was the worst thing? The fact that we were forbidden to go to the rally, in which all the teams took part. Instead we trained. The Soviet Union had strained relations with Israel at that time, and a directive was issued from above: there should be no Soviet people at the rally.
Basketball in the 70s was more soulful
How many basketball generations of the USSR national teams have passed before the eyes of our interlocutor? It's difficult to even list. Edeshko’s generation did not know the three-point line; in the Union they almost never scored from above. Therefore, an attempt to compare the game of the 70s and modern times suggests itself.
What is THAT basketball? He was not so tactically armed, and was tuned to greater manifestation of individual qualities against the backdrop of team actions. Of course, now we can also talk about the basketball of great players. But a star can be naturally gifted physically, have strength and jumping ability, but not in thought. Then there was more ingenuity, unconventional moves, and purely human cunning. Now there is a system from which you cannot depart, otherwise you will end up on the bench. The player is obliged to perform the movements correctly, set screens at the right time and in the right place, and perform exclusively his functions. In our times there were elements, people on the site created magic. I like to tell one story. I remember we traveled around the States and beat six student teams in a row. Then the owners assembled a team of basketball players who had just graduated from college and had already signed contracts in the NBA. And we achieved victory again. Journalists asked one of the Americans: “How could you give in to these red boys who still play in a uniform with felt numbers that peel off from time to time, long forgotten in the USA?” And he replied: “You know, I only now understood what communism is.” The manifestation of our individual qualities skillfully fit into the actions of the team; no one thought about statistics - only about victories.
- It turns out that basketball in the 70s was better?
Rather more soulful. There were other fans who had their own idols. For example, Alachachyan is not such a great player to be extolled as much as the press and fans exalted him. Yes, he was fast, smart, but, most importantly, his height was 175 centimeters, and the man who from the stands saw how the little one beat the big ones involuntarily grew in his own eyes. Back then, the fans knew more about basketball, understood it from the inside, got used to the player’s skin, had strong ambitions - how can someone be stronger than me? Now they demand more show, throws from above, intrigue. Today's viewers are show fans. This term was just born to me. They follow teams, results, money.
Yes, in those days we could play in Europe at a decent level and earn a lot of money. Although, to be honest, such thoughts never even appeared. They received rates of 300 rubles, while engineers received 140. Everyone was happy, and they also had the opportunity to travel abroad. We were the first shuttles! Naturally, not on the current scale, but two or three jeans or one tape recorder already made it possible to get some kind of recharge. By the way, a comparison of the two great coaches of the USSR national team again begs to be compared. And if you ask which of them comes first, the answer question arises: for what? For results or for life? If for the result, then Kondrashin. If for life, then Gomelsky. Kondrashin is a pure basketball specialist, Gomelsky is a coach plus organizer. He could arrange trips abroad, provide uniforms from Nike or another company. Who would we prefer? Gomelsky. After all, he also showed results. And now I am his favorite student. Yes, he has a lot of toughness and other human qualities that are difficult to get along with, but he does a lot for basketball! Imagine what it’s like to organize a match on Red Square, a meeting of amateurs and professionals in the USSR! You can forgive him everything if things are moving forward.
The memory of Belov and Kondrashin is not honored in St. Petersburg
In the confrontation between Kondrashin and Gomelsky, our fellow countryman turned out to be a bargaining chip, fortunately, he did not fall into the lining of the coach’s jacket. And in the fight for Edeshko, victory more often turned out to be on the side of Gomelsky.
When you didn’t make it into the starting five of CSKA, were there any offers from Kondrashin to move to Spartak?
He made another offer that was no less valuable to me. When I decided to hang up my sneakers, Vladimir Petrovich said: “Move to Leningrad, you will play with me until you start falling on the court.” But somehow... Back then, “Spartak” was one of the poorest teams...
- Just like now.
It's a shame for Russian basketball. This weekend in St. Petersburg there is a tournament in memory of Belov and Kondrashin, a very decent level of teams. But for the first time there is no “Spartak” on it! How is this possible? I was invited there, but even if the timing did not coincide with the 80th anniversary of Belarusian basketball, I would not have gone.
