What a wonderful anniversary celebration: With nearly 200 guests, FC Bayern Basketball celebrated its 80th anniversary at a venue that seemed unconventional at first glance but turned out to be the perfect fit—the Städtische Sporthalle at Säbener Straße 49. This is where Bayern had played for many, many years during its long journey through the regional league, the second division, and even the Bundesliga. In his welcoming remarks, Adrian Sarmiento, the commercial director of the now highly professionalized EuroLeague club, recalled that Munich’s first European Cup game took place at “the Säbener” in late 1968.
These milestones, of course, have also been included in “80 YEARS. NEVER DONE,” the book celebrating the 80th anniversary that the FCBB and its community have given themselves as a gift. This lively, 335-page portrait of the basketball division at FCB is packed with stories, numerous photos, and documents spanning eight decades of Bayern basketball.
Available for the first time at the home opener on Sunday (Sept. 20, 6 p.m.) at BMW Park and in the fan shop.
Ahead of the BBL season opener: Rauch sells rubble
The eyewitnesses and earwitnesses of the “Never Done” evening—including club president Herbert Hainer, his predecessor Uli Hoeneß, and CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen – later particularly enjoyed the stories told by someone who had been part of the 1968 Cup victory as well as the two European Cup matches against Nitia Bettembourg from Luxembourg (“won by a landslide”) and in the second round against Olimpija Ljubljana, which at the time was still part of the former Yugoslavia (“got thoroughly beaten”), were particularly entertained by the stories: Dieter Schneider, a former Bayern winger who, along with several former teammates, had been invited as guests of honor. “Free drinks”—that used to be the club’s only reward for the surprise cup victory, he reported, to great laughter.
Ernie Butler and Dieter Schneider, roommates from the '68 generation
Even before that, the mood had been lighthearted as the “Baumeister” chatted with host Mitja Lafere about the origins of the new Bayern basketball team: How Rauch urged President Hoeneß in 2010 to finally get serious about basketball; how Hainer, as the then-head of adidas, was also immediately brought on board following the positive membership vote in May 2010 (“Bernd wanted money, of course”); and what Marko Pesic, as the new sports director, found after the 2011 promotion—not just shortly before the move to the former Sedlmayrhalle and the start of the season (“...Bernd wanted to sell the rubble first”).
The evening also had a wistful moment, as the segment honoring the late Munich basketball pioneer Ernie Butler (once Schneider’s roommate) took on a sad new significance following the 92-year-old’s passing the previous Sunday morning. The memorable tribute and reading from the Butler story (“Basketball Is Jazz”), presented by Mitja Lafere , was accordingly moving and emotional. Especially since Heidi Butler, his widow, had actually made her way to the Säbenerhalle alongside her close friend Holger Geschwindner and one of her grandsons.
She said afterward: “Ernie would have loved to be here. And he would have really enjoyed it.”