Iztok Puc

Iztok Puc was Slovenian but represented Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Slovenia at the Olympics in handball. He started his career playing for RK Šoštanj, and then later played for RK Borac in Bosnia/Herzegovina, RK Zagreb in Croatia, and then RK Celje and RD Prule 67 in Slovenia. He first played internationally for Yugoslavia in 1987 at the World Junior Championships, and a year later he was on the Olympic team for Yugoslavia. After the break-up of Yugoslavia, Puc became a Croatian citizen in 1991, playing for RK Zagreb, competed for them at the 1996 Olympics, and with the Croatian team, won a bronze medal at the 1994 European Championships, and a silver at the 1995 World Championships. He ended his career playing with his native Slovenia. After his handball career ended, Puc moved to Miami, Florida in 2005 to support the tennis career of his son, Borut. Iztok Puc was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2011 and succumbed to the disease within only a few months. He is considered one of the greatest backs in handball history.