Ernst Kunkel (soccer player)

Ernst Kunkel (born October 17, 1925 ; † May 5, 1992 ) was a German soccer player for VfB Mühlburg and Karlsruher SC , who scored 139 goals in 276 games between 1947 and 1960 in the Oberliga Süd . With the KSC, Kunkel was three times South German champion (1956, 1958 and 1960) and won the DFB Cup twice (1955 and 1956).

career

After the Second World War, Kunkel came to Karlsruhe from Berlin in May 1946 . He turned out to be a footballing talent in his first game in the reservist team and then played in the first team of VfB Mühlburg. In the 1946/47 season, the team from the west of Karlsruhe played in the two-tier regional league North Baden, was the superior champion in the season south with a goal difference of 138: 15 and 54: 6 points and finally rose after two wins over the champions of the northern season, ASV Feudenheim , in the Oberliga Süd .

VfB Mühlburg was the only Karlsruhe representative in the 1947/48 league season , because the "old masters" Karlsruhe FV and FC Phönix were relegated in the previous season. Since the league was to be reduced from 20 to 16 clubs for the following season, it was important to reach 14th place in order not to have to leave the House of Lords after only one year. In the storm, it was mainly Kunkel's teammates Hugo Rastetter and “Ossi” Traub , each with twelve goals, that ensured that the team achieved this goal with two points before the first relegation rank. Kunkel made 13 appearances in his first league season, at the home game on Honsellstrasse in front of 25,000 spectators against Waldhof Mannheim (1: 3) his first of three goals this season.

In the following four seasons, VfB Mühlburg established itself in the southern German upper house and occupied places in the safe midfield at the end of the round, in 1950/51 they were even close to jumping into the final of the German championship, second place was only missed by one point. During this time, Kunkel developed into a reliable regular in the ranks of Baden, in the 1949/50 round he was their most dangerous attacker with 12 goals in 30 games for the first time, in the two following years there were even 16 and 19 hits.

In the summer and autumn of 1952, VfB Mühlburg merged with local rivals FC Phönix. Above all, the people of Mühlburg had problems with their stadium, which had been densely built over the years and was therefore in the middle of a residential area, so that there was no possibility of expanding the site. However, that was abundant at FC Phönix, but this club struggled with financial problems after sporting successes in the post-war years failed to materialize. The official merger to form Karlsruher SC took place in October, when the championship round had already started. The first team of the Karlsruher SC consisted almost exclusively of the former Mühlburger players, the current amateur national player Kurt Sommerlatt was the only Phoenix force who made the jump into the team of coach Hans Hipp , but Sommerlatt immediately added himself as a top performer in the merger eleven . Kunkel was still set as a striker, scored 17 goals in 28 games in the 1952/53 season and was the most successful shooter under the new club name in the first year and thus played a decisive role in the fact that the KSC finished 4th at the end of the round.

With Adolf Patek , a renowned coach came to Karlsruhe for the 1953/54 season . After the team had already gained in quality in the previous year through the addition of Kurt Sommerlatt, Hans Strittmatter and Heinz Beck , it has now been reinforced by Walter Constructionis from Viernheim . With this squad, Patek managed to form a team that soon grew into a top team beyond the borders of southern Germany. Although it was enough in the seasons 1953/54 and 1954/55 "only" to a fifth place in the league, but with winning the DFB Cup in 1955 , the KSC set a first exclamation point. Kunkel scored the first goal in the 3-2 win in the final against Schalke 04.

In 1956 , Karlsruher SC became champions of the Oberliga Süd for the first time and advanced to the final of the German championship , which was lost, however, 2: 4 to Borussia Dortmund - Ernst Kunkel scored the KSC's opening goal in this final game. The newly crowned German runner-up then won the DFB Cup again, but Kunkel was absent from this final. In 1958 and 1960 the South German Championship could be brought back to Karlsruhe, but Kunkel's career was coming to an end at this time. In the 1958/59 round he had only 14 games (9 goals), in his last season, 1959/60 he was only used six times. He played his last competitive game for the KSC on the penultimate league match day, on April 30, 1960 with the home game against SpVgg. Fürth (6: 4). In the subsequent final round of the German championship, he was no longer used.

The winger was considered to be tackle-shy, but made up for this deficiency with his technical and playful skills. Above all, his dangerous cross runs distinguished him, he was also extremely dangerous for goals. He scored a total of 139 goals in 276 league matches for VfB Mühlburg and Karlsruher SC and was sixth in the "eternal" scorers' list of this division never.

literature

• 100 years of the Karlsruhe Sport Club Mühlburg-Phönix eV (Festschrift). Karlsruher Sport-Club (Ed.), Karlsruhe 1994, without ISBN, page 70 (short portrait).
• Matthias Kropp: Germany's big soccer teams, part 11: Karlsruher SC . Agon Sportverlag, Kassel 1998, ISBN 3-89609-115-8 .