Helmut Senekowitsch

Austrian footballer (1933-2007)

Helmut Senekowitsch ([1] 22 October 1933 – 9 September 2007) was an Austrian football player and later a football manager.

Helmut Senekowitsch
Personal information
Full name Helmut Senekowitsch
Date of birth (1933-10-22)22 October 1933
Place of birth Graz, Austria
Date of death 9 September 2007(2007-09-09) (aged 73)
Place of death Klosterneuburg, Austria
Position(s) Forward / midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1958 Sturm Graz 72 (30)
1958–1961 First Vienna FC 75 (63)
1961–1964 Real Betis 47 (10)
1964–1971 Wacker Innsbruck 160 (16)
Total 354 (119)
National team
1957–1968 Austria 18 (5)
Teams managed
1971–1973 Grazer AK
1973–1975 SK VÖEST Linz
1975–1976 FC Admira/Wacker
1976–1978 Austria
1978–1979 Tecos UAG
1979–1980 Athletic Bilbao
1981 Panathinaikos
1982 Olympiacos
1982 Eintracht Frankfurt
1983 AEK Athens
1983–1984 AEK Athens
1984–1985 Grazer AK
1985–1988 Tecos UAG
1988 Cádiz CF
1989–1990 Panionios
1990–1991 AC Omonia
1991–1992 LASK Linz
1995–1996 Floridsdorfer AC
1997 First Vienna
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
Austria national football team in 1958 with the following players – from left to right, standing; Walter Horak, Ernst Happel, Karl Koller, Alfred Körner, Paul Halla, Walter Schleger; crouched: Helmut Senekowitsch, Gerhard Hanappi, Rudolf Szanwald, Franz Swoboda and Johann Buzek.

Playing career change

He played 354 matches and scored 119 goals for SK Sturm Graz, Real Betis, First Vienna FC and FC Wacker Innsbruck.

He played for the Austria national football team. In 1958 he played in the FIFA World Cup.[2] He played 18 matches and scored 5 goals.

Coaching career change

Senekowitsch later worked as a coach in different European countries like Germany (Eintracht Frankfurt), Greece ( Panathinaikos, Olympiacos , AEK Athens), Spain (Athletic Bilbao) and Austria (Grazer AK, VOEST Linz, Linzer ASK, First Vienna FC)


From 1976 to 1978 he was manager of the Austrian national football team. After 20 years Austria had qualified for the World Cup. In the 1978 FIFA World Cup the Austrian team advanced to the second round. The first match was a 1–5 loss against Netherlands being coached by his former teammate Ernst Happel. Later he led them during the game known as The miracle of Córdoba where they won 3:2 versus West Germany. It was the first victory since 47 years.

He died in September 2007 after a long illness.[3][4]

References change

  1. "LASK Doku 1991 mit Trainer Helmut Senekowitsch". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  2. Record at FIFA Tournaments – FIFA
  3. Austrian sports world pays tribute to late Helmut Senekowitsch – Federal Chancellery
  4. Die österreichische Fußballfamilie trauert um Helmut Senekowitsch Archived 15 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine – ÖFB (in German)

Other websites change