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JOSEF MUSIL - CZECH VOLLEYBALL PLAYER

added on February 10, 2007

by Jaroslav Petrasek, Czech Republic

The best known sportsman of the little Czech village of Church Village (Kostelní Lhota) is Josef Musil, who was a member of the Czechoslovak national volleyball team from 1955 to 1968. In 2001, when the sport of Volleyball celebrated its 80th anniversary in the Czech Republic, Josef Musil was voted as the best Czech volleyball player in the 20th century and was rated amongst the eight best players of the world by the FIVB.
Josef Musil, whose nickname amongst friends is "Bulda" (which means “friendly bulldog”) was born on June 3rd, 1932. In 1941 the oldest Czechoslovak volleyball club celebrated its 20th anniversary. In same year, the young boy Josef was nine years old. Because adult people had other problems, the boys in the village had the volleyball court of the Sokol sports club all for themselves. And here Josef began practicing sport, especially volleyball.
After the 2nd world war the Musil family moved to Prague. Josef began with volleyball in the Sokol Vysocany club and in 1949 he won the junior champion title of Czechoslovakia. In the beginning of the fifties he was invited to form part of the national team and in 1952 he participated in his first world championships in the Soviet Union, finishing second, losing only to the host nation. During the next 16 years he was a member of the national team.
On Sep 2nd, 2004 he was inducted to the Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke (Massachusetts), where volleyball was born in 1895.

His most important titles and medals :

World champion 1956 and 1966
European Champion 1955 and 1958
Silver medal from Tokyo Olympics 1964
Bronze medal from Mexico Olympics 1968
Silver medals from World championships 1952, 1960 and 1962
Silver medal from European championships 1967
There are not too many sportsmen with such a medal record ….

Josef MUSIL

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