Kazimierz Górski

Kazimierz Górski

Personal information
Full name	Kazimierz Klaudiusz Górski
Date of birth	(1921-03-02)2 March 1921
Place of birth	Lwów, Poland
Date of death	23 May 2006(2006-05-23) (aged 85)
Place of death	Warsaw, Poland
Position(s)	Striker, Manager
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1936–1939
1940–1941	Spartak Lviv
1944	Dynamo Lviv
1945–1953	Legia Warsaw
National team
1948	Poland	1	(0)
Teams managed
1959	Legia Warsaw
1960–1962	Legia Warsaw
1963–1964	KS Lublinianka
1964–1966	Gwardia Warszawa
1971–1976	Poland
1973	ŁKS Łódź
1976–1977	Panathinaikos
1980–1981	Olympiacos
1981–1982	Legia Warsaw
1983	Olympiacos
1983–1985	Ethnikos Piraeus
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Copy of K. Górski medal and autograph in Sports Star Avenue in Dziwnów

Kazimierz Klaudiusz Górski (2 March 1921 – 23 May 2006) was a coach of Poland national football team and honorary president of the Polish Football Association. He was also a football player, capped once for Poland.

Biography[]

This section needs expansion with: Early life. You can help by . (January 2011)

Playing career[]

He was born in Lwów, Second Polish Republic (nowadays Lviv, Ukraine). He played as a forward in several Polish football teams: RKS Lwów, Spartak Lviv, FC Dynamo Lviv, Legia Warsaw and his football nickname was "Sarenka" ("Roe-deer"). His successful career was interrupted by World War II and it took until 1948 before he participated in his only international match, a game between Poland and Denmark (0–8).^[1]

Team coach in Poland[]

He graduated in football training from the in Kraków (Wyższa Szkoła Wychowania Fizycznego, today the Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego w Krakowie) and the (Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego we Wrocławiu) in 1980. He was the coach of Legia Warsaw (3 times), (his first independent training job started there in 1954), Gwardia Warszawa, Lublinianka Lublin, and ŁKS Łódź.

Polish national team coach 1970–1976[]

He started as the coach of the Polish national junior team from 1956 to 1966, then the Polish U-23 national team from 1966 to 1970, and finally the first Poland national football team from 1970 to 1976. His first international match with the team was held on 5 May 1971 in Lausanne against Switzerland. His major successes were winning the gold medal in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich; the silver medal (for 3rd place) in the 1974 World Cup held in Germany; and another silver medal for 2nd place in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal (the second of Poland's three Olympic medals in football). Kazimierz Górski was the coach of the Polish national team for 73 matches (with 45 wins).

Poland qualified for the 1974 World Cup by defeating 1966 World Cup winners England at home and holding them to a draw at Wembley.^[2]

Team coach in Greece[]

After resigning his position with the Polish national team, he went to Greece and was a successful coach with Panathinaikos Athens, Kastoria FC, Olympiakos Piraeus and Ethnikos Piraeus.

PZPN activist[]

From 1976 Kazimierz Górski was an honorary member of the Polish Football Union (Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej, PZPN).

When he retired from coaching, he became an activist for PZPN in 1986. From 1987 he was a vice-president and from 1991 to 1995 was the president of PZPN. From 3 July 1995 he was the honorary president of PZPN.

He died from cancer following a long illness on 23 May 2006, aged 85, in Warsaw.

Awards and recognition[]

The bronze statue of Kazimierz Górski outside the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw, unveiled in 2015

Honours[]

• FIFA Order of Merit (2006, posthumously)
• – UEFA award (2006, posthumously)
• – FIFA award (2001)
• Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta (1996)
• Commander's with Star of Polonia Restituta (2006)
• Grand Cross of Polonia Restituta (2006, posthumous)
• Honorary citizen of Lviv (2003), Plock (2004) and Lubaczów
• Doctor Honoris Causa of the Gdańsk Academy of Physical Education and Sport (Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego i Sportu im. Jędrzeja Śniadeckiego) (24 November 2003)
• Super Victor (24 April 2006)

Other recognition[]

• A School Sports Championships in Łódź was named after him.
• The Stadion Narodowy has a statue honouring him outside it.

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to Kazimierz Górski at Wikimedia Commons