Stan Labanowich, PhD
Contributor | 1977
Stan Labanowich exerted a dramatic worldwide impact on wheelchair sports through his unswerving dedication to democratic principles, and by extension, to the right of athletes to self-govern. He was one of the founding members of the Wheelchair Basketball Division of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), which was the forerunner of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), the current governing body for wheelchair basketball. He served skillfully as the democratically elected chairman of the Basketball Division from 1976 to 1988 and later as a member of the IWBF’s Executive Committee from 1988 to 1992. A champion of ethics in both the governing body as well as the competitive dimension of wheelchair sports, he was also an expert on the rules, serving frequently as the technical officer in international competitions, including the 1992 Paralympic Games.
For over two decades, Stan was a member of the National Wheelchair Athletic Committee and was influential in d e vel oping t he l e g isl at ion and by l aw s governing wheelchair sports. His superior intellect and diligent work ethic served the sport well on the national and international scenes during the formative years.
Stan’s achievements were not limited to the boardroom. He coached many athletes who earned berths on Team USA, medal winning athlete who set work records in all levels of international competition during the 1960’s and 70’s. He coached the famous University of Illinois men’s and women’s teams to prominence at the annual National Wheelchair Games and led the Fighting Illini Gizz Kids to the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament Championships in 1969 and 70. He was a member of the USA Team’s coaching staff from 1968 through 1976. Stan coached the USA men’s basketball team to the Gold Medal at the 1972 Paralympic Games in Heidelberg, Germany.
