Lajos Engler (Serbian Cyrillic: Лајош Енглер; 20 June 1928 – 1 May 2020), also known as Lajoš Engler and nicknamed "Lala," was a Hungarian-born Serbian teacher, journalist, and professional basketball player. He represented the Yugoslavia national basketball team internationally and played as a guard.
Early Life
Engler was born on 20 June 1928 in Bátaszék, Kingdom of Hungary. At the age of three, his family moved to Zrenjanin (then known as Veliki Bečkerek/Nagybecskerek), in present-day Serbia, where he spent the remainder of his life.
Basketball Career
Club Career
Engler began his basketball career in 1946 with Proleter Zrenjanin of the Yugoslav Basketball League. In 1948, he moved to the Belgrade-based club Partizan, where he played until 1953. He returned to Proleter Zrenjanin in 1954 and played there until his retirement in 1963.
During his second stint with Proleter, Engler won the Yugoslav League championship in the 1956 season. He was a member of the group of players known as "Proleter's Five," which included himself, Milutin Minja, Ljubomir Katić, Dušan Radojčić, and Vilmos Lóczi.
National Team Career
Engler was a member of the Yugoslavia national team that participated at the 1950 FIBA World Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina—the inaugural tournament—where he averaged 1.0 point per game over three games. He also competed at the 1953 FIBA European Championship in Moscow (averaging 6.5 points per game over eight games), the 1954 FIBA World Championship in Rio de Janeiro (averaging 5.8 points per game over five games), and the 1957 FIBA European Championship in Sofia (averaging 4.8 points per game over nine games). In total, he played 78 games for the Yugoslavia national team.
Post-Playing Career
After retiring from basketball, Engler completed university studies and worked as a teacher of German and English language at the Zrenjanin Grammar School. He later served as the director of the "25 May" vocational school in Zrenjanin, which was recognized as the best vocational school in Serbia for four consecutive years. He also served as Deputy Provincial Secretary for Science, Culture, and Education in Novi Sad.
Later in his career, Engler worked as a journalist and foreign policy editor for the Hungarian-language daily newspaper Magyar Szó (Hungarian Word), based in Subotica. He reported from numerous international events, including the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana and from China.
Death
Engler died on 1 May 2020 in Zrenjanin, Serbia, at the age of 91.
Career Achievements and Awards
- Yugoslav League champion (1): 1956 (with Proleter Zrenjanin)
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Zrenjanin City Sports Association (2017)
- Plaque of the Basketball Federation of Serbia (2016)
- Order of Merit with Silver Wreath (1980)
In Popular Culture
- In the 2015 Serbian sports drama We Will Be the World Champions, Engler was portrayed by actor Lazar Jovanov.
- The 2016 Serbian documentary Šampioni iz pedeset i šeste (The 1956 Champions) portrays Engler and the achievements of the Proleter basketball team.
