Florin Grape, one of the outstanding coaches of Romanian women’s volleyball in recent decades, died on Tuesday morning at the age of 68 after a difficult battle with a merciless disease, according to the Romanian Volleyball Federation’s Facebook page.

Florin Grape was born on November 20, 1954, a professor at the University of Bacau, who was one of the most valuable coaches in the history of Romanian volleyball.

All the performances of the women’s team Ştiinţa Bacău, which he led in 1988, when the team was in the second league, and “which he led and loved until the last minutes of his life” are associated with his name.

He rose to the first stage with this formation in 1989 and since then he has turned it into a force and a reference point for Romanian women’s volleyball.

With this team he won several national championship titles and the Romanian Cup, he led it to the highest stages of all European cups, but he also discovered and initiated many big names in local women’s volleyball, many players who were discovered and trained by his grace, who achieved to play in the national team of Romania, informs Agerpres.

In 1986-2000, he was the coach of the cadet and junior teams of Romania. Then, starting in 2001, he coached the senior national team several times, under his leadership the team qualified for the European Championship several times.