Arvo Jantunen
Finnish basketball player/coach and handballer, footballer, and pesäpallo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arvo Johannes Jantunen (April 29, 1929 – July 20, 2018) was a Finnish basketball player and coach who also played handball, football and pesäpallo at the national top-tier level. In basketball, Jantunen represented Tampereen Pyrintö that has retired his jersey. He also played for Finnish national team in three EuroBasket editions.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 29, 1929 |
| Died | 20 July 2018 (aged 89) Tampere, Finland |
Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Number | 5 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1949–1966 | Tampereen Pyrintö |
Coaching | |
| 1963 | Finland (assistant) |
| 1964–1966 | Tampereen Pyrintö |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Career and personal life
In basketball, the 186-centimetre-tall (6 ft 1 in) Jantunen played his whole SM-sarja career for Tampereen Pyrintö. He also worked as the head coach of the team for two seasons in the 1960s.[2] Pyrintö retired Jantunen's jersey in 2014 but per team policy allows players to use his number 5.[3]
Jantunen had 50 caps for the Finland national basketball team and belonged to the Finnish squads in EuroBasket 1957, EuroBasket 1959 and EuroBasket 1961, placing best at 1957 (11th).[4]
Jantunen worked as a P.E. teacher. He died in Tampere at the age of 89 on July 20, 2018.[5][6]
Trophies and awards
Basketball
- Jersey #5 retired by Tampereen Pyrintö
- 11th place in EuroBasket 1957, 13th in EuroBasket 1959, 14th in EuroBasket 1961
- SM-sarja silver medal in 1958
Handball
- Finnish championship in 1959
- silver in 1954
Sources
- Urheilumme Kasvot Osa 3 Palloilu (in Finnish). Oy Scandia Kirjat Ab. 1973.
- "Arvo Jantunen". Finnish Basketball Association. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- "National Team Statistics". Finnish Basketball Association. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
