Rudi Strittich was an Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n football coach and former player.

Club career

He debuted for Vorwärts Steyr, and later played for First Vienna FC

First Vienna FC

First Vienna FC is an Austrian association football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there...

. While with First Vienna, he went on a tour of the Middle East and upon returning was arrested along with two other players for smuggling narcotics into Austria. Strittich was imprisoned for three months and banned from football for one year by the Austrian Football Association

Austrian Football Association

The Austrian Football Association is the governing body of football in Austria. It organizes the football league, Austrian Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup and the Austrian national team, as well as its female equivalent. It is based in Vienna....

.

Unable to play football in Austria, Strittich was recruited by Béla Guttmann

Béla Guttmann

Béla Guttmann was a Jewish Hungarian footballer and coach. He played as a midfielder for MTK Hungária FC, SC Hakoah Wien, Hungary and several clubs in the United States. However he is perhaps best remembered as a coach and manager of some the world’s leading football teams, including AC Milan, São...

 to play for Italian club USC Triestina. The Austrian FA would not clear him to play, so he joined Colombian side Bananeros Santa Marta

Unión Magdalena

The Asociación Deportiva Unión Magdalena is a Colombian soccer team founded in the year 1950 as "Los Samarios" and based in Santa Marta. It has only won one championship, in the year 1968 against Deportivo Cali in the final. Red and blue stripes compose its shirt...

, where he could play because the Colombian Football Federation

Colombian Football Federation

The Colombian Football Federation is the governing body of football in Colombia. It was founded in 1924 and has been affiliated to FIFA since 1936...

 was not at the time affiliated to FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

.

Upon returning to Austria, Strittich learned that his ban was still in effect, as the Austrian FA ruled that he did serve the ban while playing in Colombia. He moved to Switzerland and trained with the youth side of Young Fellows Zürich

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 ....

. Next, he briefly returned to Vienna, and was sold to French side Besançon RC

Besançon RC

Besançon Racing Club is a French football club based in Besançon. It was founded in 1904-1905. They play at the Stade Léo Lagrange.- Current squad :As of September 2011.- Coaching staff :...

 after just six months. He suffered a back injury in France, and would retire from playing soon after.

International career

He made his debut for Austria

Austria national football team

The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....

 in December 1946 against Hungary

Hungary national football team

The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation....

 and earned 4 caps, scoring one goal.

Coaching career

After retiring as a football player Strittich worked as a coach for Sturm Graz in his home country. However, his greatest success as a coach came in Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, where he made Esbjerg fB

Esbjerg fB

Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber also referred to as Esbjerg fB or simply EfB is a professional Danish football club from the port city of Esbjerg in West Jutland. The club was formed in 1924, as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911. The club has training facilities...

 champions in 1961, 1962, 1965, and 1979. He was also coach of the Denmark national football team

Denmark national football team

The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...

from 1970 to 1975.

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