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1.04.2022Bayer 04

From the archives: A boring game with interesting visitors

The story of the game on matchday 30 in the Regional League West in the 1971/72 season is quickly told. Bayer 04 and Wattenscheid 09 drew 1-1 in front of 900 spectators on 16 April 1972. The Leverkusen goal was scored by Klaus Görtz from the penalty spot. The photographer on the day did however have lots of fun taking photos away from the normal match action and he snapped a couple of interesting spectators for us.
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Dr. Jürgen Schwericke: From 1975 to the reunion of TuS 04 and SV Bayer 04 in 1984, he was the president of SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen and in that role he played a significant part in the promotion to the Bundesliga. He was rarely seen in the stands in the second half of games as he preferred to spend time on the edge of the pitch, preferably next to the opposition goal, to be closer to the action. HERE is an announcement in honour of Dr. Jürgen Schwericke.

 

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Dr. Jürgen Schwericke

Richard Seuser: The gentleman on the left in the second photo. He had been a club member since 1907 and one of the first footballers. He later went on to manage our club as a member of the football committee and, above all, in his role as the deputy chairman of Bayer 04, a post he held for a long time. Seuser, after over 40 years working on the Bayer 04 board, finally retired in 1971 and he was then named the honorary chairman. He died in 1993 at the age of 100.

Gustav Schmitz: The gentleman on the right in the second photo. The first groundsman at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium and the adjoining training pitches was responsible for looking after the turf at Bayer 04 for a total of 19 years up to his retirement in 1976. He has passed on his love for the club and "his" turf as his grandson Georg is now our head groundsman.

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Richard Seuser (l.) and Gustav Schmitz in conversation.

Harald Wohner: The man on the left in the third photo. He worked at the club from 1956, first looking after the Reserve and Amateur teams and later he was the kit man for the senior squad in the 1980s. For almost 40 years he was primarily responsible for looking after the players’ boots and he had to tolerate one or two foibles from me. He passed away after a long illness in 2018 shortly after meeting up with the UEFA Cup winners. HERE is the announcement in honour of Harald Wohner.

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In a suit: Harald Wohner (l.) with Dieter Axemacher.

Dieter Treckentrup: Dieter knew every first team player and coach at Bayer 04 over many years. I don't think he ever missed a training session in the 80s or 90s. His written analysis of the next opponents and his recommended line-ups for the Bayer 04 coaches are legendary. The players also received free advice on their way from the dressing room to the training ground. Dieter was simply a one-off!

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Dieter Treckentrup

Other images from the match:

 

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