Gianfranco "Franco" Lombardi (20 March 1941 – 22 January 2021) was an Italian professional basketball player and coach. During his playing career, his nickname was "Dado".[1] In 2006, he was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame.

Gianfranco Lombardi
Lombardi c. 1965–66
Personal information
Born20 March 1941
Livorno, Italy
Died22 January 2021(2021-01-22) (aged 79)
Cocquio-Trevisago, Varese, Italy
NationalityItalian
Listed height6 ft 4.5 in (1.94 m)
Listed weight212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
Playing career1956–1973
PositionSmall forward
Coaching career1972–2001
Career history
As player:
1956–1958Pallacanestro Livorno
1958–1970Virtus Bologna
1970–1972Fortitudo Bologna
1972–1973AMG Sebastiani Rieti
As coach:
1972–1975AMG Sebastiani Rieti
1976–1977Trieste
1977Libertas Forlì
1977–1982Trieste
1982–1983Treviso
1983–1986Reggiana
1986–1987Rimini
1988–1989Scaligera Verona
1990–1992Mens Sana Siena
1992–1994Libertas Livorno
1995–1997Cantù
1997–2000Reggiana
2000–2001Varese
2001Basket Napoli
Career highlights and awards
As player:

Professional playing career edit

During his club career, Lombardi led the top-tier level Italian League in scoring, in 1964 and 1967.[citation needed]

National team playing career edit

Lombardi was a part of the senior Italian national basketball teams that won a gold medal at the 1963 Mediterranean Games and finished in the fourth, fifth and eighth places at the 1960 Summer Olympics, the 1964 Summer Olympics, and the 1968 Summer Olympics, respectively.[2]

Coaching career edit

After he retired from playing basketball, Lombardi had a long coaching career, working as a head coach for numerous teams in the Italian League.[citation needed]

Eurovision Song Contest 1987 edit

In 1987, at the Eurovision Song Contest in Brussels, Belgium, he conducted the Italian entry, "Gente di mare", performed by Umberto Tozzi and Raf, placing third with 103 points, and receiving the maximum score of 12 points from 5 national juries. [3]

References edit

  1. ^ Gianfranco Lombardi Nickname(s): Dado, Franco.
  2. ^ Gianfranco Lombardi Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  3. ^ "Gente di mare - info - Diggiloo Thrush". www.diggiloo.net. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

External links edit