- Do you think that they disrespect the memory of these great people?
Certainly. St. Petersburg is a city in which a lot could be done. For some reason in Mineralnye Vody, Saratov, Samara there are good teams, but in St. Petersburg, a metropolis, no! It seems that the former governor, Yakovlev, was the chairman of the regional basketball federation, but...
- Having finished your playing career, you immediately took up coaching...
In 1979, after the European Championship, I actually stopped playing. And I was appointed coach of the junior team. That was my job! However, a year later he received an invitation from Gomelsky to join him as an assistant in the national team. I tell him: “Alexander Yakovlevich, this is not mine. I was just a player myself, playing next to these guys.” But then the national team coach actually led everything, including the federation. He told me: “Ivan, if you don’t come to me, say goodbye to the team forever. Let's find another one." I had to agree. And then he won the World Championship. By the way, Sabonis, Tikhonenko, Sokk, Yovaisha, Volkov, Kurtinaitis have already started playing in this team...
- Which of the USSR national team squads for which you played do you consider the strongest?
Probably the one that competed in the 1978 World Cup in the Philippines. Then, by the way, Belov died. We prepared together, then Sashka felt unwell, he was admitted to the hospital, and we left. And suddenly they tell us: “Belov has died.” And not ours - Italians! There are no players like Sasha today. I am sure that even now, with the dominance of physically powerful players, he, with his two meters in height, would be one of the best in the world. His sense of the game, the ball, his partners, and his jumping ability were phenomenal...
I don't regret the money. We were happy friends
Ivan Ivanovich, you talked about the natural cunning and ingenuity that was present in the players of your generation. Can't you instill these feelings in modern basketball players?
No! Then there were players from nature, now - from improving basketball. There was no literature or medical care then. Everything was built on ingenuity, experience, feelings. Now - on a scientific basis, developments, systems. Everything is improving. Example: a carpenter used to work manually, but now he can use programmable machines. But the quality remains the same.
- Maybe the problem is that children's coaches often emasculate future players with workloads?
Previously, basketball players were exposed to courtyards, but now - systems and simulators. Each team has five coaches, or even more, psychology has been raised to an unprecedented level. The material incentives are such that you can go crazy. The budget of the current CSKA is 18 million dollars! They invite Turkan, give him a salary - 1 million 200 thousand! In 10 months! 120 thousand a month, four thousand a day!
- Did you ever think that you were born in the wrong era?
No. We were happy as friends, because you were in the public eye, you were respected, you were treated brilliantly. Interests and incentives are different. I once talked about best moments in life. This is when you come from abroad, get into a taxi, light a Marlboro and go home, glad that your family and friends are waiting there, and you are carrying bags full of gifts.
“ Eh, I knew that “Pressbo” would be here“l”, but didn’t prepare,” Ivan Ivanovich complained at parting. “I wish I could bring the tapes, so many interesting things for readers could be added to the article!” We expressed the hope that we would still find an opportunity to get acquainted with the part of the legend named Ivan Edeshko that remained outside the conversation.
3 seconds that shocked the world - that’s what people will say about this match. 45 years ago, the USSR team defeated the invincible in the final of the Munich Olympics: the USA team. What was it and why does it never happen again, the legendary basketball player Ivan Edeshko.
Dmitry Grantsev, AiF: Ivan Ivanovich, there is a myth that at the Olympics in Munich the team was given a plan: to win 50 gold medals by the fiftieth anniversary of the USSR. Was there such a thing?
Ivan Edeshko: We then had a planned economy, plans were also made for the performances of athletes. Plus the Olympics in Germany, you understand. Before the Games, we were taken to the Motherland monument, to meetings with Volgograd workers, to the Mausoleum, to the Komsomol Central Committee. And everywhere there were speeches about fascism: “You are going to the country where this brown plague came from. We must exercise maximum caution; provocations are possible.” In fact, in Germany they treated us very friendly. Moreover, when a survey was conducted among the Germans on which team they liked the most, they put the Japanese in 1st place as the most smiling, and we were ranked 2nd. I don’t know, perhaps in this way they wanted to somehow make amends for ours country...
