Chemie Leipzig mourns the loss of legend "Spießer" Bauchspieß

Three-time top scorer in the GDR Oberliga

The Zeitz-born Bauchspieß was an excellent technician on the ball and combined the Leutzsch virtues of fighting spirit and hard tackling with a large portion of wit like no other. The surprising GDR championship title with BSG Chemie in 1964 was the reward for the hard work of the self-proclaimed rejects, who also won the FDGB Cup in 1966. Bauchspieß, who had already scored in 1959 in the Oberliga debut of the promoted team Chemie in his hometown of Zeitz, was top scorer in the GDR Oberliga three times, played in a senior international match and won the Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo in 1964.

The Chemie Leipzig team, which was actually classified as second choice or - even more disrespectfully - as the "rest of Leipzig", became GDR champions. The Green-Whites around captain Manfred Walter, Bauchspieß, Klaus Lisiewicz and Co. had been classified under the umbrella of BSG Chemie following a reorganization of Leipzig's first division players from SC Rotation and SC Lok in 1963. They started the season as a relegation candidate - and from then on, they mixed up the competition with fighting spirit, a no less large portion of defiance and ultimately euphoria.

The fans of the "underdogs" from Leipzig-Leutzsch grew in number with every surprise success. That season, an average of over 20,000 attended the home games of the team coached by Alfred Kunze. The man who gave his name to the current stadium died in 1996. Since the decisive 2:0 victory over Turbine Erfurt on 10 May 1964, which clinched the championship in front of 30,000 spectators - including 10,000 from Leipzig - the old warhorses have met every year on this day to remember their spectacular coup. At the next meeting, the beloved "Spießer" will be missing.