Club Sportiv Metalurgistul Cugir commonly known as Metalurgistul Cugir, is a Romanian football club based in Cugir, Alba County, currently playing in the Liga III, the third tier of the Romanian football.
Metalurgistul Cugir was founded in 1939 and played twenty-six seasons in the second tier of Romanian football, along with two seasons in the Heroes' Cup, a competition that replaced Divizia B during the World War II period.
The team was founded in 1939 with the support of the management of the Cugir Metallurgical Plant, under the name AsociaÃÂia SportivÃÂ Metalurgistul Cugir (ASM Cugir).
Romania's entry into World War II suspended sports competitions. However, during the war, the Romanian Football Federation organized the War Championship and the Heroes Cup. The 1942âÂÂ43 season of the Heroes Cup â a competition that replaced the second division between 1942 and 1944 â was organized into three series based on geographical criteria. The "Uzinele Metalurgice Cugir" team, guided by player-coach GraÃÂian Sepi â a former Romania national football team player with 14 goals in 23 appearances â dominated the strong Serie II, consisting of ten teams, finishing with a three-point lead over Jiul PetroÃÂani. In the promotion play-off against UA BraÃÂov, the winner of Series III, "Cugirenii" won the first match played in Cugir 5âÂÂ0, and a week later in BraÃÂov, the match ended in a 1âÂÂ1 draw. In the end, UM Cugir missed promotion to the War Championship â the first division at that time â losing to UD ReÃÂiÃÂa, the winner of Series I, after a spectacular two-legged tie (5âÂÂ3 and 0âÂÂ5).
After the end of World War II, UM Cugir competed in the 1946âÂÂ47 season of Divizia C, finishing 8th out of 10 in Series X, and reached the Round of 32 of the Cupa României in the 1947âÂÂ48 season, being eliminated by CFR TimiÃÂoara, 1âÂÂ4. The team also participated in the 1948âÂÂ49 season of the third division, this time under the name Metalul Cugir. By the time Divizia C was shut down in February 1949, the team was in last place out of 14 in Series I.
In the 1961âÂÂ62 season, AS Cugir won the Hunedoara Regional Championship title and was subsequently promoted to Divizia B after finishing 1st in Series III of the promotion play-off held in MediaÃÂ. Among those who were part of the team led by player-coach Iosif Petschovschi were goalkeeper Rusu and field players Niculescu, Sadi, Dumitru Dinea, Munteanu, Tîrnoveanu, Dumitru, FocÃÂa, Bulbucan, BoitoÃÂ, Petschovschi II and Mihai.
In Divizia B, the team was coached by Colea Vâlcov for the following two seasons, finishing 6th in Series III in 1962âÂÂ63 and 5th in Series II in 1963âÂÂ64, after the second division was reduced to two series in 1963.