Back
1.05.2021Bayer 04

Stories: The Grammingers

Lars and Sven Bender retire from professional football this summer. But they are not the only pair of twins in the history of Bayer 04. Karl and Martin Gramminger joined Leverkusen from Fortuna Düsseldorf in 1958.
crop_1958_Karl_Martin_Gramminger.jpg

Karl, the nimble, powerful centre forward; Martin, the midfield dynamo. Both were in the team for the opening fixture at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on 2 August 1958 – in a match against their former club Fortuna Düsseldorf. Sadly. they were unable to help Bayer 04 gain promotion to the Oberliga West in their three years at the club. Karl made 65 appearances and scored 21 goals, Martin wore the Werkself shirt for 79 games and found the back of the net nine times.

crop_19580802_Mannschaft.jpg


Legendary and no longer imaginable today is the football spectacular from their Fortuna days on 6 November 1954 at the Rheinstadion in front of 25,000 spectators that proved to be amazing and definitely contributed to the twins becoming legends: Düsseldorf were at home to Schalke 04 on matchday 10. The game ended with a 7-2 scoreline and the goalscorers for Fortuna in the match reports only had one name: four times Martin, three times Karl.

Unfortunately they were not so successful at Leverkusen and the twins hung up their boots in 1961. Martin moved south to Swabia. After serious illness he passed away at the age of 83 on 22 July 2010. Karl remained in the West and lived in Neuss until he passed away on 14 July 2015.

Related News

Michal Kadlec wird 40 | Geburtstagskind des Monats Dezember
Bayer 04 - 01.12.2024

Birthday boy of the month 4: Michal Kadlec turns 40

Michal ‘Katsche’ Kadlec was born in the Czech town of Vyskov on 13 December 1984. At the age of six, he moved to the Pfalz region in Germany with his parents because his father Miroslav accepted an offer from FC Kaiserslautern where he played as a sweeper for the Red Devils for eight years. Katsche learned German in the kindergarten at Kaiserslautern. And he played football at an early age: first as a teenager at SV Alsenborn and then for FC Kaiserslautern.

Show more
Helmut Röhrig
Bayer 04 - 01.12.2024

Birthday boy of the month 1: Helmut Röhrig turns 80

Helmut Röhrig was born in Leverkusen on 14.12.19 44. He learned to play football at Bayer 04 and became a Middle Rhine champion with the U19s in 1963 finishing ahead of FC Köln. He played in the second team at the Werkself in his first year in senior football.

Show more
Bernd Schuster wird 65 | Geburtstagskind des Monats Dezember
Bayer 04 - 01.12.2024

Birthday boy of the month 2: Bernd Schuster turns 65

Bernd Schuster was born in Augsburg on 22.12.19 59. His first club as a teenager was local side SV Hammerschmiede. From that time there was an anecdote that a former groundsman told us when we had a Pokal game in Augsburg in 1993. Bernd was always the first person on the training ground after school. With a running track around the pitch and goals without nets, the young Bernd practised free kicks and corners in the knowledge that he had to collect the ball himself. In that way he not only practised his technique but also worked on his stamina as a teenager.

Show more
Wolfgang Rolff wird 65 | Geburtstagskind des Monats Dezember
Bayer 04 - 01.12.2024

Birthday Boy of the Month 3: Wolfgang Rolff turns 65

Wolfgang ‘Wolle’ Rolff was born on 26.12.1959 in Lamstedt, a community in the Lower Saxony administrative district of Cuxhaven. He started his football career at TSV Lamstedt. He moved on to OSC Bremerhaven with the U17s as he trained to be a retail salesman. He started in senior football at the Nordsee Stadium in Bremerhaven.

Show more
crop_19691207_Mannschaft_2.jpg
Bayer 04 - 01.12.2024

From the archives: 55 years ago – Relief in December 1969

The 1969/70 season begins with four defeats for Bayer 04. That puts the team coached by Theo Kirchberg bottom of the table. The Werkself only lift themselves out of the relegation zone on Matchday 10 with a 4-2 away win in Marl-Hüls. The position in the table improves over the course of the season.

Show more