Even after the war he continued working at his HAŠK, then called Akademičar, but simultaneously in his role as head of Dinamo's football section he organized the first post-war training sessions for the Zagreb team... "Incidentally" he remained known as perhaps the best pre-war Croatian footballer. The renowned Ivan Ico Hitrec, legend of Croatian football, left us forever on October 11, 1946, at the age of 36. He died from a perforated ulcer.

Experts at the popular Kicker magazine included him in their ideal European team. He particularly shone with two goals against the famous goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora, undoubtedly the world's best goalkeeper at the time. After finishing his career, he also played an important role in shaping Dinamo's post-war team...

During his playing days, Hitrec was not associated with the Blues but was, on the contrary, the leader of their great rivals HAŠK, the popular Akademičari. On the other hand, his older brother Rudolf Hitrec was one of the pillars of Građanski. The younger Hitrec played for HAŠK's first team at just 16 years old, made his debut for the Zagreb representative team at 17, and wore the Yugoslav national team jersey at 19.

Particularly memorable are his two goals against the famous Zamora in a match played in 1931 at Concordia's ground in today's Kranjčevićeva Street, when Zagreb's best selected team defeated Madrid 2-1. It was also the first night match played in Zagreb. An unmatched dribbler, a player of moves and shots, yet also possessing a strong physique and powerful strike... This is how witnesses of the time described him, noting that he was equally attractive and deadly both as a midfielder and as an advanced striker.

He completed his first stint at HAŠK as a 20-year-old when he moved to Grasshoppers from Zürich. His career was later interrupted by a leg fracture, which led to his return to Zagreb, first to Šparta, then back to HAŠK. In this second stint with the Akademičari, he won the championship title in 1938 when they temporarily "dethroned" Građanski.

After World War II, HAŠK continued operating under the name Akademičar because the national prefix had to disappear. Since HAŠK was already colloquially called Akademičar, this became the official name after the war. Hitrec continued working at Akademičar, where Bruno Knežević, Dragutin Friedrich, and Ivica Medarić also remained... It was precisely Hitrec and Medarić who helped organize Dinamo, with Hitrec, parallel to his primary job at Akademičar as HAŠK's continuation, being engaged as technical referee, or head of the Blues' football section, organizing the first training sessions at the ZET ground.

During his playing days, in 1939, Hitrec actually played for Građanski as well. He helped the Zagreb team as a guest in a friendly match against the then-strong Vienna, which was on a mini-tour in Zagreb. Građanski won 3-1, with Hitrec himself getting on the scoresheet.

Dinamo's football academy was once named Hitrec-Kacian in honor of Ico Hitrec and another former brilliant and, unfortunately, prematurely deceased footballer, Ratko Kacian. The auxiliary pitch beneath the eastern stand of Maksimir Stadium also bears the name Hitrec-Kacian.