12 June is the anniversary of a really special event in the now 122-year history of FC Bayern since the club was founded on 27 February 1900. Today's record champions were crowned the best team in Germany for the first time 90 years ago this Sunday.
Success from the start
Back then FCB were the biggest club in Munich with 700 members. The first honours were not long in coming: Bayern won the South German championship in 1926, repeated that feat two years later and also secured progress to the semi-finals of the German Championship for the first time.
The object of desire: The Victoria was the trophy for winning the German Championship from 1903 to 1944 – it came to Munich for the first time in 1932.
The biggest success to date for the Reds followed four years later – on 12 June 1932. Despite a 2-0 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the finals of the South German championship, the Reds qualified for the finals of the German Championship along with 16 other teams. FC Bayern beat Minerva 1893 Berlin 4-2 in the Round of 16 and then progressed to the semi-finals in the following game against PSV Chemnitz thanks to a narrow 3-2 win.
Revenge against Eintracht Frankfurt
The team led by coach Richard Kohn continued the successful run with a 2-0 win against FC Nürnberg in the semi-finals. The goalscorers Oskar Rohr, nicknamed 'Ossi', and Hans Welker put Bayern through to the final. Some six weeks after losing the final for the South German championship against Frankfurt, the Reds had another chance to show what they could do against Eintracht.
On course for first German Championship: Ossi Rohr converts a penalty to make it 1-0 in the final in Nuremberg.
By bike to the final
A lot of FC Bayern supporters used to travel by train to see their favourite club live. But still remembered today is the column of bicycles heading to Franconia: A total of 421 fans covered the 160 kilometres to Nuremberg by bike. A large number of the cyclists were unemployed at the time and FC Bayern showed their solidarity by not only giving the fans food and drink but also accommodation overnight as well as providing tickets for the final in reward for their hard work and effort.
Bicycles are on display in the FC Bayern Museum in memory of the 1932 title win.
Rohr and Krumm score in the final
The broad support from Bayern fans was effective. After 20 minutes, FC Bayern were moving the ball around with much more confidence than at the start. Again it was Ossi Rohr who opened the scoring. He put FC Bayern in the lead from the penalty spot. Franz Krumm sealed the 2-0 victory with a strike on 75 minutes. FC Bayern had won the German Championship for the first time 32 years after the club was founded and they lifted the Victoria trophy, the predecessor to today's Meisterschale.
Reception for the champions in Munich
Thousands of fans invaded the pitch and carried the players on their shoulders. The team arrived in Munich on horse-drawn carriages accompanied by hundreds of supporters and continued through the whole city centre from the main station via Marienplatz to the Löwenbräukeller for the big championship celebrations. It was the birth of the unique success story right up to the present day.
Winners’ parade: Following the title win in the final against Eintracht Frankfurt, the successful Bayern team were brought to the championship celebrations on horse-drawn carriages through the state capital.
More information on the 1932 championship win and the successful history of the German record champions is available at the FC Bayern Museum.
FCB start the new season on 16 July with the Allianz FC Bayern team presentation:
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