Robert Jan "Bob" Ctvrtlik (/stəˈvɜːrtlɪk/;[1] born July 8, 1963) is a retired American volleyball player who is a three-time Olympian, Olympic gold medalist, and a former member of the International Olympic Committee. He is a 1985 graduate of Pepperdine University.[2][3]
Bob Ctvrtlik | |||
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Personal information | |||
Full name | Robert Jan Ctvrtlik | ||
Born | July 8, 1963 Long Beach, California, U.S. | (age 61)||
Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
College / University | Pepperdine University | ||
Volleyball information | |||
Position | Outside hitter | ||
Number | 4 | ||
National team | |||
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Medal record |
In 2007, Ctvrtlik was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.[4]
Early life
editBob Ctvrtlik was born in Long Beach, California to Margaret and Josef Ctvrtlik.[5] He attended Long Beach Wilson High School in Long Beach.[6]
Playing career
editCollege
editIn 1982, Ctvrtlik became a member of the Long Beach City College Vikings volleyball team.[6] He won the state championship and was selected as the MVP of the championship tournament.[6]
In 1983, Ctvrtlik played for Long Beach State and was an All-American.[2] He then transferred to Pepperdine to play his final collegiate year under the leadership and guidance of coaching legend Marv Dunphy, winning the 1985 NCAA title and being selected as the MVP of the tournament.[6][7]
In 2009, Ctvrtlik was inducted into the Pepperdine Hall of Fame.[8]
National team
editAfter a successful college volleyball career, Ctvrtlik joined the United States national team. He won gold medals at the 1985 FIVB World Cup in Japan and the 1986 FIVB World Championship in France.[9][10] In the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Ctvrtlik earned a gold medal by helping to defeat the Soviet Union in the finals.[11] In the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, he became one of the national players who shaved their heads in protest of alleged officiating misconduct.[2][12] The United States defeated Cuba in the consolation match to take home the bronze medal.[13]
After the Barcelona games, Ctvrtlik went to Europe to play in the Italian Club League for Brescia along with fellow Olympian Scott Fortune.[2] He returned to the national team in preparation for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning a bronze medal at the 1994 FIVB World Championship in Greece.[10] Ctvrtlik was selected as the Best Player in the World by the International Volleyball Federation in 1995, but the national team would fail to win a medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.[8][14] He was regarded as one of the best serve receivers in the world.[8]
Beach volleyball
editCtvrtlik was a beach volleyball player on the professional four-man circuit.[8] He attained the "AAA" beach rating while playing on the two-man circuit.[8]
After volleyball
editIn 1996, Ctvrtlik was elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athlete's Commission, and then re-elected for an eight-year term at the 2000 Summer Olympics.[6] He was appointed to the IOC in 1999.[6] He was a founding board member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and served on the IOC Reform Committee.[10][6]
Personal life
editCtvrtlik's business concerns include real estate rehabilitation projects as president of Green Street Properties, LLC in Huntington Beach, California, and import-exports, via his company, the Ciram Corporation.[10]
Ctvrtlik and his wife Cosette have three sons: Josef, Erik, and Matthew.[5] Matthew played volleyball for Harvard.[15]
Cvrtlik's father, Josef, a native of Czechoslovakia's Moravian region, was a graduate of Charles University in Prague and knew eight languages.[5] He was imprisoned for three months during the German occupation for refusing to serve as a translator.[5] Josef left his country in 1948 by taking a train from Prague to Bratislava, and then skiing to Austria with three friends.[16][17] After 18 months in West Germany and five years in New Zealand working as a wool buyer, he moved to California in 1955 and worked as a professor at California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State) before his death in 1983 from colon cancer.[5][16]
References
edit- ^ "Olympics 101 - U.S. News & World Report". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2006.
- ^ a b c d "Bob Ctvrtlik". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Anderson, Bruce (May 13, 1985). "The Waves rolled in". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "Bob Ctvrtlik". International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Virgen, Steve (October 13, 2007). "Like Father, Like Son". Daily Pilot. Retrieved July 30, 2023. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bob Ctvrtlik, 2017". Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "Volleyball" (PDF). NCAA. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Bob Ctvrtlik". Pepperdine University Athletics. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Krastev, Todor. "Men Volleyball V World Cup 1985 Japan - 22-01.12 Winner United States (1st)". Todor66.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Bob Ctvrtlik". Olympedia. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Vecsey, George (October 3, 1988). "Men's Volleyball; U.S. Repeats Gold-Medal Performance". The New York Times. p. C11. Retrieved September 6, 2024. (subscription required)
- ^ Bailey, Sandra (July 29, 1992). "Barcelona: Volleyball; 12 Angry (Bald) Men Set Out to Make Point". The New York Times. p. B11. Retrieved July 26, 2023. (subscription required)
- ^ Preston, Mike (August 10, 1992). "U.S. Defeats Cuba; Brazil Wins Gold : Men's volleyball: Americans come back after losing first game. In championship match, the Dutch yield 14 consecutive points in third game". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 31, 2023. (subscription required)
- ^ "Atlanta 1996 Volleyball Men Results". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ Mu, Matthew (April 5, 2019). "It Runs in the Family: Matthew Ctvrtlik's Journey to the Ivy League". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ a b Henderson, Martin (May 22, 1992). "Ctvrtlik Takes Freedom of Choice Issue Very Seriously : Family History Gives Athlete Perspective, Reason to Work". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 31, 2023. (subscription required)
- ^ Wilson, Bernie (July 20, 1996). "Who Needs Vowels When You Have Ctvrtlik?". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020.
External links
edit- Bob Ctvrtlik at Olympics.com
- Volleyball Hall of Fame Profile of Bob Ctvrtlik
- Washington Post Profile: Bob Ctvrtlik
- Olympedia Profile: Bob Ctvrtlik
- Bob Ctvrtlik at the Beach Volleyball Database
- Pepperdine Hall of Fame Profile
- Bob Ctvrtlik wins 2010 Wilson Distinguished Service Award
- Volleybox.net Profile
- Sports-reference.com Profile (archived)