Mykolas Ruzgys

Mykolas Ruzgys or Michael Paul Ruzgis (January 15, 1915 – December 15, 1986) Furthermore, he was selected the 1939 FIBA EuroBasket MVP.

The Soviets followed the correspondence between Ruzgys and his wife Danutė in occupied Lithuania and attempted to invite him to coach the Soviet Union men's national basketball team and Russians in Moscow, also they promised him a flat and a possibility to live with his wife and daughter. While being in France, Ruzgys was appointed as head coach of the France men's national basketball team (1946–1947), created another family with an educated Frenchwoman, Andrée Maloigne, who later gave birth to his four children, and lived in France capital city Paris, where he fell in love with the French culture. Ruzgys never married Andrée, however his children with Andrée initially bore a surname "Ruzgis". He lectured at INSEP. The Ruzgys' coached French squad finished in a disappointing fifth place in EuroBasket 1947 and Ruzgys was replaced by Robert Busnel in the French squad (he became a player-coach), thus Ruzgys departed to Monaco. The travel by plane with multiple stops to Buenos Aires for the 1950 FIBA World Championship took 36 hours and Spanish players were exhausted, vommitted, some were too weak to sit in the plane, thus were lying.

The last year in Spain and separation with his second family Since 1956 Ruzgys and his family members were approached by the Political-Social Brigade members and his family began feeling pressure, local soldiers looked suspicious towards Ruzgys. Moreover, Lithuanians and Poles visited Ruzgys and he spoke with them in the Russian language, which further worsened Spaniards view towards Ruzgys and his second family. Spanish dictator Francisco Franco was a strong anti-communist. Consequently, conflicts within family started regarding the future of the family as Andrée sought to return to France. The conflicts within the family were further fueled by the fact that Ruzgys had a family in occupied Lithuania. According to Ruzgys' son Michel (from his second family), "at one point, dad realized that he was completely out of control. His psychological state deteriorated significantly, so the doctors recommended that he spend several weeks in a clinic. Dad returned from there healthier, but still suffering from depression. The atmosphere in the house was changing." Moreover, according to Ruzgys' son Michel, Ruzgys "started talking about Lithuania – a magical land. At such moments, he would hold an amber necklace in his hands, the main stone of which had an inclusion – a trapped mosquito. The necklace was a family heirloom, brought from Lithuania. My father gave it to my mother when they met in Paris." Ruzgys sought that his second family would move to the United States. One day Spanish agents arrived to their house and took away Ruzgys. The next day his family was taken away to Santiago de Compostela, Ruzgys wife worked at the Economics University and changed her surname to a maiden one, Maloigne. Moreover, his children with Andrée surnames were also changed for political reasons to Maloigne. Separated from Ruzgys, Andrée struggled financially and two of four Ruzgys children from his second family ended up in orphanage.

Remaining life in the United States and death On 1 December 1956, Ruzgys departed from Spain and after two weeks arrived in Miami, United States and then returned to his hometown Chicago. Ruzgys sent to his second family in Spain letters and photos until early 1960s and promised that they will move to the United States. According to Ruzgys son Michel, the last letter was received in 1960.

While being in the United States, Ruzgys participated in Lithuanian Americans activities (e.g. in 1957 he played in a friendly game which was organized to commemorate 20 years jubilee of the EuroBasket 1937 title; in 1974 he contributed to the creation of the Lithuanian American team, which played friendly games outside the United States).

In a 1964 letter to his first wife, Danutė, Ruzgys wrote from the United States that his health has improved and that he was not drinking for seven years, he was working everyday and attending many basketball games, he also wrote that he had a few friends, but was "as always in thoughts with you" and that she should "give Lidija a kiss, I think she will be a very beautiful woman. Look that she would kiss you from me." Ruzgys' daughter from his first family, Lidija, won gold and bronze medals of athletics competitions at the 1957 Summer Deaflympics in Milan, Italy. Moreover, Lidija, despite initial Soviet resistance, competed at the 1965 Summer Deaflympics in the United States capital city Washington, D.C., however during it Ruzgys did not met with Lidija, who won gold, silver and two bronze medals.

According to Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, Ruzgys was treated from alcoholism in Chicago. In a 1981 letter Lithuanian American Aleksas Lauraitis wrote to Ruzgys' first wife Danutė that he have not heard anything from Ruzgys for a few months and that he heard that Ruzgys was again drinking alcohol. Moreover, according to Aleksas Lauraitis, Ruzgys in the United States found a third girlfriend, worked as a shop assistant and in the very end of his life stopped drinking alcohol.

In December 1986, Ruzgys was transported to a hospital in Chicago, United States. After a few days in hospital, Ruzgys died on 15 December 1986 in Chicago, United States. For years his death remained unknown for many interested. For example, Leonas Baltrūnas in 1992 wrote to Ruzgys' first wife Danutė and asked if she has an address of Ruzgys.

In 1996, Ruzgys daughter Lidija was granted the Citizenship of the United States, however she did not return to the United States and died in 2019 (being 79 years old), while her mother, Danutė, died in 2005 (being 86 years old). Danutė until her death never forgot her biggest love, Ruzgys.

According to Ruzgys son from his second family, Michel, his father's favorite quote was of Blaise Pascal: "the heart has its own motives that the mind does not know."