Dumitru Popescu-Colibași

Olimpiu-Dumitru Popescu-Colibași (16 March 1912 – 2 March 1993), nicknamed Tata Pik, was a Romanian handball manager, rugby union player and author of books on sports. He had pioneered handball in the city of Brașov. Popescu-Colibași graduated from the A.N.E.F. in 1937. He helped develop many leading handball players during decades: including Anna Stark, Maria Scheip, Mara Windt, Gerlinde Reip, Edeltraut Franz-Sauer, Iuliana Nako, and Rodica Floroianu.

As a rugby player, he won the national championship with TCR. In 1934, Popescu-Colibași and the Romania national rugby team appeared against Italy. He was a starter.

Other honours followed his death: he is the namesake of the multi-purpose, 1,700-seat Dumitru Popescu Colibași Sports Hall in Brașov.

Biography His father Stan Popescu, a school teacher, was the son of poor peasant farmers from Colibași commune. He had been killed in 1916 during World War I. Popescu-Colibași was raised by his grandfather in Dudești. His mother worked as a civil servant at the court of cassation in Bucharest. Popescu-Colibași attended the high school in the Romanian capital living in the family of Mihail Sadoveanu with whom he was a relative. He married Ivonna Demetrian in 1944, an employee of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company.

Achievements Handball 11s Progresul Brașov Liga Națională: Winner: 1956 Silver Medalist: 1954 Bronze Medalist: 1955, 1957

Handball 7s Tractorul Brașov Liga Națională: Bronze Medalist: 1959, 1962