They win the Middle Rhine Oberliga unbeaten with just one draw and go on to be champions of Western Germany with four wins and in the matches for the German title they sweep away their opponents SV Polizei Hildesheim (19-8), TSV Zuffenhausen (16-8) and Frisch Auf Göppingen (13-6). They face a surprise team in the final in SG Leutershausen, a village club, who knocked out the previous year's winners SV Polizei Hamburg on the way to the final.
Bayer 04 fans make their way to Wuppertal. There is a special train, which is sold out within hours. Euphoria in Leverkusen. Anybody unable to get a ticket for the train sets off by car or even bicycle. Everybody is hoping our handball players can do better than the women four weeks before who unluckily lost the German championship final 4-2 against Eimsbütteler SV. The good form of the two international players Robert Will and Werner Tiemann promises to bear fruit.
When the game begins after a delay – hundreds are still waiting outside to be let in – the Bayer 04 team, made fit by the athletics coach Bert Sumser, are first out of the blocks and they go into half-time with a 9-5 lead. That is increased to 14-6 and the game ends with a convincing 15-8 win. The team do a lap of honour at the stadium and celebrate being champions of Germany with the fans.
The team arrives at the town hall at 21.30 CET in the evening and they are enthusiastically received by 6,000 Leverkusen supporters including the mayor Wilhelm Dopatka who greets the team with the following words: "The whole city is proud of you." The team travels through the streets of Wiesdorf in a bedecked vehicle. There are big celebrations in the mirrored hall the of Schloss Morsbroich. The pubs in Leverkusen are also rocking. They are celebrating their heroes: Goalkeeper Willi Stoffel, who was helping out the football players a few weeks before, albeit as a training keeper, Werner Tiemann, Robert Will, Rolf Särchinger, Manfred Boll, Hans Wübbe, Werner Horchler, Kurt Kösters, August Schiefer, Günther Lingelbach and Volkmar Weber.
The field handball players succeed in reaching the German championship final again in 1959 but end up losing narrowly 10-9 to TuS Lintfort and two years later they reach the semi-finals. For over ten years, our field handball players made their city enthusiastic Sunday after Sunday. And the field handball players of TuS 04 Leverkusen ensure with their promotion to the Middle Rhine Oberliga in 1956 that the stronghold of German handball is in Leverkusen.
"But one thing, one thing will remain the same, Bayer 04 will never go under!"
Claus-Dieter, known as ‘Pele’, Wollitz was born in Brakel on 19 July 1965 in Brakel. He earned the nickname of the Brazilian global super star at the age of six because he was able to the juggle the ball for a long time as a child. What was originally meant as a stunt would follow him all his life. Every football fan associates the name Wollwitz with his nickname: Pele.
Show moreJosé Roberto da Silva Junior, Zé Roberto for short, was born in the Brazilian city of São Paulo on 6 July 1974. He started playing football at the Pequeninos de Joquey soccer school at the age of seven. Via the club Palestra Sao Bernardo, the left footer moved on to the professional club Portuguesa de Desportos where he made his debut in 1994.
Show more25 years ago, the Bayer 04 U19 team under their two coaches Thomas Hörster and Dirk Dreher were Regional League West champions and thereby participants in the finals of the German championship.
Show moreAfter promotion to Bundesliga 2, the football boss Hermann Bacall had his hands full putting together a powerful team. For the first training session at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on 14 July 1975 there were nine new signings including five players who became regular starters in the team that won promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979.
Show moreAfter the success of the previous year, the gymnastics and sports club Leverkusen hold the ‘Wiesdorfer Sportwoche’ week of sports for a second time (the city of Leverkusen is only founded in 1930). The week of sport started on Sunday, 12 July 1925. In the years before World War I there were municipal gymnastics and games festivals. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the club in 1924 the board and many helping hands started the week of sports. An internal municipal games festival developed into a national event which made a name for itself after a year particularly due to the relay element.
Show more