History of FC Basel (1939–1965) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The history of FC Basel is a long and exciting journey, starting way back in 1893! This page tells the story of FC Basel from the time of World War II in 1939 up to 1965. If you want to learn about other parts of the club's history, you can check out these articles:

Chart of FC Basel table positions in the Swiss football league system

The Basel Coat of Arms, FC Basel's Original logo

Climbing Back Up: Promotion and Relegation (1939-1946)

Starting Over in the 1. Liga

After being relegated for the first time in their history, FC Basel found themselves playing in the 1. Liga in the 1939–40 FC Basel season. Albert Besse became the new club chairman. Due to World War II starting, the football season began later than usual.

Basel played really well that season. They won 22 out of 29 games, scoring 98 goals! They won their group easily and then went on to become the 1. Liga champions by beating Fribourg in the final. Even though they won the league, there was no promotion to the top division because of the war.

Missing Out on Promotion (1940-1941)

In the 1940–41 FC Basel season, Basel was still in the 1. Liga, even though they were champions the year before. This season, two teams were supposed to be promoted. Eugen Rupf, a former Swiss international player, became the new manager.

Basel had another strong season, winning their group again. They only lost one game, which was against Aarau. However, in the promotion play-offs, they were defeated by Cantonal Neuchatel and drew with Zürich. This meant Basel missed out on promotion and had to stay in the 1. Liga for another year.

Finally Back in the Top League (1941-1942)

The 1941–42 FC Basel season was a big one for FC Basel! It was their third season in the second division. Eugen Rupf continued as player-coach. The team played 38 games, winning 27 of them and only losing three times. They scored an amazing 114 goals!

Basel dominated their group, winning 18 out of 22 games and scoring 77 goals while only letting in 15. They were five points clear of the second-placed team. In the promotion play-offs, they faced FC Bern. After a 0-0 draw away, Basel won the second game 3-1 at home in the Landhof stadium. This victory meant they were finally promoted back to the top league, the Nationalliga!

They also had a great run in the Swiss Cup that season, reaching the final. They played against Grasshopper Club in the final, which ended in a 0-0 draw. In the replay, Basel sadly lost 3-2, but it was still a fantastic achievement to reach the final and get promoted in the same year.

Staying in the Top League (1942-1944)

The 1942–43 FC Basel season was tough for Basel, as they were back in the Nationalliga. They struggled at the start, losing five of their first six games. They even suffered a big 9-1 defeat to Servette. However, they managed to win some crucial games towards the end of the season, finishing 13th and avoiding relegation by just two points.

In the 1943–44 FC Basel season, Willy Wolf took over as manager. Basel had a more average season, finishing 9th in the league. They also had another good run in the Swiss Cup, reaching the final for the second time in three years. They played against Lausanne-Sport in the final and lost 3-0.

Relegation Again (1944-1945)

The 1944–45 FC Basel season saw Emil Junker become the new chairman and Max Barras as manager. Basel had a very difficult season in the Nationalliga. They only won six games and ended up in 13th position, which meant they were relegated again. After just three seasons back in the top flight, they were back down to the second division.

Quick Return to the Top (1945-1946)

In the 1945–46 FC Basel season, Basel's main goal was to get promoted straight back to the Nationalliga A. They played incredibly well, winning 19 league matches and losing only two! They finished first in the Nationalliga B, four points ahead of the second-placed team, Urania Genève Sport. This meant they achieved their goal of immediate promotion back to the top league.

Jules Düblin's Era: Stability and a Cup Win (1946-1959)

Winning the Swiss Cup (1946-1947)

Jules Düblin became the new chairman in the 1946–47 FC Basel season. He was a former player and would become the longest-serving president in the club's history. The Austrian ex-international player Anton Schall took over as coach.

Basel had a great season, finishing fourth in the Nationalliga A. More importantly, they had a fantastic run in the Swiss Cup. They beat teams like Black Stars Basel, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Nordstern, and even Grasshoppers to reach the semi-finals. There, they beat Grenchen 2-1.

The final was played on April 7, 1947, against Lausanne Sport. Basel won the game convincingly 3-0, with Paul Stöcklin scoring two goals and René Bader scoring one. This was FC Basel's second Swiss Cup title! Sadly, coach Anton Schall passed away shortly after this victory at the age of 40. Captain Ernst Hufschmid then stepped in as coach.

A Difficult Season and a Strong Comeback (1947-1949)

The 1947–48 FC Basel season was tough for the team, still affected by the shock of their coach Anton Schall's death. They started badly, losing six of their first eleven games. However, they managed to improve in the second half of the season, winning seven games and climbing out of the relegation zone to finish 10th.

In the 1948–49 FC Basel season, Ernst Hufschmid continued as player-manager. Basel started slowly but then had a great run, losing only one of their next eleven matches. They climbed up the league table and finished in an impressive second position, just behind champions Lugano.

Chasing the Championship (1949-1952)

Basel continued to be a strong team in the following seasons, often finishing near the top of the league. In the 1949–50 FC Basel season, they finished second, just two points behind champions Servette. Gottlieb Stäuble was their top scorer with 13 goals.

