René Navarro Reflects on the Unanswered Question from Cuban Volleyball Legend Eugenio George

On Friday, sports commentator René Navarro shared a heartfelt reminiscence on Facebook about his friendship with Eugenio George Laffita, the most acclaimed coach in Cuban women's volleyball. Central to his reflection was a question that remained unanswered: what would have been the "All-Time Best Six" of the Caribbean Queens?

The piece, titled "Tales of the QUEENS," begins with Navarro recalling his first encounter with George in the summer of 1963. "I met Eugenio George Laffita in the summer of 1963. I had read about him in our press and heard about him in the media, but had never met him personally," Navarro wrote.

A Chance Meeting in Havana

The encounter took place at the Pepe Barrientos Stadium in the Luyanó neighborhood of Havana during the inaugural National School Games. At 17, Navarro approached a local acquaintance and expressed a desire to meet Eugenio. Minutes later, he stood before the man he would later describe as "the greatest Cuban volleyball figure of the 20th century."

"At that age, I could never have imagined that my future would be so closely linked to EUGENIO," the narrator recalled, who coined the nickname "Caribbean Queens" — and later "Spectacular Caribbean Queens" — for the Cuban women's team during its golden era.

Deepening a Friendship

Their friendship deepened after 1965 and saw a unique chapter in 1970 when Navarro, George, Eliseo Acosta, and Eddy Martín spent 40 days hospitalized together at the Acción Médica Clinic in Santos Suárez. "We were victims of a typhoid fever outbreak detected in the Jatibonico fields, and we stayed together in a cubicle," he recounted.

During a visit to Hong Kong amid international tours with the women's team, Navarro first posed the question about the ideal team. "While visiting Hong Kong, I asked him about a possible IDEAL SIX of Cuban women's volleyball, and the response was silence," Navarro wrote.

The Elusive Answer

Navarro was persistent. In George's later years, he visited him at Julio Trigo Hospital, where George was recovering from surgery. After hours of conversation, Navarro tried rephrasing the question, suggesting over 15 athletes for George to choose his ideal team.

Again, the response was evasive: "NOTHING, he spoke of positions, height, jump ability, reaction time, reflexes, intelligence, skills, and character, but avoided the question."

The narrative closes with a mixture of admiration and resignation: "I was left yearning to know the ALL-TIME BEST SIX. And if it wasn't EUGENIO who had the true ANSWER, then who else could?"

Eugenio George's Legacy

Born in Baracoa on March 29, 1935, George passed away on May 31, 2014, at 81. The FIVB recognized him as the best women's team coach of the 20th century and inducted him into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2005. Under his leadership, the Caribbean Queens secured three consecutive Olympic golds — Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, and Sydney 2000 — three World Championships (1978, 1994, and 1998), and three World Cups (1989, 1991, and 1995), among other titles.

His protégés included Mireya Luis, Regla Torres — named by the FIVB as the best player of the 20th century — Regla Bell, Rayza O'Farrill, Marlenis Costa, and Yumilka Ruiz, a generation that elevated Cuban women's volleyball to unmatched heights.

Navarro's Struggles and Memories

Navarro, who received the National Television Award in 2022, faces severe financial hardship, a reflection of the crisis affecting millions of Cubans. In January 2024, he disclosed selling his car to afford food, living on a pension of 1,733 Cuban pesos monthly, and in July 2026, he described the island's reality as "mental and physical torture." His series "Tales of the QUEENS" serves as both a refuge and a reminder of when Cuba ruled the volleyball world.