In short, the team in Munich fulfilled its medal plan, and our basketball gold became the fiftieth medal of the USSR, despite the fact that in principle the basketball players big bet We didn’t: they planned for us silver. In general, if even Soviet sports officials underestimated us, what can we say about the Americans! They believed that victory was in their pocket... Then many American experts reproached the leadership of their team, saying: “We warned that the Soviet team would be very strong team!” But we were a team. Nobody thought about personal statistics: only about victory. And, you know, when one of the Americans was asked how they could even give in, he replied: “I only now understood what communism is.”
At left, American players McMillen (No. 13) and Henderson (No. 6) begin their victory celebrations prematurely. Right: Alexander Belov (No. 14) scores the winning goal for the USSR team. James Forbes (No. 10) lies on the floor. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Rich Clarkson
— We were surprised when the US team decided to boycott the awards ceremony and refused to accept silver awards? They are still kept in a safe in Switzerland to this day.
- Why be surprised?! Americans consider themselves the “number one” nation; there are only their interests, around which the rest of the world should revolve. For example, the start of the final match in 1972 was planned in Germany at 22:00, but the Americans were able to move it to a later time. Simply because it was more convenient to show basketball to viewers in the USA. This was a clear violation of the rules of the Games, but no one could stop them. And you don't have to look as far back as 1972 to get an idea of the Americans. 2017 - and everything is the same: we will do what is convenient and profitable for us, and you adapt to us. But still, then in Munich they received a small blow to their pride.
Award ceremony at the Olympic Games in Munich. The “silver” step of the podium is empty: American athletes did not come to the awards ceremony. On the third stage is the Cuban national team. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
— In an interview, you once said that the Lord helped in that finale. And these are the words of a Soviet person?
— There was an episode on the eve of the final. In the evening I went for a walk around Olympic Village and met American women who were distributing the Bible. We started talking. I ask: “Who is more valuable to you: your parents or God?” They: “God.” Then I decided to connect faith with patriotism, knowing the American mentality, and asked the question: “Choose: I will believe in God, but we will win against the USA, or I will not believe in God, but the USA will take gold.” They told me: “Let America lose, but believe in God.” And they handed me the Bible, and in Russian. I then hid it. What kind of Bible could a member of the USSR national team have... But then I thought about this match for a long time. Such a coincidence! And a foul Sakandelidze, and the solution Kondrashin let me out onto the court, and my throw Sashka Belov, and the way he caught the ball... It definitely couldn’t have happened without the Lord! (The score was 49:50 in favor of the Americans when there were 3 seconds left in the match. Edeshko made a perfect pass across the entire court Belov, and he put the ball in the basket. The result is 51:50 in favor of the USSR. - Ed.)
— How could a basketball player about whom they joke: “Edeshko has a crooked hand” make such a pass?
- Look, my hand is really crooked. When I was 8 years old, I fell from a fence and severely injured my elbow, the joints were crushed. At the hospital they wanted to cut off my arm altogether. Mother, having learned about this, made such a fuss that the head doctor said: “I’ll personally take care of Edeshko, we’ll try to save him.” They saved me, but after the operations my arm did not straighten at all. Mom then came up with an exercise: she poured water into a can, threw a ten-kilogram weight into it and forced it to lift and lower. This is the only way - through pain and patience - that I developed my hand. Although it must be clarified: it was left hand, and I passed the pass to Belov with my right hand. (Smiles).
— Now the winner of an Olympic gold medal receives 4 million rubles, even the prize-winners are given beautiful cars, governors give apartments to champions... How much did they pay you for Munich?
— In Germany, everyone received 300 marks, and upon returning to the Union they were given another 3 thousand rubles, minus income. Plus, they allowed us to buy a Zhiguli with our own money out of turn. “Volga” went only to Alexander Belov (note that Sergei Belov could also count on a similar award, who brought 20 points to the USSR team in that match - Ed.). Then only five Volgas were allocated for the entire team with 50 gold medals!
— At the end of the year, a feature film based on your “three seconds” will be released. Did you advise the film crew?