The 1950–51 FC Basel season saw Basel finish fourth in the league. A young player named Josef "Seppe" Hügi became the team's best scorer with 21 league goals.

A big event happened in the 1951–52 FC Basel season: the newly built Landhof stadium was opened! It had bigger stands, new rooms, and a brand new restaurant. This was a huge step for the club. Despite the new stadium, Basel finished fourth again, with Seppe Hügi being the league's top scorer with 24 goals. Fans were eager for a championship title, as the club had never won one before.

First League Title: A Historic Win (1952-1953)

The 1952–53 FC Basel season was truly historic! René Bader took over as player-manager. Basel had an incredible season, winning 17 of their 26 league games and losing only once! They scored 72 goals and only conceded 38.

FC Basel won their first-ever league title, finishing four points clear of Young Boys! Seppe Hügi was the team's and the league's top scorer, netting an amazing 32 goals that season. This was a dream come true for the club and its fans.

After the Championship (1953-1959)

After their historic championship win, Basel had some mixed seasons. In the 1953–54 FC Basel season, they finished 8th, and Seppe Hügi was again the league's top scorer with 30 goals. The 1954–55 FC Basel season saw them finish 9th.

In the 1955–56 FC Basel season, Béla Sárosi became the new team manager. The club started investing more in new players to strengthen the team. They finished 7th in the league.

The 1956–57 FC Basel season saw Basel finish 4th in the league, showing good form. However, the 1957–58 FC Basel season was less successful, with the team finishing 9th.

The 1958–59 FC Basel season was a challenging one. Rudi Strittich started as manager, but after some disappointing results, including a cup loss to a lower-tier team, René Bader returned as manager. The team struggled at first but improved towards the end of the season, finishing 6th.

New Leadership and Challenges (1959-1962)

Changes and New Faces (1959-1961)

Ernst Weber became the new club chairman in the 1959–60 FC Basel season, taking over from Jules Düblin. Jenő Vincze was hired as the new team manager. Some important players like Hans Hügi and Hermann Suter left or retired.

Basel had a difficult start to the season, winning only one of their first 16 games. However, they managed to improve and finished 10th. Roberto Frigerio and Josef Hügi were the top league goal scorers with 15 goals each.

The 1960–61 FC Basel season saw Basel start well, but then they had a tough period with six straight defeats where they didn't score any goals. They finished 5th in the league. A highlight of the season was a friendly match against the famous Brazilian team Santos, featuring Pelé. Even though Basel lost 8-2, 14,000 fans came to watch the game.

Building for the Future (1961-1962)

In the 1961–62 FC Basel season, Jiří Sobotka was appointed as the new team manager. Basel also joined the newly formed International Football Cup. The team had a mediocre league season, finishing 7th, as the manager was focused on building a stronger team for the future. This season also marked the farewell game for club legend Josef "Seppe" Hügi, who moved to Zürich. He had scored 272 goals in 363 games for Basel!

Winning the Cup Again (1962-1965)

Third Swiss Cup Victory (1962-1963)

Lucien Schmidlin became the new club chairman in the 1962–63 FC Basel season, and Jiří Sobotka continued as manager. A very important young player, 19-year-old Karl Odermatt, joined the club from Concordia Basel.

Basel finished 6th in the league. However, they had another fantastic run in the Swiss Cup. They won their early matches convincingly, including a 7-1 win against SC Burgdorf. In the quarter-finals, they beat Chiasso 2-1, and in the semi-finals, they defeated Lausanne-Sports 1-0.

The Swiss Cup Final was played on April 15, 1963, against favorites Grasshopper Club. Basel won the game 2-0 with goals from Heinz Blumer and Otto Ludwig. This was FC Basel's third Swiss Cup win in their history!

A World Tour and Cup Disappointment (1963-1964)

The 1963–64 FC Basel season was unique because the team went on a world tour during the winter break! They visited places like Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and the United States. This was a big adventure for the team.

Despite a strong start to the league season, leading the championship before the world tour, Basel's performance dropped afterward. They finished 7th in the league. As Swiss Cup holders, they also played in the 1963–64 European Cup Winners' Cup but were unfortunately knocked out by Scottish team Celtic with a very disappointing overall score. Their Swiss Cup defense also ended early with a surprising loss to Porrentruy, a team managed by former Basel striker Seppe Hügi.

A Sad Loss and Mixed Results (1964-1965)

The 1964–65 FC Basel season was marked by a sad event. On December 26, 1964, in a cup match against Grasshoppers, Hans Weber scored a late equalizer. This was his very last match, as he sadly passed away from cancer seven weeks later. Hans Weber was a popular captain and had played 380 games for Basel since 1949.

Basel finished 8th in the league, with some very high-scoring games, both wins and losses. They also had a good run in the Swiss Cup, reaching the semi-finals, but were defeated by Sion. In the 1964–65 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, they beat CA Spora Luxembourg but were then knocked out by Strasbourg.