1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln is the pre-eminent football club in Cologne, Germany. The club was formed in 1948. It was a founding member of the West German Bundesliga and won the championship in its inaugural season of 1963/1964. In all, 1. FC Köln has won the domestic championship three times and the German Cup four times, including the double in the 1977/1978 season.

In the early years of the Bundesliga, Cologne (called "Der FC" by its fans) was the most successful club in West Germany in terms of total points won; however since the early 1980s the club has suffered a decline in achievement and in 1999 it was relegated for the first time. In recent years it has been flitting between the top and second divisions. Its most recent move between the two divisions was promotion to the First Bundesliga at the end of the 2004/05 season.

The club's most famous tie came in 1965 in the quarter-finals of the European Cup, where they met England's Liverpool F.C. After two 0–0 draws, a third match was played which also ended in a 2–2 stalemate. As the penalty shootout was yet to be instigated as a means of deciding a tie, Köln went out of the competition on the toss of a coin.

In common with many German professional football clubs, 1. FC Köln also incorporates teams playing other sports, in their case specifically handball, table tennis and gymnastics.

Notable players

• Rainer Bonhof
• Bernd Cullmann
• Klaus Fischer
• Thomas Hässler
• Bodo Illgner
• Jürgen Kohler
• Pierre Littbarski
• Wolfgang Overath
• Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
• Harald 'Toni' Schumacher
• Bernd Schuster
• Wolfgang Weber
• Tony Woodcock

Notable managers

• Christoph Daum
• Rinus Michels
• Hennes Weisweiler

Honours

• UEFA cup winners (1986)
• Bundesliga champions x 3 (1962, 1964, 1978)
• Bundesliga runners-up x 7 (1960, 1963, 1965, 1973, 1982, 1989, 1990)
• German Cup winners x 4 (1968, 1977, 1978, 1983)
• German Cup finalists x 6 (1954, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1980, 1991)

External Links

• 1. FC Köln club website