Birgir Örn Birgis

Birgir Örn Birgisson (23 September 1942 – 11 December 2017) was an Icelandic basketball player and coach. He was one of the inaugural players of the Icelandic national basketball team in 1959 and played a total of 33 national team games.[1] He played twenty seasons in the Icelandic top-tier league with Ármann and helped the club to its first and only men's national championship in 1976.[2] In 1968, Birgir was the first player to win the league's Player of the Year trophy, given by Dave Zinkoff.[3]

This article is about Birgir Örn Birgis. For the basketball center born in 1969, see Birgir Örn Birgisson.
This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Birgir.
Birgir Örn Birgis
Personal information
Born(1942-09-23)23 September 1942
Reykjavík, Kingdom of Iceland
Died11 December 2017(2017-12-11) (aged 75)
Reykjavík, Iceland
NationalityIcelandic
Listed height191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Career information
Playing career1958–1977
PositionForward
Number16
Career history
As player:
1958–1977Ármann
As coach:
1976–1977Ármann (men's)
1976–1977Iceland (men's)
1977–1980ÍS (men's)
1980–1981Haukar (men's)
1982–1983Fram (men's)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Early life

Birgir was born in Reykjavík to Birgir Einarsson and Hulda Jónsdóttir.[4] He first played basketball in 1954 when he stumpled into a basketball practice.[5][6]

Career

Birgir played his first senior team game for Ármann in 1958, at the age of 16,[5] and spent twenty seasons with the club, winning the Icelandic Basketball Cup two times, in 1975 and 1976. In 1976 he helped Ármann break ÍR and KR twenty year monopoly in the national championship by beating KR 84-74 in the championship clinching game.[7][8][9] After the season he took over as head coach[10] while suiting up in uniform late in the season due to injuries to key players.[11][12] In June, 1977, Birgir left Ármann and took over as head coach of ÍS.[13]

In 1978, he guided Íþróttafélag Stúdenta to victory in the Icelandic Basketball Cup.[14]

In 1980, Birgir was hired as the head coach of Haukar and led them to Division II championship in his first season and promotion to Division I.[15]

National team

Birgir, at the age of 16, played in the Iceland's first official national team game,[16] against Denmark, in 1959, and in its first 32 official games overall. In 1976, after a six year hiatus from the team, he played his 33rd and last national team game.[1][17][18][19] He was a co-coach for the national team in 1976, with Kristinn Stefánsson, and in 1977 with Einar Bollason.[20]

Personal life

Birgir was married to Aldís Einarsdóttir and together they had four children.[21]

On November 8, 2000, Birgir's 27-year-old son Einar Örn Birgisson, a former football player, went missing.[22] A week later, Atli Helgason, Einar's business partner and former teammate, confessed to his murder and hiding his body near Grindavík. On 29 May 2001 Atli was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the murder.[23]

Death

Birgir passed away in Borgarspítalinn, Reykjavík, on 11 December 2017.[4]

References
  1. "Í landsliðið eftir sex ára fjarveru". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 3 February 1976. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  2. "Eftir 25 ár í Kuldanum, - Meistari!". Dagblaðið (in Icelandic). 29 March 1976. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  3. "Birgir Birgis kosinn bezti körfuknattleiksmaður 1. deildar". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic) (9 April 1968). Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  4. "Birgir Örn Birgis". mbl.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  5. "Ætlaði á handknattleiksæfingu en körfuknattleikurinn hreif hann". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 12 November 1974. p. 21. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  6. "ÍR í vandræðum með nýliðana frá Snæfellsnesi". Vísir (in Icelandic). 21 October 1974. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  7. "Eftir 25 ára baráttu vannst titillinn loks". Dagblaðið (in Icelandic). 29 March 1976. p. 12, 13. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  8. Kjartan L. Pálsson (29 March 1976). "Ármann braut einveldi ÍR og KR!". Vísir (in Icelandic). p. 12. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  9. "Vitanlega er ég ánægður með áfangann". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 30 March 1976. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  10. "Roger kemur til Ármanns". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 15 September 1976. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  11. "Loks Ármannssigur í körfunni". Dagblaðið (in Icelandic). 21 March 1977. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  12. "Símon frá vegna meiðsla en Birgir Örn tekur upp merkið". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 22 March 1977. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  13. "Stúdentar réðu Birgi Birgis". Vísir (in Icelandic). 27 June 1977. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  14. Hallur Hallsson (31 March 1978). "Bikarinn til Stúdenta". Dagblaðið (in Icelandic). pp. 14, 19. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  15. "Sigurlið Hauka í 2. deild Íslandsmótsins í körfuknattleik". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 14 March 1981. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  16. "Léku fyrsta landsleikinn". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 31 August 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  17. "Birgir Örn leikur með landsliðinu eftir 6 ára hlé". Þjóðviljinn (in Icelandic). 5 February 1976. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  18. "Berjumst af fullum krafti og stefnum að sigri". Tíminn (in Icelandic). 7 February 1976. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  19. "A-landslið karla". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Federation. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  20. "A-Landslið - Úrslit". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Federation. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  21. "Einar Örn Birgis". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 23 November 2000. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  22. Snærós Sindradóttir (19 January 2016). "Faðir Einars Arnar: Uppreist æru Atla sem blaut tuska í andlitið". Vísir.is. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  23. "Dómur í máli ákæruvaldsins gegn Atla Helgasyni". Mbl.is. 29 May 2001. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
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