Rise of "Der Club"

Team from 1902

First match against FC Bayern Munich 1901

1. FC Nürnberg was founded on 4 May 1900 by a group of 18 young men who had gathered at local pub Burenhütte to assemble a side committed to playing football rather than rugby, one of the other new "English" games becoming popular at the time. By 1909, the team was playing well enough to lay claim to the South German championship. After World War I, Nürnberg would gradually turn their success into the dominance of the country's football. In the period from July 1918 to February 1922, the team would go unbeaten in 104 official matches. As early as 1919, they came to be referred to simply as "Der Club" in recognition of their skill and of their style on and off the field and would go on to become one of the nation's most widely recognized and popular teams.

Nürnberg faced SpVgg Fürth in the first national championship held after the end of World War I, beating the defending champions 2–0. That would be the first of five titles Der Club would capture over the course of eight years. In each of those wins, they would shutout their opponents.

The 1922 final was contested by Nürnberg and Hamburger SV but never reached a conclusion on the pitch. The match was called on account of darkness after three hours and ten minutes of play, drawn at 2–2. The re-match also went into extra time, and in an era that did not allow for substitutions, that game was called at 1–1 when Nürnberg was reduced to just seven players and the referee ruled incorrectly the club could not continue. Considerable wrangling ensued over the decision. The German Football Association (DFB) awarded the win to Hamburger SV under the condition that they renounce the title in the name of "good sportsmanship" – which the side grudgingly did. Ultimately, the Viktoria trophy was not officially presented that year.

After the glory years

1. FCN's dominance was already beginning to fade when they captured their final trophy of the era in 1927 as the game began to evolve into a more quickly paced contest which did not suit their slower, more deliberate approach. While they continued to field strong sides, other clubs rose to the forefront of German football. In 1934, they lost in the final to Schalke 04, a club that would go on to become the strongest side in the era of football in Nazi Germany. Nürnberg would capture national titles just before and after World War II in 1936 and 1948 in the first post-war national final, and would also take the Tschammerpokal, the forerunner of today's DFB-Pokal, in 1935 and 1939.

Into the modern era

Historical chart of Nürnberg league performance

The post-war period began with the club being integrated into the Oberliga Süd, one of the five top divisions in West-Germany at the time. Nürnberg managed to win this league six times until 1963, winning the national championship in 1948. In 1961, 1. FCN captured their eighth national title and appeared in a losing effort in the following year's final. Some consolation was to be had in the team capturing its second DFB-Pokal in 1962. The club's strong play made it an obvious choice to be amongst the 16 teams selected to participate in the Bundesliga, Germany's new professional football league, formed in 1963. Der Club played as a mid-table side through the league's early years until putting on a dominating performance in 1968 in which it sat atop the league table from the fifth week of play on to the end of the season, en route to its first Bundesliga title. It went on to become the first club to be relegated from the Bundesliga as the reigning champions.^[1] This was a result of Max Merkel's decision to remove his championship-winning team of veterans – believing that they were too old – in favour of a dozen newcomers.

It would take the club nine years to recover and return from an exile in the second tier, first the Regionalliga Süd, then the 2. Bundesliga Süd, that included several failed efforts in the promotion rounds. 1. FCN returned to the Bundesliga for a year in 1978, but played to a 17th-place finish and were relegated again. The club immediately played its way back to the top flight, but since then its Bundesliga performances have been stumbling ones, characterized by finishes well down the league table and occasional relegation for a season or two. The side's best recent result was a fifth-place finish in 1988.

The early 1980s also saw the rise of a longstanding and intense friendship between the fans of Nürnberg and those of former archrival Schalke 04. Fans accompany each other's on their respective away games, and the two-season matches between the teams are generally a very laid-back and hospitable affair for all fans involved.

In the mid-1990s, Nürnberg had financial problems, including the conviction of their club treasurer Ingo Böbel for fraud and misallocating club finances.^[2] This led to their being penalized six points in the 1995–96 season while playing in the 2. Bundesliga. The club was relegated to the third division as a consequence. Improved management saw the club clawing back and return to the top flight eventually.

In 1999, however, 1. FCN suffered what was arguably the worst meltdown in Bundesliga history. Going into the last game of the season, the club sat in 12th place, three points and five goals ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt, which was sitting in 16th place and seemingly headed to relegation. Nürnberg was closing out the season with what looked to be an easy home game against SC Freiburg, which was also facing relegation. Frankfurt was up against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, last season's champions which were in a fight for a UEFA Champions League spot. Therefore, FCN had already begun soliciting season tickets for next Bundesliga season in a letter to current season ticket holders within celebrating successfully avoiding relegation.

