Helmut Senekowitsch

Helmut Senekowitsch ([seˈnekovitʃ];^[1] 22 October 1933 – 9 September 2007) was an Austrian football player and later a football manager.

Helmut Senekowitsch

Personal information
Full name	Helmut Senekowitsch
Date of birth	(1933-10-22)22 October 1933
Place of birth	Graz, Austria
Date of death	9 September 2007(2007-09-09) (aged 73)
Place of death	Klosterneuburg, Austria
Position(s)	Forward / midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1955–1958	Sturm Graz	72	(30)
1958–1961	First Vienna	75	(63)
1961–1964	Real Betis	47	(10)
1964–1971	Wacker Innsbruck	160	(16)
Total		354	(119)
International career
1957–1968	Austria	18	(5)
Managerial career
1971–1973	Grazer AK
1973–1975	SK VÖEST Linz
1975–1976	FC Admira/Wacker
1976–1978	Austria
1978–1979	Tecos UAG
1979–1980	Athletic Bilbao
1980–1981	Panathinaikos
1981	Olympiacos
1982	Eintracht Frankfurt
1983	AEK Athens
1983–1984	AEK Athens
1984–1985	Grazer AK
1985–1988	Tecos UAG
1988	Cádiz CF
1989–1990	Panionios
1990–1991	AC Omonia
1991–1992	LASK Linz
1995–1996	Floridsdorfer AC
1997	First Vienna
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Senekowitsch played for several clubs, including SK Sturm Graz, Real Betis and FC Wacker Innsbruck.

Austria in 1958 – from left to right, standing; Horak, Happel, Koller, Körner, Halla, Schleger; crouched: Senekowitsch, Hanappi, Szanwald, Swoboda and Buzek.

International career

Senekowitsch played for the Austria national football team and was a participant at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.^[2] He earned 18 caps, scoring 5 goals.

Managerial career

Senekowitsch later worked as a coach, one of his major achievements was helping Austria qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, the first time Austria had qualified for the World Cup in twenty years. The Austrian team advanced to the second round in whose first match they fell 1–5 against Netherlands being coached by former international teammate Ernst Happel. Later he led them during the game dubbed The miracle of Córdoba, against arch-rivals West Germany, which the Austrians won 3–2. It was Austria's first victory against a German national side in 47 years, and its first victory over West Germany.

Death

He died in September 2007 after a long illness.^[3][4]