— Yes, I consulted on this film. Moreover, the same film crew worked on it as on the hockey “Legend No. 17.” The film was based on the book of memoirs by Sergei Belov, “Moving Up.” The uniforms, sneakers, and even water bottles are made from exact copies of that time. This film is a drama about the pressure that players and coaches experienced from officials and sports bosses in the seventies. Main role- Kondrashina - plays Vladimir Mashkov. And I am absolutely sure that this film will be a bomb.
— It happens that the burden of fame turns out to be too heavy for an athlete, and that’s why they die early...
- It happens... Here Sakandelidze And Korkia. They were idols in Georgia! You have to understand what kind of country this is: everyone dreams of having a magnificent feast with Olympic champions. And the guys couldn’t refuse anyone, they became wedding generals. Zurab and Misha did not live to see 60 years old: they left with an interval of 13 days. I visited their cemetery. Many already had to be buried. Rest? We are friends with Alzhan Zharmukhomedov, call our captain Modestas Paulauskas: He has problems with his back, so he does not leave Lithuania. Anatoly Polivoda lives in Mirgorod (Poltava region - Ed.). He enters into dialogue reluctantly, and I have almost no communication with him.
- The players called Kondrashin Father, Gomelsky - Pope. That's not what coaches are called anymore?
- They were different, of course. If Kondrashin is a coach from God, then Gomelsky is from life. Petrovich (Kondrashin. - Ed.) loved the players, but never arranged housing, scholarships, etc. for them, although he was friendly Vladimir Promyslov(to the chairman of the executive committee of the Moscow City Council. - Ed.). Alexander Yakovlevich resolved any issue on the spot: providing basketball players with apartments, cars, trips, uniforms - no problem. He was a man of irrepressible energy. This, you know, is the new Russian Jew. (Smiles.) It seemed that he had everything under control. Whether it was the Party Central Committee or journalists, he found a common language with everyone. But Kondrashin and Gomelsky had one thing in common: they both loved basketball wholeheartedly. I don’t see such devoted love among modern coaches. Right now it's more about what I can get out of this business than what I can give to basketball. Perhaps that is why the qualifications of today's specialists are lower. On the other hand, what do we want from a coach who earns a pittance at a regional sports school: 15-20 thousand? Naturally, he cannot devote himself entirely to basketball, because he must think about where else to make money. And it's sad.
— If there was money, could our basketball return to its former position?
— It’s clear that there’s nowhere in sports without money. I remember well the nineties, when people did not receive salaries for six months. Players went to Poland, Hungary, Luxembourg - anywhere, as long as they paid. I couldn’t stand it either and went to work in Lebanon. But money itself has nothing to do with results. Moreover, large sums often change human psychology not in better side. Patriotism, ambition, and professional attitude cannot be bought for dollars, just like love. In my time, all this was born in children’s yards. Wearing the national team jersey has been a dream since childhood. And now young people are hiding from the world, they are looking for dreams in electronic gadgets, there is very little simple human communication, there is little interest in the past. And my opinion: all those past great victories of our Soviet sports you need to know at least a little and take care of it. It's a shame when they are forgotten.
— Could you even imagine that the Russian basketball team would not qualify for the Olympics, as happened in Rio?
“I couldn’t even dream of something like this in my worst nightmare!” What can we say, we didn’t make it to the last European Championship! What has been happening to our basketball lately is absolutely absurd! Such humiliation. The federation was actually plundered, 280 million rubles in debt, the national team began to lose to teams that previously were simply carried out of the site without noticing. Now, with the arrival Kirilenko(chapter Russian Federation basketball. - Ed.), financial affairs have improved. The money went under his name, and the main debt was closed. And now these free finances can be spent on successful work federation.
— What about the national team? Is she getting better?
— It seems to me that we have excellent players, each with their own flavor. But the problem is that they do not open in their places. And I am sure that if the guys were on other teams, they would be leaders there. Of course, the progress of our national team is partly hampered by the “legionary issue”. Clubs want quick results, they release foreigners onto the courts, and Russians sit on the bench. How can you gain experience here? But still, as far as the national team is concerned, I am in an optimistic mood. I think we are quite capable of showing something worthy at this European Championship.
Ivan Edeshko. Photo: AiF
