Water Polo loses legendary figure, Gabor Csapo

RIP Gábor Csapó (20 September 1950 – 27 November 2022)

by Water Polo Legends

Dr. Gábor Csapó has been a legendary figure in Hungarian Water Polo since the 70s. He joined the National Team in 1970, and in 1973 he was one of the best in the team that won the World Championship in Belgrade. The peak of his career was the 1976 Montreal Olympics, which ended with a gold medal, but he was also a member of the third-place team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He also played in the European Championship-gold-winning team in Vienna (1974) and Jönköping (1977). His medal collection is completed by three World Championships (1975, 1978, 1982) and a European silver medal (1983). He played 272 times in the Hungarian national team from 1970 to 1983. In the golden age of the 70s, he was considered along with Tamás Faragó the absolute key players of the National Team and the pillars of Vasas, which won the European Champion’s Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, and a series of championships. One of the most memorable events in the history of the sport was when the national team captain Dezső Gyarmati invited him to the National Team from second division Szeged, and the blond giant, nicknamed Dudi, scored three goals in the decisive match against the Soviets in 1973. He coached the teams of Palermo (1986-1990), Vasas SC (1990-1993), Újpesti TE 2001-2003, and Ferencvárosi TC 2003-2004. The peak of his coaching career has been the moment Vasas won the Hungarian Cup in 1992. In 1972, he became a student at the József Attila University in Szeged, and from the following year at the Faculty of Law at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. After his sports career, he worked as a lawyer for a long time. Gábor Csapó was a real individual, with a characterful opinion and a remarkable sense of humor. (The picture corresponds to Moscow 1980 Olympic Games).