The stage was set for an improbable outcome. Nürnberg lost 1–2 with Frank Baumann missing a chance to score in the last minute. Every other 1. FCN rival won, including Frankfurt, which routed Kaiserslautern 5–1 with three late tallies – this put the side ahead on goals scored and sent 1. FCN crashing to 16th place and into a shock relegation.^[3] 1. FCN was not relegated because they had fewer points than Frankfurt, nor because of a lower goal differential, but on the third tie-breaker – fewer goals scored.

1. FCN rebounded and played in the Bundesliga but still found itself flirting with relegation from season to season. However, it had comfortably avoided relegation in the 2005–06 season, finishing eighth in the Bundesliga. After several years of consolidation, Nürnberg seemed back as a force to reckon with in Bundesliga football. Manager Martin Bader's professional and sometimes even spectacular work until spring 2007 (the signing of former Ajax captain and Czech international Tomáš Galásek, for example, was greeted with enthusiasm), as well head coach Hans Meyer's tactically modern understanding of football, helped Nürnberg to its most successful play in almost 40 years. In May 2007, the cut for the UEFA Cup was sure and after the triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal, the Club was in the final of that tournament for the first time since 1982. On 26 May, the Club won this final against VfB Stuttgart in extra time 3–2, winning the DFB-Pokal again 45 years after the last victory.

In the first round of 2007–08, however, the team could convince no more in Bundesliga. As the team had ended up second in their UEFA Cup group in front of later champion Zenit Saint Petersburg after defeating Rapid București in the first round, head coach Hans Meyer was allowed to restructure the team, for example by buying Czech international striker Jan Koller from Monaco. In the consequence of no improvement, Meyer was replaced by Thomas von Heesen after two legs in the second round. The latter one did not do much better, and so 1. FCN was relegated after finishing 16th after losing a 2–0 home match against Schalke 04 on the final matchday. After not meeting the expectations of dominating the 2. Bundesliga, Von Heesen resigned in August and was replaced by his assistant coach, Michael Oenning. After a slow start, Oenning was able to guide Nürnberg to a third-place finish and a playoff with 16th placed Energie Cottbus. Nürnberg won the playoff 5–0 on aggregate, rejoining the Bundesliga. The club was demoted again, however, after the 2013–14 season, finishing 17th with a final matchday loss to Schalke 04. The club finished third in the 2015–16 season and qualified for the promotion play-off to the Bundesliga, but lost on aggregate to Eintracht Frankfurt to remain in the 2. Bundesliga for 2016–17. The club went on to finish 2nd in 2017–2018 season, securing a promotion spot into the Bundesliga with an away win against SV Sandhausen. However, they finished dead last the next season and were relegated back to 2. Bundesliga.

In the 2019–20 2. Bundesliga season, they finished in 16th place, and faced a relegation playoff against 3. Liga side Ingolstadt, for which Nürnberg prevailed and saved themselves from a double relegation to the 3. Liga after winning 3–3 on aggregate score thanks to the away goals rule. The away goal which retained their second-tier status was scored in the sixth minute of injury time in the second leg, thereby keeping them up at the last moment.^[4]

Recent seasons

The recent season-by-season performance of the club:^[6][7]

Key

All time

League

• German Football Championship/Bundesliga
  • Champions: 1920, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1936, 1948, 1961, 1967–68
  • Runners-up: 1934, 1937, 1961–62
• 2. Bundesliga/2. Bundesliga Süd
  • Champions: 1980, 1985, 2001, 2004

Cup

• DFB-Pokal
  • Winners: 1935, 1939, 1961–62, 2006–07
  • Runners-up: 1940, 1981–82

European competitions

• European Cup
  • Quarter-finals: 1961–62
• European Cup Winners' Cup
  • Semi-finals: 1962–63

Regional

• Süddeutsche Meisterschaft
  • Champions: 1916, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1924, 1927, 1929
• Ostkreis-Liga
  • Champions: 1916, 1918
• Kreisliga Nordbayern
  • Champions: 1920, 1921
• Bezirksliga Bayern
  • Champions: 1924, 1925, 1927
• Bezirksliga Nordbayern
  • Champions: 1929, 1932, 1933
• Gauliga Bayern
  • Champions: 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940
• Oberliga Süd
  • Champions: 1947, 1948, 1951, 1957, 1961, 1962
• Regionalliga Süd (II)
  • Champions: 1971
• Southern German Cup
  • Winners: 1919, 1924

