Fortitudo Bologna

Infobox Basketball club
color1 = #FFFFFF
color2 = #242B45
name = Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna
nickname =

imagesize =
leagues = ULEB Cup,
Lega Basket Serie A
founded = 1932
history = Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna (1932-present)
arena = PalaDozza
(5,721 seats)
location = Bologna, Italy
colors = White and Blue
president = Gilberto Sacrati (owner)
coach = flagicon|Serbia Dragan Šakota
championships = Italian Championships (2):
2000, 2005 Italian Supercups (2):
1998, 2005
Italian Cups (1):
1998
website = http://www.fortitudo.it
h_body = 242b45
h_pattern_b = _basketballblankborder
h_shorts = 242b45
h_pattern_s = _blanksides
a_body = 242b45
a_pattern_b = _basketballwhiteborder
a_shorts = 242b45
a_pattern_s = _whitesides

Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna is a prominent Italian League professional basketball club that is based in Bologna. As is the case for virtually all Italian professional basketball clubs, Fortitudo normally has a sponsor's name attached to it; the current sponsor is Italian department store chain UPIM. For past sponsors, see the list below.

History

Despite being one of Europe's richest clubs, Fortitudo has for much of its history played second fiddle in its own city to arch rivals Virtus Bologna. Fortitudo won its first major trophy in 1998, winning the Italian Cup.

Fortitudo made the Italian League championship finals ten consecutive years (1997 through 2006). After three straight finals losses, Fortitudo won the Italian League Championship for the first time in 2000. Four consecutive finals losses were followed by Fortitudo's second league title in 2005, courtesy of a 3-1 win over Armani Jeans Milano in the finals series when instant replay upheld a Ruben Douglas buzzer beater in Game 4 of the championship series.

In recent years, Fortitudo has become a fixture in the Euroleague, basketball's equivalent to the Champions League in football. It got to the Final four in 1999 (it lost in semifinal against Virtus Bologna) and the semifinal of Euroleague playoffs in 2001 (again eliminated by the eternal rivals of Virtus); then the club lost in the Euroleague final in 2004 to Maccabi Tel-Aviv by 44 points, after defeating Montepaschi Siena on the day before in semifinal. However, they had a subpar 2006-07 season by their recent standards, finishing 13th out of 18 teams after changing coaches no less than three times. They nonetheless made the field for the 2007-08 ULEB Cup, as most of Italy's entries to that competition are based on performance over a three-year period, and Fortitudo's past performances compensated for their disappointing 2006-07 campaign.

Fortitudo's home arena is Paladozza, now also known for sponsorship reasons as Land Rover Arena.

List of former club sponsorship names

* Cassera 1966-1968
* Eldorado 1968-1971
* Alco 1971-1978
* Mercury 1978-1980
* I&B 1980-1981
* Lattesole 1981-1983
* Yoga 1983-1988
* Arimo 1988-1990
* Aprimatic 1990-1991
* Mangiaebevi 1991-1993
* brief period without a name sponsor 1993
* Filodoro 1993-1995
* Teamsystem 1995-1999
* Paf Wennington 1999-2001
* Skipper 2001-2004
* Climamio 2004-2007
* UPIM 2007-present

2008-2009 roster

2007-2008 roster

* Horace Jenkins
* Spencer Nelson
* Stefano Mancinelli
* Alessandro Cittadini
* Óscar Torres
* Davide Lamma
* flagicon|GER Dalibor Bagarić
* Kristaps Janičenoks
* Tomasz Kesicki
* Joseph Forte
* James Thomas
* flagicon|Italy Dante Calabria

Notable past players

External links

*it icon [http://www.fortitudo.it Official site]
* [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/teams/showteam?clubcode=FOR Euroleague team profile]
*it icon [http://www.fdl1970.net Official Supporters site]