Goodyear League :: Adriatic Basketball Association

In his 35th year with Partizan the club’s sport’s director Dragan Todorić celebrated also the NLB League’s trophy. He is a walking monument of the club from Humska since he witnessed all Partizan successes through the history first as a player then as a member of the club’s management. In all these 35 years within the club the only function he was not occupied with was the one of the doctor or coach. He got used to success, his comment after the celebration in Pionir was rational: „I do congratulate players for their success. Every winning cup is the product of a great effort, guys may be proud of what they achieved. I do hope we will add also the national league trophy.“

During a long period in Partizan you had many functions. When was it the most difficult?

Neither of them was easy, not the one of the secretary, technician or director. Maybe was the most difficult period the one in the 80’s when I was the general secretary. At that time the real professionalism in basketball has just begun, the biggest problem was how to get money. I am glad that altogether with Dragan Kićanović, Đorđe Čolović, Predrag Danilović, Milorad Đurić and the already dead Tomo Jeremić I was part of the team that helped Partizan on its road toward many successes as in its production of young talents.

Can you tell us the secret of Partizan’s success?

Everyone does his business inside the club professionally and with a great responsibility without having any interference in his field. Not even a single club can be successful without a great cooperation of all people in the organization which is another thing Partizan can be proud of.

It is for years now that you are among those people in the club who decide about who will be signed for the next season. It is well-known how many basketball stars have played for Partizan through years but can you reveal us for whom did you have to try most to bring him into the club?

The biggest effort was put in the arrival of Vlade Divac from Sloga. Kićanović, Čolović, Đurić and me evaluated that his arrival is the vital interest of the club and that he is the one around who it is logical to built the team. I had a slight advantage in that business since I am from Kraljevo but I was also Vlade’s team-mates in the 1983/84 season when I returned from Partizan to Kraljevo. I was directly involved in his transfer, there were a lot of negotiations, contacts in a secret place outside Kraljevo.

Dragan Todorić was playing for Partizan for eleven years, since 1972 until 1983. He played in 363 games making 2586 points. As a player he won two European Cups Radivoj Korać (1978, 79), three Yugoslavian national championships (1976, 79, 1981) and one Yugoslavian national cup (1979).

Many do not know that in 1972 you were very close to move into one other club, the Partizan’s city rival Crvena zvezda.

In my case the gentleman’s agreement between the two clubs was transgressed since I signed with Crvena zvezda before reaching an agreement with Partizan. I do not remember how the black-and-whites management succeeded to save the case. But I do know that I changed my mind because I realized I will have more chances to play in Partizan since Slavnić and Simonović were already big stars in the line-up of the rival. I am glad that I chose the right club inside which I was acknowledged as a player.

Witnesses of that time claim your transfer cost Partizan like four Fiat 750.

I really can not remember the sum of the money. But I do know that Partizan paid Sloga a record high pay-out at that time.

Besides all the trophies he won as a player Todorić later added aldo the European trophy (1992), another European Cup Radivoj Korać (1989), six titles of the Yugoslavian national champion (1987, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002), four titles of the national champion of Serbia and Montenegro (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006), seven titles of the Yugoslavian national cup winner (1989, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002) and of course the NLB League trophy in 2007.