Horst Buhtz
Encyclopedia
Horst Buhtz is a retired German football player and manager.
where he played for the senior team aged 16, after a special permit had been obtained. After the war, Buhtz left the Soviet occupation zone and went to play for Kickers Offenbach
, winning a South German championship
with the team in 1949. In 1950 he was part of the Offenbach team that lost to VfB Stuttgart
in the German football championship final. Between 1950 and 1952 he played for VfB Mühlburg
in the Oberliga Süd
, then the highest level of football in the area. In his five years in that league, Buhtz managed to score 69 goals in 143 matches.
In 1952, Buhtz became the second German to play in Italy
's Serie A
- the first had been 1860 Munich's Ludwig Janda. For five years, "il tedesco" (the German), as the fans called him, would play for AC Torino
, earning as much as 150,000 DM per season, an amount of money that a player in Germany would have had to play decades for.
Buhtz was one of the stars of the newly formed Torino team that had to rebuilt after 18 players had died in the Superga air disaster
in 1949. Buhtz quickly became a regular and scored about 20 goals per season. In 1957 he left Torino for Switzerland, where he was player-manager for FC Young Fellows
in Zurich
and AC Bellinzona
.
As Buhtz was similar in playing style to Fritz Walter
and the German FA disapproved of professional players
, especially if they were playing abroad, Buhtz never played in a match for Germany
.
club Sportfreunde Saarbrücken and led them to a respectable 6th place. After the season, he signed a contract with Borussia Neunkirchen
who had finished second in the 1962-63 season and were controversially omitted from the newly-formed Fußball-Bundesliga
. Buhtz' team won the Regionalliga Süd
in 1964 and they were thus promoted to the Bundesliga. After finishing mid-table in their first season, the team was relegated following a 17th place in 1966.
, another Bundesliga side. With Hannover, Buhtz reached a 9th place in 1967 but was fired on 12 February 1968. Buhtz' work at Hannover had suffered from the fact that in October 1967 the club had already signed a new manager for the 1968-69 season.
side Wuppertaler SV
, the club he would manage for the next six years. However, the relationship got off to a rocky start, when Buhtz was not present for the start of training on 9 July 1968, despite having set the date himself. Under Buhtz the club constantly improved, eventually winning the league and qualifying for the play-offs for the Bundesliga. Here, Wuppertal won all eight of their matches, a feat unmatched in all 11 seasons that saw a promotion to play-off. After the promotion, Buhtz extended his contract until 1 July 1975. In their first year, Wuppertal reached a sensational 4th place finish, and took part in the UEFA Cup
. But in the second year the team could no longer keep up their performance, and on 20 October 1974 Buhtz was sacked following a draw at his former club Hannover 96. Wuppertal had been in 11th place at the time, but they kept slipping and finished 16th, eventually being relegated the following year.
with a contract running until June 1975. With Beşiktaş he finished 5th in the league, but the club won the Turkish Cup for the first time. Originally, Buhtz had intended to return to the Bundesliga in July 1975, but instead stayed on as Beşiktaş manager. However, in January 1976, Buhtz was sacked and in February took over as manager of then 2nd Bundesliga Nord
side Borussia Dortmund
. This was not intended as a long-time assignment and in April that year Buhtz signed a 2-year contract as manager of 1. FC Nuremberg, starting in June. Buhtz led Dortmund to a second place in the league, allowing them to take part in the promotion play-offs against the second-placed team of 2nd Bundesliga Süd
: 1. FC Nuremberg. In view of the fact that Buhtz had already signed a contract with Nuremberg for the next season, he was sacked before the play-offs.
His next station was 2nd Bundesliga Süd side Bayer 05 Uerdingen where he took over in October 1978. Again he finished second in the league, and this time was not sacked before the play-offs, but instead celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. However, Uerdingen did not play a great role in the Bundesliga. They finished 15th in 1979-80 and an 18th place in 1980-81 meant relegation. Two matchdays before the end of the season, Buhtz was sacked.
In January 1983, 2nd Bundesliga
side Stuttgarter Kickers
signed Buhtz on a contract running until June of that year. Buhtz won his first match, but in the long run he could not get the club out of their 2nd Bundesliga dejection. After a catastrophic beginning of the 1983-84 season with only 1 win in 13 matches, Buhtz was dismissed on 22 October 1984.
After his spell in Stuttgart, where Buhtz had worked with future stars such as Jürgen Klinsmann
or Guido Buchwald
, he all but retired, only taking over at 2nd Bundesliga side Fortuna Köln
for a few months in the 1986-87 season.
, between Cologne
and Düsseldorf
. His original club of Fortuna Magdeburg made him an honorary president in 1992.
