The Serbian Rugby League Federation has sadly announced the passing of Budimir Tomanovic Tamba, one of the sport’s pioneers in the country. A prominent official in the first wave of development of the game, he died in Belgrade aged 83.
As a student of Nikola Tesla high school, Budimir Tomanovic was introduced to rugby league during the visit of French teams to Belgrade in September 1953. He was so impressed with the new sport that, with his fellow students and the help of the teachers, Tamba founded the Radnicki club. Captaining them against Partizan, he was also instrumental in arranging first-ever Serbian rugby league match, held in Paracin on 25th April, 1954.
During the early years of rugby league in Serbia, Tamba was involved in the first coaching clinic, while his methods of training were revolutionary in Serbian sport during the 1950s. He will always be remembered as the captain of first trophy-winning team in the Serbian Rugby League when, in the finals of the Yugoslav National Army Cup, Tamba’s Radnicki beat Partizan on 21st December, 1954.
Upon the abolishment of the league in Serbia, he refused to participate in the new code always staying faithful to his roots. After the renewal of the SRLF in 2001, he kept close ties with the new generation of Serbian rugby league, handing over a large number of documents, photographs, records and other material from the early years history of the game in the region.