CSU Dunărea de Jos Galați

This article is about the football team. For the women's volleyball team, see CSU Galați (volleyball).

Club Sportiv Universitatea "Dunărea de Jos" Galați commonly known as CS Universitatea "Dunărea de Jos" Galați, or simply as CSU Galați, was a Romanian football team based in Galați, Galați County. The team was founded in 1953, re-founded in 1967 and 2017, and was finally dissolved in 2020. In 1976, CSU played in the Cupa României final but lost 0–1 against Steaua București.^[1][2]

CSU Galați

Full name	Club Sportiv Universitatea "Dunărea de Jos" Galați
Nickname(s)	Studenții (The Students) Alb-albaștrii (The White-Blues) Știința (The Science)
Short name	CSU Galați
Founded	1953 as Știința Galați 1967 as Politehnica Galați 2017 as CSU Dunărea de Jos Galați
Dissolved	2020
Ground	Portul Roșu
Capacity	5,000
2019–20	Liga III, Seria I, 14th, (relegated)
Website	http://csu-galati.ro/
Home colours Away colours Third colours

History

The team was founded in 1953 as a football section within the multi-sports club Știința Galați, which was founded in 1951 with the establishment of the Institute of Naval Mechanics.^[3]

Știința initially competed in the Galați Regional Championship, finishing 7th in the 1953 season and becoming the University Champion of the country in the same year. The students were promoted to Divizia C after finishing 2nd in the 1955 season.^[3]

In the third division, Știința ranked 5th in Series I in both the 1956 and 1957–58 seasons and 8th in the 1958–59 season, returning to the Galați Regional Championship after the dissolution of Divizia C in the summrer of 1959.

In the 1959–60 season, Știința won Series I of the Galați Regional Championship but lost the championship final against CSM Brăila, 2–4 on aggregate (1–1 at home and 1–3 away).

In the 1960–61 season, Știința won Series II and the championship final of the Regional Championship against Marina Brăila, the Series I winner, 5–1 on aggregate (3–1 away and 2–0 at home), qualified for the promotion play-off, and secured promotion to Divizia B after finishing 1st in Group I, held in Râmnicu Vâlcea. The squad led by I. Iovicin was composed of Bulancea, Dan, Morcovescu, Dumitru, Curt, Vlăsceanu, Lupea, Șerbănescu, Coman, Fălcuțescu, Păun, Voicu II, Zgardan, Venturini, Bădulescu, and Voicu I.^[4][5]

In the second division, Știința competed in Series I and finished 7th in its first season, 8th in the 1962–63 season, 12th in the 1963–64 season, and 5th in the 1964–65 season. In 1965, Știința gave up its place in Divizia B to Oțelul Galați.^[6]

In 1967, the club was refounded under the name Politehnica Galați and took over the place of Siderurgistul Galați in Divizia B. Finishing 2nd in the 1967–68 season, the team participated in the promotion play-off to Divizia A held in Timișoara, where it finished last. The squad included players such as Iorgulescu, Enache, Pac, Costache, Dima, Diaconu, Stancu, Velea, Mureșan, Lehăduș, Adam, Bretan, Cojocaru, Neagu, and Stătescu.^[5]

The students remained in the promotion race for two more seasons, finishing 2nd in the 1968–69 season and 3rd the following season. In the 1970–71 season, under Vasile Stancu and later Dragoș Cojocaru, Politehnica finished 14th, avoiding relegation on goal difference. Cojocaru led the team to 4th place in the 1971–72 season.

In 1972, the club changed its name to CSU Galați. In the 1972–73 season, it ranked last but was spared relegation due to the expansion of the second division. It finished 11th in the 1973–74 season and 10th in 1974–75.

In the 1975–76 season, CSU Galați finished 4th and achieved the best performance in its history, reaching the final of the Cupa României as a second-division team. Along the way, it eliminated CFR Cluj (1–0), Jiul Petroșani (1–0), ASA Târgu Mureș (2–0), and Universitatea Craiova (1–0), before losing 0–1 to Steaua București. The squad, led by Ion Zaharia, included Gheorghe Tănase, Andrei Pasquale, Mihai Olteanu, Iosif Marta, Daniel Șarpe, Florin Păunescu, Mihail Bejenaru, Octavian Georgescu, Valentin Kramer, Petre Marinescu, Dobre, Teodor Cotigă, and Ene.^[1][2]

Because Steaua also won the Divizia A title that year, CSU Galați represented Romania in the 1976–77 European Cup Winners' Cup, where it was eliminated by Portuguese side Boavista Porto.^[7]

In the 1976–77 season, led by Ion Zaharia in the first half and Dumitru Comșa in the second, the students finished 7th in Series I and reached the Round of 16 in the Cupa României, where they lost to top-tier SC Bacău, 1–1 and 2–3 on penalties. In the 1977–78 season, under Cornel Simionescu, the team finished 16th and was relegated to Divizia C. Competing in Series III, CSU Galați finished 2nd in 1978–79 and returned to Divizia B at the end of the 1979–80 season, after winning the series under coach Ion Zaharia.

In Divizia B, the team finished 11th in the 1980–81 season and 15th in 1981–82, relegating once again. In 1982, CSU Galați merged with FCM Galați to form Dunărea CSU Galați.

In the summer of 2017, CSU Galați was refounded,^[8][9] and after two seasons in Liga IV – Galați County, it was promoted to Liga III.^[10] In 2020, during the winter break, CSU Galați withdrew from Liga III and was dissolved again.^[11]

Honours

Leagues

Liga II

• Runners-up (2): 1967–68, 1968–69

Liga III

• Winners (1): 1979–80
• Runners-up (1): 1978–79

Liga IV – Galați County

• Winners (2): 2017–18, 2018–19

Galați Regional Championship

• Winners (1): 1960–61
• Runners-up (1): 1955

Cups

Cupa României

• Runners-up (1): 1975–76

Cupa României – Galați County

• Winners (2): 2017–18, 2018–19

European record

European Cup Winners' Cup

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1976–77	First round	Boavista	2–3	0–2	2–5

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  • First round (1) : 1976–77

Former managers

• Ion Zaharia (1964–1965)
• Ion Zaharia (1966–1967)
• Petre Rădulescu (1967–1970)
• Vasile Stancu (1970–1971)
• Dragoș Cojocaru (1971–1972)
• Ion Zaharia (1972–1977)

League history

See also: Romanian football league system

Season Tier Division Place Notes Cupa României 2019–20 3 Liga III (Seria I) 14th Relegated 2018–19 4 Liga IV (GL) 1st (C) Promoted 2017–18 4 Liga IV (GL) 1st (C) 1982–17 Not active 1981–82 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 15th Relegated 1980–81 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 11th 1979–80 3 Divizia C (Seria III) 1st (C) Promoted 1978–79 3 Divizia C (Seria III) 2nd 1977–78 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 16th Relegated 1976–77 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 7th Round of 16 1975–76 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 4th Final 1974–75 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 10th

Season Tier Division Place Notes Cupa României 1973–74 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 11th 1972–73 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 16th 1971–72 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 4th 1970–71 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 14th 1969–70 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 3rd 1968–69 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 2nd Round of 16 1967–68 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 2nd 1965–67 Not active 1964–65 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 5th Disbanded Round of 32 1963–64 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 12th Round of 32 1962–63 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 8th Round of 32 1961–62 2 Divizia B (Seria I) 9th