Béla Komjádi
Béla Komjádi (1892-1933; known as Bela Basci (Uncle Bela) by his players) was a Hungarian water polo player and coach.[1][2][3]
Early life
He was Jewish, and was born in Budapest, Hungary.[4][5][6][7][8]
Water polo coaching career
In 1928, he invented the then-revolutionary "air pass" or "dry pass", whereby a player immediately passes a ball through the air to a teammate, who obtains it without the ball hitting the water.[9][10]
His Hungarian water polo teams won five gold medals at Olympic Games.[11] They also won the 1932 world championship, and the 1926, 1927, and 1931 European Championships.[12]
He died in 1933, while playing water polo, at the age of 41.[13]
In 1976, a new Olympic swimming pool on the Buda bank in Budapest was named the Bela Komjadi Pool, after him.[14][15]
Halls of Fame
He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[16]