Rudolf Strittich (3 March 1922 – 10 July 2010[1]) was an Austrian football player and coach.
Career
Strittich began his career at SK Vorwärts Steyr. He played in the first team at the age of 14. 1938/39 went to the German-Bohemian DFC Graslitz. He won the Gau Sudetenland championship in 1940. In 1942 he moved to First Vienna FC. During the war years, Strittich was also briefly active at Hertha BSC.
After the end of the war he played in Steyr. In the winter break he went back to First Vienna FC. The team reached the final of the ÖFB Cup in 1946. In 1950 his career in the Austrian league was abruptly interrupted He and Ernst Sabeditsch were convicted of smuggling raw opium after a Vienna tour of Egypt. They were banned by the ÖFB for a year. After two years abroad he returned to Vienna in 1952, Then he went to France and played for RCFC Besançon . After two seasons he ended his active career due to health reasons.
International
He played four matches for the Austrian national football team betwenn 1946 and 1949. He debuted on 6 October 1946 in a 2-0 loss versus Hungary. His last match was on 13 November 1949 in a 5-2 win versus Yugoslavia .[2]
Manager
In 1955 he began his coaching career at SK Sturm Graz. Then he moved to France. He became coach at his former club RC Besançon.[3] In the spring of 1957 he looked after SV Stickstoff Linz. His next stop abroad was FC Basel in Switzerland. Then he managed Apollon Kalamarias in Greece. After a stint at his parent club Vorwärts Steyr, he moved to Denmark at the beginning of 1961. There he spent the majority of his coaching career. He took over Esbjerg fB. He led the club to the first two championship titles. After a season in Steyr, he returned to Denmark to Viborg FF. Then heagain became coach of Esbjerg from 1965 to 1967. There he won his third championship title. After two years at Aalborg BK, Strittich was appointed coach of the Danish national football team in 1970. He coached the team until 1975. In the 1975/76 season he looked after the Spanish second division club Real Murcia. From 1976 to 1979 he coached Esbjerg again and won his fourth championship title. Strittich then returned to Austria and was briefly coach at Austria Salzburg in 1980.
Honours
as player:
as coach:
- 4× Danish champion: 1961, 1962, 1965, 1979
References