Knut Torbjørn Eggen facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Knut Torbjørn Eggen | ||
| Date of birth | 1 November 1960 | ||
| Place of birth | Orkdal, Norway | ||
| Date of death | 20 February 2012 (aged 51) | ||
| Place of death | Moss, Norway | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1978 | Orkdal IL | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1978–1991 | Rosenborg | 237 | (21) |
| National team | |||
| 1984 | Norway | 4 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1994–1996 | Aalesund | ||
| 1997–2001 | Moss | ||
| 2002–2006 | Fredrikstad | ||
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Knut Torbjørn Eggen (born 1 November 1960 – died 20 February 2012) was a Norwegian football coach and player. He was very well-known for his time playing for Rosenborg. Later, he became a famous coach for clubs like Moss and Fredrikstad. Knut Torbjørn was the son of Nils Arne Eggen, who is known as Norway's most successful football coach.
Contents
Playing Football: A Look at Eggen's Career
Knut Torbjørn Eggen was born in Orkdal, Norway. He started his football journey in his local youth club, Orkdal IL. In 1978, he joined Rosenborg BK, a big club where his father was the head coach.
Eggen played his entire professional career with Rosenborg until he retired in 1991 at age 31. During his time there, he helped the team win the league three times. They also won the Norwegian Cup two times. He also played for the Norwegian national team four times. He even competed for Norway in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Coaching Football: Eggen's Leadership Journey
After finishing his playing career, Eggen started coaching. From 1992 to 1993, he worked as an assistant coach at Rosenborg.
Becoming a Head Coach
In 1994, Eggen became a head coach for the first time at Aalesund. After three years, he moved to Moss. There, he helped the team get promoted to Tippeligaen, which is Norway's top football league. Moss stayed in the top league while Eggen was their coach.
Success with Fredrikstad
In 2001, Eggen took over as coach of Fredrikstad FK. This club was very famous in the past, with many league and cup wins. However, they had been playing in lower divisions for nine years.
Under Eggen's leadership, Fredrikstad quickly improved. They were promoted to the First Division in 2002. Then, in 2003, they moved up to the Eliteserien, the highest league.
In 2005, Egil Olsen, a former national team coach, joined Fredrikstad as head coach. Eggen became his assistant. When Olsen left due to health reasons, Eggen became the head coach again. In 2006, he led Fredrikstad to their highest league finish (eighth place) and won the Norwegian Championship Cup. This was his last match with the club. He left Fredrikstad in December 2006 after some disagreements with the club's new director.
Later Coaching Roles
After leaving Fredrikstad, Eggen worked as a club director for Rosenborg for a year. In 2007, he returned to Moss FK to work with youth football development. By 2008, he was in charge of this department. He left this job in 2010 to coach the Norwegian under-19 national team.
In his later years, Eggen also worked as a football commentator and analyst for the Norwegian TV channel Viasat 4. He helped cover the UEFA Champions League matches.
Personal Life and Challenges
Outside of football, Knut Torbjørn Eggen was a teacher by profession, just like his father. He also had a special degree in football coaching.
Eggen openly shared that he struggled with anxiety disorder for much of his life. In 1988, he spoke about how his anxiety affected him, even causing him to miss a Norwegian Cup final. He gave several interviews to help others understand what it was like to live with this condition.
Knut Torbjørn Eggen passed away on 20 February 2012.
Honours
As player
Rosenborg
- First Division: 1985, 1988, 1990
- Norwegian Cup: 1988, 1990
As coach
Fredrikstad
- Norwegian Cup: 2006
