Bok de Korver
Encyclopedia
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
– October 22, 1957 in Rotterdam) was a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, who twice won a bronze medal with the Netherlands national football team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
at the Summer Olympics: in 1908 (London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) and in 1912 (Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
).
De Korver played for Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
between 1902 and 1923. He won the Dutch national title five times. De Korver scored his most notable goal in 1912, in a match again AFC Ajax. His goal won Sparta the national title.
De Korver played 31 caps for the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
between 1905 and 1913, scoring one goal. He won two Olympic bronze medals, in 1908 and 1912. De Korver captained the latter team. He was also a player of the Dutch national team that beat England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
for the first time ever, in 1913.
Legend has it that De Korver never made a foul during his career. He thought training was unsportsmanlike to the opponent, and he loved to smoke cigars. De Korver was the first Dutch football player to be the subject of a biography, in 1916.
Bok de Korver was a civil servant for the municipality of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. He ended his career at age 40, after pneumonia. De Korver died on October 22, 1957, aged 74. He was buried in Haren (Groningen)
Haren (Groningen)
Haren is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands located in the direct urban area of the City of Groningen.- Population centres :*Essen*Glimmen*Haren*Noordlaren*Onnen-External links:*...
.
De Korver was an honorary member of Sparta and of the Royal Dutch Football Association
Royal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues , the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch national football team. It is based in the municipality of Zeist.The KNVB came into being on 8 December 1889...
. The football club BDK from Amsterdam was named after De Korver. The west stand of Sparta's stadium, Het Kasteel
Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel
Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel is a football stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It is the home ground of Sparta Rotterdam. It has a capacity of 11,026.-History and layout:...
, was renamed Bok de Korver Stand on April 1, 2007.