FC Bayern is in mourning alongside the relatives of its former player Rudolf Grosser, who has died at the age of 80 after a long illness, it has now been announced. Born in Munich, Grosser was part of the team that gained promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965 alongside Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier and Gerd Müller. During his time with the Reds, the club won the DFB Cup twice and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1967. His brothers Peter and Robert also played for FC Bayern. He is survived by his wife, two sons and his grandchildren.
Herbert Hainer, FC Bayern president: “The FC Bayern of our time is built on the generation of players like Rudolf Grosser. Promotion was the foundation for everything. And because the first successes came so quickly, the club quickly established itself at the highest level. Our club will always honour the memory of people like Rudolf Grosser. We are in mourning alongside his loved ones.”
Grosser was part of the Bayern first team from 1963 to 1967 and, after a stint with Young Boys in Switzerland, later returned to join the reserves, for whom he played from 1974 to 1977. He was part of a unique fixture in the 1976/77 DFB Cup when Bayern played themselves in the round of 16. Grosser captained the reserves while Beckenbauer led the senior side out, with both wearing the number five. The final score was 5-3 in favour of the Kaiser and his team, for whom Gerd Müller (four) and Rainer Künkel scored. Willi Reisinger, Edi Kirschner and Erhan Önal scored for the second string, who also had the young Klaus Augenthaler on the pitch.