Germany and Bayern mourn coach Cramer
Friday, September 18, 2015
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Coach Dettmar Cramer, twice a European champion with Bayern München in the 1970s, has died aged 90. "To me, he was a father figure," said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
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Dettmar Cramer, who led Bayern München to glory in the 1975 and 1976 European Champion Clubs' Cup finals, has passed away at his home in Reit im Winkl at the age of 90.
"We have lost a great coach and a great person," said German Football Association (DFB) president Wolfgang Niersbach. "Dettmar Cramer was a highly recognised ambassador for German football around world."
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who played under Cramer, added: "To many, Dettmar Cramer was more than just a major figure in football. To me, he was a father figure – the most important in my career when I started out as a professional. To a great extent, I have him to thank for having had such a successful career. FC Bayern are mourning an outstanding coach and a very special person."
In the Bundesliga, Cramer coached Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin but enjoyed his managerial pinnacle with Bayern, guiding a team featuring the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier and Gerd Müller to European Cup success in 1975 and 1976.
Assistant to West Germany boss Helmut Schön at the 1966 FIFA World Cup, Cramer also coached national sides in Japan, the United States and Malaysia. Under the aegis of the DFB, he worked as a football instructor in over 90 countries.
