Kickers Offenbach mourns the loss of a great footballer and an extraordinary personality. Josef “Seppl” Weilbächer died at the age of 75. As a full-back, he made a decisive contribution to the club’s most successful times.
Offenbach – The replica of the greatest triumph of the Offenbacher The history of the association has always had a place in the living room sideboard in Weilbächer’s home in Hanau-Steinheim: on August 29, 1970 the OFC – as the first second division ever – to win the DFB Cup against the big 1. FC Köln with stars like Wolfgang Overath, Hannes Löhr and Heinz Flohe. The 2-1 win in Hanover stood Weilbächer of course in the starting XI.
Kickers Offenbach: Seppl Weilbächer changes from Eintracht Frankfurt to OFC in 1965
The native of Hattersheim, who moved from Eintracht Frankfurt to the OFC had changed and always wore a red and white jersey until his early retirement in 1971, was one of the defining figures of a successful and illustrious era Offenbach football history. When he was first promoted to the Bundesliga in 1968, he was set as a right defender, after relegation and immediate promotion, the coronation followed with the cup coup in Hanover.
The joy of the triumph made him forget the pain of the broken hand. “You stay in there for now,” coach legend Kurt Schreiner told him halfway through the final. And Weilbächer Of course, he bit his teeth, persevered – and later lifted the trophy with a bandaged hand.
The Offenbacher Kickers mourn the loss of Josef “Seppl” Weilbächer, who died tonight at the age of 75.
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Our deepest condolences go to his family. Rest in peace, Seppl Weilbächer! pic.twitter.com/afUCDsjVIF– Kickers Offenbach (@OFC_offiziell) November 20, 2020
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OFC legend Weilbächer ends his career after 316 games at Kickers Offenbach
Finished a year later Weilbächer after the renewed descent of the OFC and the uncovering of the Bundesliga scandal after 316 games for the OFC his career. The family man had decided against offers from Grasshopper Zurich and Hertha BSC. From then on, he devoted his energy to the family’s own print shop in Klein-Auheim, where the Weilbächers lived for 55 years before they moved to Steinheim in 2005. “Moving was unthinkable without my wife Marion,” explained Weilbächer. Bitter: On the day of the 54th wedding anniversary, of all things, Weilbächer died, leaving behind his wife and daughter Steffi – and a great legacy as a footballer and a personality in the region.
In Klein-Auheim, at FC Alemannia, it took him a while to switch from Bundesliga player to A-class football. “Instead of competition, it suddenly became a matter of cultivating comradeship,” had Weilbächer granted. At the FCA he worked for years as a player, coach and official, but also as the Kickers he never let you down. True to his motto: “Once Kickers, Always Kickers!”
OFC – “The Seppl was a Kickers man with body and soul, although he came from Eintracht”
He was of course a regular player for the traditional “Waldis” team, as well as for the long-time player OFC– Main sponsor Portas established celebrity club FC Rhein-Main. “Those were great times,” she said Weilbächer always gladly remembered in conversations with our newspaper. But the man with the big heart for his family and his clubs also faced bad times. After the license withdrawal at the end of 1989 as a result of an inadequate guarantee, he was on the board of directors and in the presidium Kickers involved. For decades he followed the games of the OFC, crashed into the fourth division of the Regionalliga Südwest since 2013, in the stands.
Josef Weilbächer in 2015.
© Hartenfelser
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Karl-Heinz Volz, goalkeeper and penalty hero of the Cup winners’ eleven 1970 remembers: “The Seppl was a Kickers-Man with body and soul, although he came from unity. It felt like he was there as a fan at every Kickers game, he was a really good guy, always friendly and in a good mood. He was a full-back with an urge to move forward and kept scoring goals. Yes, he was a great footballer, always with full commitment, he knew neither friend nor foe. “(Jörg Moll)
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