Vytautas Norkus
Vytautas Norkus in 1939
Personal information
Born28 January 1921
Kaunas, Lithuania[1]
Died29 January 2014 (aged 93)
Waterbury, Connecticut[1]
Height5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg)
Medal record
Men's basketball
Representing  Lithuania
FIBA EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place1939 KaunasTeam competition

Vytautas Norkus (28 January 1921 – 29 January 2014[1]) was a Lithuanian-born American basketball player. He won a gold medal with the Lithuania national basketball team during EuroBasket 1939.[2][3]

Biography

Norkus was born in Kaunas and had a twin brother Algirdas.[4] He studied at the Aušra Boys' Gymnasium.[1] He started playing basketball at the age of 15.[4] He was also interested in tennis, long jump, short-distance running and was a member of Kaunas Grandis athletic club. At Vytautas Magnus University, he studied physical education.[1]

He was invited to join Lithuania national basketball team in 1938 which he participated in EuroBasket 1939. He became EuroBasket champion that year.[1]

At the end of World War II he moved to Germany, where he played for Kempten Šarūnas, a basketball team of Lithuanian emigrants.[4] In 1949, he moved to the United States.[5] He settled in Waterbury, Connecticut,[5] where he worked at a bakery and at Uniroyal for 33 years.[1] Norkus continued to participate in sports and was a member of the Knights of Lithuania.[1]

In 2001, a book alleged that Vytautas Norkus and his brother Algirdas were complicit in the execution of Jews in Lithuania in 1941. The brothers denied the allegations, and charges were not filed.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Mirė paskutinis 1939-ųjų Europos krepšinio čempionas Vytautas Norkus". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). 2 February 2014.
  2. ↑ European Championships for Men, Lithuanian Basketball Research.
  3. ↑ Sinkevičius, Virginijus (February 5, 2014). "In memory of the last 1939 European Champion Vytautas P. Norkus". The Lithuania Tribune. Archived from the original on 2014-02-05. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  4. 1 2 3 "Vytautas P. Norkus". Republican American. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Naujausi naujakuriai". Dirva: Field. Cleveland, OH. May 20, 1949. p. 7. Retrieved September 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ↑ Singer, Stephen (April 18, 2004). "Brothers Deny War Crimes Allegations". Record-Journal. Meriden, CT. p. 15. Retrieved September 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

Sources

  • Jungtinių Amerikos Valstijų lietuviai. (II t.) – Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras, Vilnius, 1998
  • Vidas Mačiulis, Vytautas Gudelis. Halė, kurioje žaidė Lubinas ir Sabonis. 1939–1989 – Respublikinis sporto kombinatas, Kaunas, 1989


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