Kresimir Cosic never chose the easy road. He was no friend of the path of least resistance. Maybe that is why his death Thursday, after a yearlong bout with non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer, caused so many to mourn.
Of all the fresh, smiling faces that have struggled on a BYU basketball court, Cosic is perhaps the most enduring. But his lasting legacy comes less from his hook shot or his uncanny desire to make his 6-foot-11 frame dribble down court like a small guard than it does from his character and his ability to help others.True greatness never accepts fame and fortune as its reward. To Cosic, those items weren't even on the list.
He could have been wealthy and famous. Both the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA and the Carolina Cougars of the old ABA drafted him to play professional basketball. But he felt a loyalty to his native country and returned to lead Yugoslavia to a silver medal in the Olympics in 1976 and a gold in 1980. Later, he coached the team.
Instead of making himself a star in the world of U.S. professional basketball, he helped others get there. Among the players he mentored are Toni Kukoc of the Chicago Bulls and Vlade Divac of the Los Angeles Lakers.
He could have avoided the awkwardness of returning to his communist country as a devoutly religious man but decided to be true to his convictions. As a result, he touched the lives of many. Cosic joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while in Utah and ended up helping the church grow in his homeland. He became the presiding elder in Yugoslavia at age 23 and translated the Book of Mormon into his native Croatian language.
He never was a member of the Communist Party. He once said the LDS Church was the only organization he ever joined. But when Communism collapsed and Yugoslavia disintegrated, Cosic was in a position to help democracy flourish in the new nation of Croatia.
When death found him, Cosic was the Croatian deputy ambassador to the United States, working hard to persuade the United States to help end the war in the Balkan states. He felt peace was possible and never gave up hope in the victory of freedom.
Cosic's love of God, loyalty to country and dedication to helping others will far outlive his short 46 years in life.