FIBA mourns passing of Honorary President George E. Killian

MIES - It is with deep sadness that FIBA on Thursday heard of the passing of Honorary President, George E Killian.

The New York native, who held FIBA's highest post from 1990 to 1998, passed away at the age of 93 on Wednesday.

FIBA President Horacio Muratore said: "George will always be remembered for his unwavering commitment and dedication to our sport. The passionate way in which he advocated for the promotion and development of basketball in the Americas - as well as all around the world - was a huge contribution to our movement."

FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann: "Our personal memories of him are very strong as his FIBA Presidency falls in the early days of our involvement with FIBA. During this period, we worked closely together and continued our fruitful cooperation later when he became President of FISU."

Killian had a long and extremely successful career in sports administration, during which he achieved countless achievements, many of them in the field of basketball.

His contributions to the sport saw him receive the prestigious FIBA Order of Merit in 2000.

A decade later, he was awarded even more recognition for his countless accomplishments when enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame as a contributor as part of the 2010 Class.

Starting out from his humble beginnings as head basketball coach at Wharton High School back in 1949, Killian's work, talent and dedication soon were noticed and he climbed the ranks, becoming a Member of the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) in 1967 and President of ABAUSA (now USA Basketball) between 1976 and 1980.

Having established himself as Vice President of the Executive Committee of COPABA (now FIBA Americas) in 1979, he was elected as a Member of FIBA's Central Board a year later and served with distinction for 18 years. This included his eight-year presidency of basketball's world governing body.

His tireless work for basketball also saw him installed as a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1996, before coming President of the Board of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in 1999, a position he held until 2011.

The individual accolades collected by Killian were considerable, with his FIBA achievements sat alongside a multitude of other recognitions.

The Ohio Northern University Athletic Hall of Famer claimed a United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Commendation in 1976 and 1980, prior to the illustrious Olympic Order which was bestowed upon him by the late former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, in 1996.

FIBA extends its sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to Killian's wife Marilyn, their family and loved ones.

FIBA