Heinz Krügel
European Cup Winners’ Cup
Heinz Krügel
European Cup Winners’ Cup
| Born | April 24th, 1921, in Zwickau († October 27th, 2008) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Soccer |
| Club | 1. FC Magdeburg |
SIGNIFICANT FOR MANY FANS
The importance of the coach behind the club’s greatest success for many fans is particularly evident in the unofficial name of 1. FC Magdeburg’s home ground: many affectionately refer to the stadium as the Heinz-Krügel-Stadion, or HKS for short.
A passionate coach
Heinz Krügel was one of the most successful soccer coaches in the GDR. His passion for the sport had its roots in his childhood. At the age of six, he was already playing for Planitzer SC. However, his active career as a defender ended in 1950 at the age of just 29 due to a serious knee injury.
In 1951, Krügel became provincial coach in the state of Saxony and shortly afterwards became the youngest coach in the GDR Oberliga when he took over the newly founded “Sportvereinigung Volkspolizei Vorwärts Leipzig.” After several stops along the way, his career eventually led him to 1. FC Magdeburg, a club he was supposed to bring back into the Oberliga after their descent into the lower leagues.
The club celebrated its first soccer championship under his leadership in 1972, followed by two more titles in 1974 and 1975. FCM also won the GDR Cup for the second time in 1973. However, everything was outshone by the triumph in the European Cup Winners’ Cup. On May 8th, 1974, 1. FC Magdeburg defeated AC Milan 2-0 in Rotterdam.
Included on the Sports Walk of Fame
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FC Magdeburg achieved the impossible on May 8th, 1974, under the guidance of coach Heinz Krügel: the team defeated AC Milan 2-0 at De Kuip in Rotterdam, winning the European Cup Winner’s Cup. The team had previously fought its way to the final by beating some of the best teams in European soccer. It defeated NAC Breda from the Netherlands, Baník Ostrava from Czechia, Beroe Stara Sagora from Bulgaria, and Sporting Lisbon from Portugal. This made 1. FCM go down in soccer history as the only GDR club ever to win the European Cup.
Without exception, all the players came from Magdeburg and the surrounding region. No other name is as closely associated with 1. FC Magdeburg’s greatest successes as Heinz Krügel’s. Following his death, Magdeburg City Council named the square in front of the stadium after him. A monument to the championship-winning coach was erected there in 2014 at the initiative of the FCM Fan Council.