[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 89 (Friday, May 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S7612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO KRESIMIR COSIC

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I stand today to honor the life of Kresimir 
Cosic, a Croatian patriot and an adopted son of Utah, who died 
yesterday morning after a long illness. On behalf of Utahns he inspired 
and charmed for over a quarter-century, I wish to extend our deepest 
condolences to his wife and children.
  When he died, Kresimir Cosic was the Republic of Croatia's Deputy 
Ambassador to the United States, a position in which he played an 
invaluable role. But sports fans in this country and around the world 
would know him more for his brilliant career in basketball--a career 
that spanned nearly two decades and brought him to the Olympics four 
times.
  His close ties to our country began nearly 30 years ago, when the 
coaches at Brigham Young University, who had seen the young Croat from 
Zadar lead his team from the former Yugoslavia to claim the silver 
medal in the 1968 Olympics, invited him to play for the BYU team. 
Kresimir Cosic's decision to accept was, in one way, his first 
contribution in diplomacy: He would become the first foreign basketball 
player to win All-American honors, which he did in 1972 and 1973.
  At BYU, he endeared himself to Utahns by his brilliant sportsmanship 
and his personal decency. As a great center he dazzled us all, 
dribbling behind his back, putting up an amazing defense, and breaking 
the record of all-time high scorer and rebounder. Off the court, he 
shared our faith and warmed our homes. In all the years I have known 
him, including the last year when he was personally suffering a great 
deal, I never saw him without a smile.
  After his 4 years, he was drafted by the L.A. Lakers and the Carolina 
Cougars, but he chose to return home. Fans of world basketball saw him 
win most-valued-player honors in the former Yugoslavia, on All-European 
teams, and in the Olympics, where in Montreal in 1976 his team won the 
silver medal and in Moscow in 1980 his team beat the Soviets to win the 
gold.
  Kresimir was a Croatian patriot, who dedicated the last part of his 
life to the rebirth of Croatia's independence, and to building strong 
relations between his country and ours. The most brilliant sports men 
and women combine extraordinary skill, a sophisticated sense of 
strategy, and spirit. I suggest that these are the attributes that also 
make good diplomats, for Kresimir was one of the best.
  Since 1991, Kresimir was one of my wisest counsels on the crisis in 
the Balkans. Always with optimism, he would outline the regional 
complexities with a shrewd notion of strategy that effortlessly 
combined historical sense with the ability to see three moves down the 
court. In a world where so much foreign policy is merely reactive, 
Kresimir always counseled on how to anticipate.
  While Croatia suffered attack, he did not despair. His love of 
country never wavered, and his dedication to a free and democratic 
Croatia was as strong as his character because it was his character. In 
Washington, he served his country with great distinction, as a paragon 
of probity. And always he insisted that Croatia's greatest ally should 
be the United States. In my experience, no one could embody a greater 
warmth between two countries than Kresimir Cosic's friendship with 
Americans.
  Kresimir Cosic lived an example of physical discipline, mental focus, 
and spiritual stamina. He was an inspiration to all who saw him on the 
court, to all who engaged him in the halls of diplomacy and, above all, 
to all who had the enriching experience of being his friend. Kresimir 
Cosic was one of the finest human beings I have ever known. I would 
like to offer here the deep gratitude of the citizens of Utah for the 
joy Kresimir gave us from the basketball court, for the faith he shared 
with us, for the friendship he continued to nurture with us throughout 
his life, and for the efforts he undertook to strengthen relations 
between the United States and the Republic of Croatia.
  We will miss him.
  

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