1. FC Köln mourns the death of one of its greatest ever players. Hannes Löhr passed away on Monday at the age of 73.

Johannes “Hannes” Löhr (Loehr) passed away on February 29, 2016, at the age of 73. With 166 Bundesliga goals, he is the all-time leader of goals scored for FC in the Bundesliga. His decorated career includes titles such as German Champion, German Cup Winner, and Top Scorer in the Bundesliga. The FC players will take the field on Tuesday night against FC Ingolstadt wearing special commemorative black ribbons.

FC President Werner Spinner states: “Through his time as a player, coach, and executive, Hannes Löhr always had strong ties to the club without ever putting himself in the center of attention. He has been a club member since 1986. After our selection to the board, he was always a willing giver of advice for Markus Ritterbach, Toni Schumacher, and myself. We will miss him eternally and we will never forget him.”

FC Vice-President Toni Schumacher states: “The death of Hannes Löhr is a huge blow for me. Without question, he was one of the biggest personalities in the history of 1. FC Köln that I had the pleasure of getting to know. He was my teammate, coach, and manager. At the start of my career Hannes was one of the leading players at the club. As a young player I learned so much from him. We celebrated the Double together in 1978. Later on we won the German Cup with him as the manager, and as a coach we made many memories together playing in European competitions. He belonged to the small circle that was very close to the club. Hannes also had a sensational sense of humor. Today we lost an incredible athlete and a wonderful human being. My thoughts are with his family.”

A striker from the start

The infatuation for football came at a young age for Hannes Löhr, and he credits his brother for introducing him to the sport. His brother was a goalkeeper at Eitorf 09, and the ideal role model for little Hannes, who has been going by that nickname ever since he was a child. Hannes soon joined the same club as his older brother and from the very start was used as a striker. He remained with the club until he was 18, at which point he transferred to Sportfreunde Saarbrücken, who were playing at the highest German level at the time (Oberliga Südwest). Löhr was then picked up by 1. FC Köln just two years later in 1964, who at that point were champions of the newly-formed Bundesliga.

Hannes Löhr made his debut for 1. FC Köln on August 12, 1964. Consequently, the opponent was his former side, Sportfreunde Saarbrücken. It was straight away in this match that Löhr would score the first of his overall 421 goals for FC. Lining up as a left forward, Löhr made an impact in his first year, becoming runner up in the league that season. He was also an active part of the Liverpool coin toss drama, having scored the equalizing 2-2 in the third match of that series.

With his steady stream of goals, Hannes Löhr made the jump to the German national team. He celebrated his debut on February 22, 1967, scoring one goal in the 5-1 victory over Morocco. What followed were 19 further national team appearances, including participation in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Löhr appeared in all six matches for Die Mannschaft and helped guide the team to third place in the tournament. His international efforts were not just limited to the DFB: between 1969 and 1975, Löhr reached the semi-final of European competition three times (1969, 1971, 1975) with FC.

Top Scorer in the League

Nicknamed “de Nas” (the Nose) for his bigger-than-average smelling organ, the 176cm tall striker became the first Cologne player to be crowned Top Scorer in the League in 1968 after scoring 27 goals. In this same year he also became DFB Cup champion with FC.

Löhr was not without setbacks in his life. Complications during the 1968/69 season with his liver, septicemia, and lung diseases, all contributed to the “Nas” only appearing in 20 matches for his nation. But it was FC that felt his absence more than anyone, coming close to relegation for the first time in the history of the club. It was only on the last Matchday of the season that FC was able to avoid relegation.

In 1975 Löhr wanted to end his career as a player and go into coaching. His coach at the time, “Tschik” Cajkovski, managed to convince him to keep playing for a few more years, and what a decision it was. Although Cajkovski was replaced by the legendary Hennes Weisweiler in 1976, in 1977 the club celebrated another DFB Cup title. In the following year the club achieved the famous Double by winning both the league and the cup. In February of 1978 Weisweiler named Löhr as his assistant coach and in October of that same year Löhr would play in his last match for FC. Then in 1980 Löhr became the head of the sporting division for the next three years. It was in 1983 that he would experience his biggest success: the DFB Cup (and up to this date the most recent title of 1. FC Köln). Post-Playing Career

In August of 1983 Löhr decided to let go of then-coach Rinus Michels and take the coaching seat himself. Although he stayed in the position for close to three years, Löhr was unable to replicate the success that he achieved as a player and executive. In February of 1986 he was released as the coach, but just a few months later in July Hannes Löhr became a club member of 1. FC Köln.

Just half a year later Löhr joined the DFB, with whom he worked until 1990 as the caretaker of the German Olympics team. Under his supervision the German team won the bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics in South Korea. Then in 1990 he became the head coach of the German U21 team for the next 12 years, before retiring in 2002. He was regularly seen at FC games in recent years and was even at the FC-Karnevalssitzung at the start of 2016. Hannes Löhr died aged 73 on February 29, 2016. He will forever be a part of the history of 1. FC Köln and he will remain in the thoughts of the entire FC family.

Competitive matches: 505

Goals: 235

Friendly matches: 219

Goals: 186

Total

Matches: 724

Goals:421

Records at 1. FC Köln.

German Champion 1978

German Cup Champion 1968, 1877, 1978

German Runner-Up 1965, 1973

German Cup Finalist 1970, 1971, 1973

Bundesliga Top Scorer 1968 (27 goals)

German Runner-Up 1982 (as sports director)

German Cup Champion 1983 (as sports director)

UEFA Cup Finalist 1986 (as coach but only until Feb. of that year)

Career as Player

1948 – 1960 SV Eitorf 05 (youth)

1960 – 1962 SV Eitorf 05

1962 – 1964 Sportfreunde 05 Saarbrücken

1964 – 1978 1. FC Köln

20 Appearances for Germany (5 goals)

World Cup participation 1970 (Mexico)

European Championship participation 1972 (Belgium) (no matches played)

Career as Coach

1978 – 1980 1. FC Köln (Assistant Coach

1983 – 1986 1. FC Köln

1986 – 1990 DFB (Olympics team)

1990 – 2002 DFB (U21 team)

Career as Executive