Current squad

As of 16 January 2024^[13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  GER Carl Klaus 3 DF  GER Ahmet Gürleyen 4 DF  WAL James Lawrence 5 MF  GER Johannes Geis 6 MF  GER Florian Flick 7 FW  GER Felix Lohkemper 8 MF  GER Taylan Duman 9 FW  JPN Daichi Hayashi (on loan from Sint-Truiden) 11 MF  JPN Kanji Okunuki 13 DF  GER Erik Wekesser 14 FW  GER Benjamin Goller 15 DF  ESP Iván Márquez 16 DF  GER Christopher Schindler 17 MF  GER Jens Castrop 19 DF  GER Florian Hübner 20 FW  SWE Sebastian Andersson

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 DF  GER Enrico Valentini (captain) 23 FW  ENG Joseph Hungbo 26 GK  GER Christian Mathenia 27 DF  GER Nathaniel Brown (on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt) 28 DF  GER Jan Gyamerah 29 DF  GER Tim Handwerker 31 GK  GER Jan Reichert 33 MF  GER Marcel Wenig (on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt) 36 FW  GER Lukas Schleimer 38 DF  GER Jannes Horn 39 GK  GER Nicolas Ortegel 40 MF  GER Pascal Fuchs 41 MF  MAR Ali Loune 42 FW  TUR Can Uzun 43 DF  GER Jannik Hofmann

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  GER Louis Breunig (at Jahn Regensburg until 30 June 2024) — FW  GER Christoph Daferner (at Fortuna Düsseldorf until 30 June 2024)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  GER Jermain Nischalke (at Borussia Dortmund II until 30 June 2024) — FW  GER Manuel Wintzheimer (at Arminia Bielefeld until 30 June 2024)

1. FC Nürnberg II squad

Notable former players

Greatest ever team

In the summer of 2010, as part of the club's celebration of its 110th anniversary, Nürnberg fans voted for the best players in the club's history. The players who received the most votes in each position were named in the club's greatest ever team.^[14]

Supporters voted Andreas Köpke (pictured) as the club's greatest ever goalkeeper.

Köpke

Wolf

Wenauer

Reuter

Brunner

Mintál

Dorfner

Hintermaier

Morlock

Ćirić

Eckstein

Greatest ever 1. FC Nürnberg team

• Andreas Köpke
• Ferdinand Wenauer
• Thomas Brunner
• Andreas Wolf
• Stefan Reuter
• Hans Dorfner
• Reinhold Hintermaier
• Marek Mintál
• Max Morlock
• Saša Ćirić
• Dieter Eckstein

Reserves: Hans Kalb, Stefan Kießling, Horst Leupold, Dieter Nüssing, Marc Oechler, Luitpold Popp, Raphael Schäfer, Heinz Strehl, Heinrich Stuhlfauth, Horst Weyerich, Sergio Zárate

Records

As of 24 May 2021^[15][16]

Most league appearances in the Bundesliga era (since 1963)

Rank	Name	Years	Bundesliga	2.Liga	Total
1	Thomas Brunner	1980–1996	328	74	402
2	Raphael Schäfer	2001–2007, 2008–2017	250	108	358
3	Andreas Köpke	1986–1994, 1999–2001	280	58	338
4	Norbert Eder	1975–1984	154	146	300
5	Dieter Lieberwirth	1975–1988	139	131	270
6	Javier Pinola	2005–2015	202	58	260
7	Peter Stocker	1975–1983	118	131	249
8	Marc Oechler	1989–1999	163	77	240
9	Horst Weyerich	1976–1985	132	98	230
10	Marek Nikl	1998–2007	141	87	228

Top league goalscorers in the Bundesliga era (since 1963)

Rank	Name	Years	Bundesliga	2.Liga	Total	Ratio
1	Dieter Eckstein	1984–1988, 1991–1993	66 (189)	13 0(37)	79 (226)	0.35
2	Heinz Strehl	1963–1970	76 (174)	00 00(0)	76 (174)	0.44
3	Hans Walitza	1974–1979	00 00(9)	71 (118)	71 (127)	0.56
4	Marek Mintál	2003–2011	32 (121)	34 0(59)	66 (180)	0.37
5	Franz Brungs	1965–1968, 1971–1972	50 0(97)	00 00(0)	50 0(97)	0.52
6	Horst Weyerich	1976–1985	21 (132)	27 0(98)	48 (230)	0.21
7	Dieter Nüssing	1968–1977	05 0(23)	39 (109)	44 (132)	0.33
8	Saša Ćirić	1998–1999, 2002–2004	25 0(55)	18 0(37)	43 0(92)	0.47
9	Dieter Lieberwirth	1975–1988	18 (139)	21 (131)	39 (270)	0.14
10	Georg Volkert	1965–1969, 1980–1981	37 (136)	00 00(0)	37 (136)	0.27

Numbers in brackets indicate appearances made.