Playing career
Buhtz began his playing career at Fortuna MagdeburgFortuna Magdeburg
SV Fortuna Magdeburg is a German association football club from the city of Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt. The club was founded 1 August 1911 as Magdeburger Fußball-Verein Fortuna 1911...
where he played for the senior team aged 16, after a special permit had been obtained. After the war, Buhtz left the Soviet occupation zone and went to play for Kickers Offenbach
Kickers Offenbach
Kickers Offenbach is a German association football club in Offenbach am Main, Hesse. The club was founded on 27 May 1901 in the Rheinischer Hof restaurant by footballers who had left established local clubs including Melitia, Teutonia, Viktoria, Germania and Neptun...
, winning a South German championship
Southern German football championship
The Southern German football championship was the highest association football competition in the South of Germany, established in 1898...
with the team in 1949. In 1950 he was part of the Offenbach team that lost to VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
in the German football championship final. Between 1950 and 1952 he played for VfB Mühlburg
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. KSC rose out of the consolidation of a number of predecessor clubs. They currently play in the 2...
in the Oberliga Süd
Oberliga Süd (1945-63)
The Oberliga Süd was the highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963.It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen.-Overview:...
, then the highest level of football in the area. In his five years in that league, Buhtz managed to score 69 goals in 143 matches.
In 1952, Buhtz became the second German to play in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
- the first had been 1860 Munich's Ludwig Janda. For five years, "il tedesco" (the German), as the fans called him, would play for AC Torino
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
, earning as much as 150,000 DM per season, an amount of money that a player in Germany would have had to play decades for.
Buhtz was one of the stars of the newly formed Torino team that had to rebuilt after 18 players had died in the Superga air disaster
Superga air disaster
The Superga air disaster took place on Wednesday, 4 May 1949, when a plane carrying almost the entire Torino A.C. football squad, popularly known as Il Grande Torino, crashed into the hill of Superga near Turin killing all 31 aboard including 18 players, club officials, journalists accompanying the...
in 1949. Buhtz quickly became a regular and scored about 20 goals per season. In 1957 he left Torino for Switzerland, where he was player-manager for FC Young Fellows
SC Young Fellows Juventus
Sportclub Young Fellows Juventus is a professional Swiss football club based in Zürich. It was founded in 1992 following a merger between Young Fellows Zürich and Società Calcistica Italiana Juventus Zurigo ....
in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and AC Bellinzona
AC Bellinzona
AC Bellinzona is a Swiss football club based in Bellinzona. It was founded in 1904, and won the Swiss Super League in 1948.-History:Since Bellinzona is an Italian speaking region, many Italian Serie A clubs loan youth players to the club to get first team experience. AS Roma are a parent club to...
.
As Buhtz was similar in playing style to Fritz Walter
Fritz Walter
Friedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer. In his time with the German national team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals.-Early club career:...
and the German FA disapproved of professional players
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
, especially if they were playing abroad, Buhtz never played in a match for Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
.
Managing career
After his playing career, Buhtz became a full-time manager. This development was already on the horizon when he was player-manager in Switzerland. Between 1962 and 1985, Buhtz went on to manage 11 clubs in Germany and Turkey.Saarbrücken and Neunkirchen
After his playing career, Buhtz became a full-time manager. He began his managing career at Oberliga SüdwestOberliga Südwest (1945-63)
The Oberliga Südwest was the highest level of the German football league system in the southwest of Germany from 1945 until the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963. It covered the two states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland.-Overview:...
club Sportfreunde Saarbrücken and led them to a respectable 6th place. After the season, he signed a contract with Borussia Neunkirchen
Borussia Neunkirchen
Borussia VfB Neunkirchen is a German association football club based in Neunkirchen, Saarland. The club SC Borussia Neunkirchen was founded out of the 1907 merger of FC 1905 Borussia and SC Neunkirchen.-History:...
who had finished second in the 1962-63 season and were controversially omitted from the newly-formed Fußball-Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
. Buhtz' team won the Regionalliga Süd
Regionalliga Süd (1963-74)
The Regionalliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system. It existed in the south of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974. It covered the three states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hessen....
in 1964 and they were thus promoted to the Bundesliga. After finishing mid-table in their first season, the team was relegated following a 17th place in 1966.
Hannover 96
Following the relegation, Buhtz left the club and took over as manager of Hannover 96Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...
, another Bundesliga side. With Hannover, Buhtz reached a 9th place in 1967 but was fired on 12 February 1968. Buhtz' work at Hannover had suffered from the fact that in October 1967 the club had already signed a new manager for the 1968-69 season.
