Ralph Klein (basketball coach)

Player information
Ralph Klein

Nickname	Mr. basketball
birthday	July 29, 1931
place of birth	Berlin , German Empire
date of death	August 7, 2008
Place of death	Ramat Gan , Israel
National team
1952-1964	Israel
Clubs as coaches
1969–1983 Maccabi Tel Aviv 1983–1986 BSC Saturn CologneIsrael Germany
National team as coach
1977–1983 Israel 1983–1987 GermanyIsrael Germany

Ralph Klein (born July 29, 1931 in Berlin ; † August 7, 2008 in Ramat Gan , Hebrew name: רלף קליין) was a German - Israeli basketball player and coach from Maccabi Tel Aviv and BSC Saturn Cologne and coach of Israeli and West German basketball National team . As a player and coach, he won the Israeli championship and the European Cup of National Champions in 1977 a total of 22 times, and for his services to Israeli basketball in his homeland, he is named “Mr. Basketball "called. Klein survived the Holocaust as a Jew and was one of the first Israelis to take on a coaching post in Germany after World War II.

biography

Ralph Klein was born in 1931 in Berlin during the Weimar Republic as the son of a wealthy Jewish family. Before being persecuted by the Nazis , the Kleins fled to Hungary in 1939 . In 1941 Klein's parents, his sister Ruth and he were caught and deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp . His father died, but the rest of the family was among the 20,000 Jews who were rescued by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg . Since there was also strong anti-Semitism in post-war Hungary , Klein and his family emigrated to Israel in 1951 .

In the same year, Klein joined the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club and immediately became one of the young nation of Israel's first sports idols. As early as 1952, Klein played for the Israeli national team at the Olympic Games in Helsinki . As a player, Klein made 160 games, scored 2,701 points, and won the Israeli championship eight times and the Israeli Cup six times. Klein played a total of 68 times for his new home and scored 318 points. In 1964 he ended his playing career.

After his sports career, Klein became the coach of Israel's U-21 basketball team that same year, which finished 7th in the 1968 European Youth Championships. A year later he became the coach of his home club Maccabi Tel Aviv and established the team as one of the strongest teams in Europe. The team practically monopolized the Israeli championship and cup competitions and won all 14 championships and twelve trophies between 1970 and 1983: once they lost to Hapoel Gevat, and once the cup was canceled because of the Yom Kippur War . Klein coached the legendary 1976-1977 team that became the first Israeli team to win the European Cup with stars like Tal Brody and Miki Berkovich . Mobilgirgi Varese was beaten in a thrilling final 78-77, and Berkovich of German descent called this victory as important to Israel as the miracle of Bern was to Germany. After the success at the European Cup in 1977, Klein also took over the Israeli national team and two years later led them to the final of the European Championship and won the silver medal. In 1981 and 1983 the team finished sixth twice.

In 1983 Klein fulfilled a lifelong dream, surprisingly switched to his country of birth and became a trainer for BSC Saturn Cologne . While Maccabi Tel Aviv reacted with understanding, this decision by the Holocaust victim Klein was viewed with suspicion in both West Germany and Israel. While nationalist Israelis dubbed Klein as a traitor, the man from New Cologne had to fight old anti-Jewish resentments on the German side. Klein saw his decision as a personal victory over the Nazis: "I saw this as a victory over [Nazi] Germany, since strong [post-war] Germany was able to hire an Israeli."

Klein looked after Saturn Cologne from 1983 to 1986 and was also the national coach of the then basketball developing country West Germany. Klein led the German team to the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, to the 1985 European Championship in their own country (fifth place) and to the 1986 World Cup in Spain, where they finished 13th. It was noteworthy that Klein left the coaching to his assistants for games between Israel and West Germany. So he wanted to take the political sharpness that kept emerging from both sides out of these matches.

After 1987, Klein retired from professional sports and taught basketball to children and teenagers. For his life's work in Israel he was named “Mr. Basketball “, was awarded the Israel Prize in 2006 and was allowed to light the ritual torches on the 56th anniversary of the founding of the state. Klein died of colon cancer on August 7, 2008 . The Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert praised his "tremendous contribution" to sport in Israel, his firm Jewish faith, and certified that he had "influenced several generations of athletes". Klein left a wife and three children.

filming

Based on his life story, his compatriot Eran Riklis filmed his engagement as coach of the West German national team from 1983 in the sports drama PlayOff , a German-French-Israeli production, with u. a. Danny Huston as (Max Stoller alias Ralph Klein), Amira Casar , Mark Waschke , Max Riemelt , Hanns Zischler .

Titles and awards

As a player

Israeli basketball champion (eight times: 1954, 1955, 1957–1959, 1962–1964)
Israeli basketball cup winner (six times: 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963–1964)

As a trainer

European Champion Clubs' Cup with Maccabi Tel Aviv (1977)
Silver medal European Championship 1979 with Israel
Israeli basketball champion (14 times: 1970–1983)
Israeli basketball cup winner (12 times: 1970–1972, 1974, 1976–1983)
Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2006)

Web links

Commons : Ralph Klein (basketball coach) - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Small, Ralph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	רלף קליין
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German-Israeli basketball player and coach
DATE OF BIRTH	July 29, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH	Berlin
DATE OF DEATH	August 7, 2008
Place of death	Ramat Gan