March 15, 2004
Memorial services to be held Friday, March 26
The Marist College community is mourning the loss of Assistant Director of Athletics, Bogdan Jovicic, who passed away on Friday, March 12th. He was 52. An active member of the Marist Athletics Department, Bogdan had an impact on students and staff alike, and his loss creates a void that will never be filled.
"The loss of Bogdan was a shock to all of us at Marist College," Director of Athletics Tim Murray said. "His presence in our department was a special one, which will be sorely missed."
A familiar face around the Marist College Department of Athletics, Jovicic, played numerous roles during his 19-year tenure as a Red Fox. In his most recent post, Bogdan organized and ran the school's intramural program, working with the entire student body.
Jovicic served as an assistant coach with the Marist College basketball team for five seasons, helping to coach the likes of Rik Smits and Miroslav Pecarski. He also served as the team's academic advisor during his coaching career.
Head men's basketball coach Dave Magarity remembers Bogdan fondly.
"My relationship with Bogdan originally centered around basketball but our relationship grew over the past 19 years. He was such a warm and gentle person and one of the most unique individuals I knew. He was intelligent, well read and always up on current events. He was an integral part of the community, as well as my life and my families lives. My children grew up with Bogdan. He was always a friendly face and someone who I will truly miss."
In 1984 he served his native Yugoslavia as an assistant coach for the nation's Olympic basketball team, helping prepare the squad for the Olympiad in Los Angeles, CA. He also coached on the professional level in France, serving as an assistant coach with the Stade France Paris Club team, coaching in every European country as well as numerous other nations around the world. Jovicic spent the 1979-80 season as an assistant coach with the USC Trojans.
Aside from coaching basketball, Jovicic spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Marist college soccer team. He was on the sideline in 1992 when the Red Foxes knocked off the number-one ranked, then Redmen, of St. John's.
Former Marist soccer coach and Director of Athletics `Doc' Goldman remembered Bogdan.
"Bogdan was very concerned about people. He would come into my office with the newspaper and say `Did you see this or did you see that?' and we would spend 30 minutes discussing it. He had a feeling for people, and was concerned about what people did to other people and why they did it. I think that showed in his relationship with the kids at Marist. He was always very good with the players, mindful of their needs and their development, athletically and as human beings."
Bogdan graduated from the University of Belgrade, earning a degree in political science in 1975, He moved to Paris France upon his graduation, where over the next four years, he studied French language and civilization and the world-renowned Sorbonne.
A versatile player, Jovicic played at various levels of basketball during his life, and was able to play at every position on the floor. While at the University of Belgrade, he played for the Partizan-Belgrade Club team. He was the player coach of the Velizy Club Team while studying at the Sorbone.
Jovicic was fluent in four languages, including English, French, Hungarian and Serbo-Croation. He was also an avid chess player, and was a member of the Vassar Chadwick Chess Club for the past dozen years.
A memorial service for Bogdan will be scheduled for the end of next week on the Marist campus. When the time and date are set, information will be posted on the athletic department website.
