International Volleyball Hall of Fame induction celebration: Italian Andrea Zorzi
This is one in a series previewing the inductees going into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
This year there are nine inductees, two indoor players in Italian Andrea Zorzi and Cuba’s Regla Bell; two beach players in American Tim Hovland and Brazilian Ana Paula Henkel; Brazilian coach Jose “Ze” Roberto and ParaVolley coach Hadi Rezaei of Iran; two officials in Argentinian Juan Angel Pereyra and American Sue Lemaire; and Italian Giuseppe Panini, who is going in as a leader.
There are also three special honoree categories recognized this year: John Kessel is receiving the Mintonette Medallion of Merit Award; Bill Kauffman and Ed Chan are being honored posthumously with the inaugural Award for Media Excellence; and Michael Kane, Mike Knapik, Aaron Vega and Don Humason are receiving the Mayoral Award of Excellence.
The “original” “Zorro” was a fictional character, created in 1919, who was typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante who defends the commoners against tyrannical officials and other villains. He was the precursor to many of the superheroes of the last century, think Batman and the Lone Ranger.
Now, 70 or so years later, it was no surprise that the Italian opposite Andrea Zorzi was bequeathed with the nickname of Zorro. After all, Zorzi had the “matinee idol” looks, and the high-level skills to match his namesake. He cut quite a swath both on the court and off.
In recognition for all he has meant to the game of volleyball, Andrea Zorzi becomes the fourth player of that seminal Italian national team from the early 1990s to be inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
“I haven’t been an active volleyball athlete since 1998,” Zorzi responded via email. “So, the IVHF honor is a fantastic acknowledgment of my past accomplishments. I’m proud of what I achieved in the 90s with that incredible team, but I don’t want to be defined solely by my sport career. I would like not to be a ‘hostage’ of the past. I’m eager to embrace the future, drawing inspiration from my past experiences. The IVHF honor is an opportunity to look ahead.”
At 6-foot-7 (2.01 meters) Zorzi was tall for a volleyball player in the early 1990s. He was also thin as a rail, but very rangy. He had a wicked serve and was a terminator on offense. “While I was physically gifted with height, strength, and jumping ability (considering my height) and less with technical skills, I was always focused on mental toughness,” Zorzi says now. “My coaches often praised my quick learning ability, which I hope has carried over into my post-volleyball career. Although I wasn’t as technically skilled as some of my teammates, I believe my mental attributes and ability to adapt were significant strengths.”
Zorzi, 59, was an impact player from the get-go, a wunderkind, making the Padua Club team at age 17, and from there making his first National Team appearance at age 23 in 1989. A year later he won the first of his two Italian League Championships, with Maxicono Parma. That same year in 1990, Zorzi made a huge impression on an American audience, competing for the Italians in the Goodwill Games, winning a gold medal over the two-time reigning Olympic gold medal USA team, before a raucous crowd at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on the campus of the University of Washington.
The Italian teams during that era could be considered among some of the greatest national teams in history. They included at one time or another IVHF inductees Lorenzo Bernardi, the “Andrea’s:” Gardini, Giani and Zorzi, as well as Samuele Papi. Another marvelous player from those teams was Luca Cantagalli. They were coached by a Hall of Famer in Julio Velasco.
“We achieved many victories together and persevered through difficult losses, always together,” Zorzi commented. “Our ability to balance individualistic attitudes with teamwork, and our commitment to mentoring younger players, made that experience truly unique.”
Consider the accomplishments of this dynamic group: Two gold medals at the World Championships (1990, 1994), three European Championships (1989, 1993, 1995), three FIVB World League titles (1990-1992), a World Grand Champions Cup in 1993, and the aforementioned Goodwill Games triumph. In 1991, Zorzi at the peak of his powers, was named the “World’s Best Player,” by the FIVB.
For Zorzi, though the highlight of his career occurred during that first World Champs run. “The semifinal in Rio de Janeiro was undoubtedly the most exciting match of my career,” Zorzi recounted. “Playing in front of a packed Maracanazinho stadium with 27,000 passionate Brazilian fans was an unforgettable experience. It was also a turning point in Italian volleyball history.” The Italians silenced the stunned Brazilian faithful with a nail biting 15-13 triumph in the fifth set, to advance to the final where they subsequently disposed of Cuba in four.
Via Zorzi and his teammates’ exploits, and their larger-than-lifelike personalities, quickly volleyball as a sport became hugely popular throughout Italy, getting massive coverage to rival even futbol in the daily mainstream newspapers like “La Gazzetta dello sport,” and through increased television exposure as well.
But, sport, like life, can have its share of ups and downs. The Gli Azzurri (Italian Men’s National Team) has been vexed when it has come to the Olympic Games. Zorzi’s second of three Olympic appearances occurred in 1992, in Barcelona, Spain. Heavy favorites entering the Games, Italy was also the number one seed coming out of the Group A pool. They drew the Netherlands, the fourth seed in Group B, in the single elimination quarterfinal. The Italians inexplicably dropped a heartbreaker to the Netherlands, 17-16 in the sideout scoring that prevailed at that time, in the fifth and deciding set. The Dutch team eventually won the silver, but the loss stung, and then some, for the proud Gli Azzurri.
Fast forward four years later, to Atlanta, and the gold medal match in what ultimately, perhaps indisputably, was the greatest single match in Olympic history. Italy was on an absolute mission. They took no prisoners in pool play, going undefeated in Group B, sweeping all five of their matches in three, including, 15-8, 15-8, and 15-13 over the Netherlands. But alas, the Dutch, and the Italians, were once again on a collision course and would eventually meet yet again, this time for the gold medal.
A back-and-forth donnybrook followed, and after 2:31 of the highest-level volleyball imaginable, the Italians finally had a match point in the side-out scoring battle royale, 15-14. A gold medal was in their grasp. But the Dutch scored three straight points, and prevailed 17-15 in the fifth. “The 1996 Olympic final against the Netherlands was a highly dramatic match,” Zorzi recalled.
“However, from the court, it’s difficult to fully appreciate the significance of the moment. I remember only the intense pressure, the high expectations, and the disappointment of losing the final rally, when the ball hit the left antenna. Despite the frustration at the time, I now look back on that silver medal with a sense of accomplishment.”
And therein one can get a window into the world of Zorro. Gracious in victory, magnanimous in defeat, Andrea Zorzi is the epitome of a Hall of Fame sportsman.
“Volleyball played a crucial role in my personal development,” Zorzi said. “As a tall boy who often felt out of place, volleyball transformed my height into a significant advantage. Volleyball allowed me to forge lifelong friendships, and explore the world.
“Even after retiring at a relatively young age, Volleyball encouraged me to embrace a new chapter in my life. Now, as I grow older, I am grateful for the many benefits it has provided me.”
For more about Saturday’s induction celebration and/or to buy tickets: https://www.volleyhall.org/induction-celebration.html
If you can’t make it, watch live: https://www.youtube.com/@ivhfofficial
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