Wuppertaler SV
In July, Buhtz became manager of Regionalliga WestRegionalliga West (1963-74)
The Regionalliga West was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the west of Germany from 1963 until the formation of the 2nd Bundesliga in 1974...
side Wuppertaler SV
Wuppertaler SV Borussia
Wuppertaler SV Borussia is a German association football club located in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. The city was founded in 1929 out of the union of a number of smaller towns including Elberfeld, Barmen, Vohwinkel, Cronenberg and Ronsdorf – each with its own football club...
, the club he would manage for the next six years. However, the relationship got off to a rocky start, when Buhtz was not present for the start of training on 9 July 1968, despite having set the date himself. Under Buhtz the club constantly improved, eventually winning the league and qualifying for the play-offs for the Bundesliga. Here, Wuppertal won all eight of their matches, a feat unmatched in all 11 seasons that saw a promotion to play-off. After the promotion, Buhtz extended his contract until 1 July 1975. In their first year, Wuppertal reached a sensational 4th place finish, and took part in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. But in the second year the team could no longer keep up their performance, and on 20 October 1974 Buhtz was sacked following a draw at his former club Hannover 96. Wuppertal had been in 11th place at the time, but they kept slipping and finished 16th, eventually being relegated the following year.
Beşiktaş and Dortmund
At the end of the year Buhtz went to Turkey and took over Beşiktaş J.K.Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
with a contract running until June 1975. With Beşiktaş he finished 5th in the league, but the club won the Turkish Cup for the first time. Originally, Buhtz had intended to return to the Bundesliga in July 1975, but instead stayed on as Beşiktaş manager. However, in January 1976, Buhtz was sacked and in February took over as manager of then 2nd Bundesliga Nord
2nd Bundesliga Nord (1974-81)
The 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Nord was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the north of Germany from 1974 until the formation of the single-division 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in 1981...
side Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
. This was not intended as a long-time assignment and in April that year Buhtz signed a 2-year contract as manager of 1. FC Nuremberg, starting in June. Buhtz led Dortmund to a second place in the league, allowing them to take part in the promotion play-offs against the second-placed team of 2nd Bundesliga Süd
2nd Bundesliga Süd (1974-81)
The 2. Fußball-Bundesliga Süd was the second-highest level of the German football league system in the south of Germany from 1974 until the formation of the single-division 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in 1981...
: 1. FC Nuremberg. In view of the fact that Buhtz had already signed a contract with Nuremberg for the next season, he was sacked before the play-offs.
1. FC Nuremberg and Bayer Uerdingen
At Nuremberg, Buhtz reached only a 5th place in 2nd Bundesliga Süd in 1976-77, but in the following season the club finished second and qualified for the play-offs on the 37th day of the season. However, like in Dortmund, Buhtz was sacked before the play-offs began.His next station was 2nd Bundesliga Süd side Bayer 05 Uerdingen where he took over in October 1978. Again he finished second in the league, and this time was not sacked before the play-offs, but instead celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979. However, Uerdingen did not play a great role in the Bundesliga. They finished 15th in 1979-80 and an 18th place in 1980-81 meant relegation. Two matchdays before the end of the season, Buhtz was sacked.
Alemannia Aachen, Stuttgarter Kickers and Fortuna Köln
In December 1981, Buhtz was the fourth manager brought in at Alemannia Aachen. Aachen were in 8th position when Buhtz took over, but he could not noticeably improve their position and finished 9th. In the following season Aachen started well, but after a slump in results, the club lost touch with the promotion ranks and Buhtz was sacked.In January 1983, 2nd Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
side Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers is a German association football club that plays in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, founded on 21 September 1899 as FC Stuttgarter Cickers...
signed Buhtz on a contract running until June of that year. Buhtz won his first match, but in the long run he could not get the club out of their 2nd Bundesliga dejection. After a catastrophic beginning of the 1983-84 season with only 1 win in 13 matches, Buhtz was dismissed on 22 October 1984.
After his spell in Stuttgart, where Buhtz had worked with future stars such as Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
or Guido Buchwald
Guido Buchwald
Guido Ulrich Buchwald is a German former football defender and manager.The best game of Buchwald's career was probably the final of the 1990 FIFA World Cup when he effectively marked the skilled footballer, Diego Maradona, earning him the nickname "Diego"...
, he all but retired, only taking over at 2nd Bundesliga side Fortuna Köln
SC Fortuna Köln
SC Fortuna Köln is a German association football club playing in the city of Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The club was formed as on 21 February 1948 through the merger of three local sides: Victoria Köln 1911 , Bayenthaler SV 1920, and Sparkassen-Verein Köln 1927...
for a few months in the 1986-87 season.
Retirement
Today, Buhtz lives in the town of Langenfeld, RhinelandLangenfeld, Rhineland
Langenfeld is a town in North-Rhine-Westphalia in the district of Mettmann. The suburban city is located between Düsseldorf and Cologne...
, between Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. His original club of Fortuna Magdeburg made him an honorary president in 1992.