Coaches

Outstanding coaches of the earlier years include Izidor "Dori" Kürschner (1921, 1922), Fred Spiksley (1913, 1920s), former player Alfred Schaffer (1930s), Dr. Karl Michalke (1930s), Alwin "Alv" Riemke (1940s–1950s) and former player Hans "Bumbes" Schmidt (1940s, 1950s), who notably did not win a single of his four German Championship titles as coach with Nürnberg, but three of them with the long-standing main rivals Schalke 04. He was also four times champion as player, thereof three times with the Club, and once with the earlier archrival SpVgg Greuther Fürth.

Managerial history (Bundesliga era)

No. Coach From To 1 Herbert Widmayer 1 July 1960 30 October 1963 2 Jeno Csaknady 1 November 1963 30 June 1964 3 Gunter Baumann 1 July 1964 30 June 1965 4 Jeno Csaknady 1 July 1965 7 November 1966 5 Jenő Vincze 8 November 1966 31 December 1966 6 Max Merkel 3 January 1967 24 March 1969 7 Robert Körner 25 March 1969 12 April 1969 8 Kuno Klötzer 13 April 1969 30 June 1970 9 Thomas Barthel 1 July 1970 30 June 1971 10 Slobodan Mihajlovic 1 July 1971 1 August 1971 11 Fritz Langner 2 August 1971 5 December 1971 12 Zlatko Čajkovski 6 December 1971 30 June 1973 13 Hans Tilkowski 1 July 1973 30 June 1976 14 Horst Buhtz 1 July 1976 19 May 1978 15 Werner Kern 20 May 1978 20 December 1978 16 Robert Gebhardt 21 December 1978 30 June 1979 17 Jeff Vliers 1 July 1979 18 August 1979 18 Robert Gebhardt 19 August 1979 30 June 1980 19 Horst Heese 1 July 1980 3 March 1981 20 Fritz Popp 4 March 1981 26 May 1981 21 Fred Hoffmann 27 May 1981 30 June 1981 22 Heinz Elzner 1 July 1981 8 September 1981 23 Udo Klug 9 September 1981 25 October 1983 24 Rudi Kröner 26 October 1983 6 December 1983 25 Fritz Popp (interim) 7 December 1983 31 December 1983 26 Heinz Höher 1 January 1984 30 June 1988 27 Hermann Gerland 1 July 1988 9 April 1990 28 Dieter Lieberwirth (interim) 10 April 1990 30 June 1990 29 Arie Haan 1 July 1990 30 June 1991 30 Willi Entenmann 1 July 1991 9 November 1993 31 Dieter Renner 10 November 1993 2 January 1994

No. Coach From To 32 Rainer Zobel 3 January 1994 31 December 1994 33 Günter Sebert 1 January 1995 30 June 1995 34 Hermann Gerland 1 July 1995 30 April 1996 35 Willi Entenmann 1 May 1996 30 August 1997 36 Felix Magath 1 September 1997 30 June 1998 37 Willi Reimann 1 July 1998 30 November 1998 38 Thomas Brunner 1 December 1998 31 December 1998 39 Friedel Rausch 1 January 1999 18 February 2000 40 Thomas Brunner (interim) 19 February 2000 2 March 2000 41 Klaus Augenthaler 3 March 2000 29 April 2003 42 Wolfgang Wolf 30 April 2003 31 October 2005 43 Dieter Lieberwirth (interim) 1 November 2005 8 November 2005 44 Hans Meyer 9 November 2005 11 February 2008 45 Thomas von Heesen 12 February 2008 28 August 2008 46 Michael Oenning 2 September 2008 21 December 2009 47 Dieter Hecking 22 December 2009 23 December 2012 48 Michael Wiesinger & Armin Reutershahn 23 December 2012 7 October 2013 49 Roger Prinzen (interim) 7 October 2013 22 October 2013 50 Gertjan Verbeek 22 October 2013 23 April 2014 51 Roger Prinzen (interim) 23 April 2014 5 June 2014 52 Valérien Ismaël 5 June 2014 10 November 2014 53 René Weiler 12 November 2014 29 June 2016 54 Alois Schwartz 29 June 2016 7 March 2017 55 Michael Köllner 7 March 2017 12 February 2019 56 Boris Schommers (interim) 12 February 2019 19 May 2019 57 Damir Canadi 19 May 2019 4 November 2019 57 Marek Mintál (interim) 4 November 2019 12 November 2019 58 Jens Keller 12 November 2019 29 June 2020 59 Michael Wiesinger 29 June 2020 11 July 2020 60 Robert Klauß 30 July 2020 3 October 2022 61 Markus Weinzierl 6 October 2022 20 February 2023 62 Dieter Hecking (interim) 20 February 2023 2 June 2023

Chairmen