Bazil Marian (7 November 1922 â 19 January 2008) was a Romanian professional footballer and coach.
Marian, nicknamed "Bombardierul" (The Bomber) because of his powerful shots, was born on 7 November 1922 in Uioara de Sus, Romania. He began playing junior-level football at age 11 at local club Solvay. He made his Divizia A debut playing for Victoria Cluj on 24 September 1947 in a 2âÂÂ1 home victory against Venus BucureÃÂti. Victoria was relegated by the end of the season, but he stayed in Divizia A, playing one season for Mica Brad before moving to Carmen BucureÃÂti.
At Carmen in December 1946 during a game against Ciocanul BucureÃÂti when they were leading 4âÂÂ0, he ran alone towards the opposite goal, dribbled the goalkeeper, after which he sat down with his bottom on the ball and his hand over his eyes, as if looking for his opponents, before pushing the ball into the net. At the end of the season, following another victory against Ciocanul with 6âÂÂ0 in which he scored two goals, the Carmen team was dissolved by the Communist regime that just took over the country. He and teammate Valentin StÃÂnescu attempted to flee to Italy by boarding a ship in the Port of ConstanÃÂa. However, the authorities apprehended them, offering a choice between imprisonment or playing for a working-class team like Locomotiva BucureÃÂti, and they both chose the latter option.
At Locomotiva he managed to score 32 goals in 24 appearances in the 1947âÂÂ48 Divizia A season, but did not win the top-scorer of the league as ITA Arad's Ladislau Bonyhádi scored a record of 49 goals. In 1950 in a game against CFR TimiÃÂoara, Marian scored a goal with a powerful shot from 18 meters that broke the net and after the game the opponents goalkeeper, Dumitru Pavlovici said:"I am the happiest that Marian's bomb was a goal. Otherwise, if his kick would have hit me in full, I would have gone straight to the hospital". At the end of the 1951 Divizia A season, Locomotiva was relegated to Divizia B, but Marian stayed with the club, helping it get promoted back to the first league after one season. During a match played in cold weather against Metalul BucureÃÂti, he scored a goal that the referee disallowed. He then ran to the fence near the stands, where boiled ÃÂuicàwas sold, and drank a cup before returning to the pitch. Upon scoring another goal, which the referee again cancelled, he drank another cup of ÃÂuicÃÂ. Marian then shook the referee's hand, asked to be replaced, and left the pitch, stating that if he scored another goal and it was cancelled, he'd have to drink another cup and would get drunk. He retired after playing for Locomotiva on 14 November 1954 in a Divizia A match which ended with a 3âÂÂ2 loss against Progresul Oradea. However, six years later at age 39, Marian came out of retirement after he, as a coach, gained promotion with Jiul PetroÃÂani to the first league because the squad's quality was insufficient for the top-division. He played 14 games in which he scored two goals for The Miners during the 1961âÂÂ62 Divizia A season.
Marian played 18 games and scored two goals for Romania, making his debut on 1 June 1941 under coach Virgil Economu in a 4âÂÂ1 friendly loss to Germany. He scored his first goal for the national team in a 2âÂÂ2 friendly draw against Slovakia. Afterwards he made two appearances in the 1946 Balkan Cup and played four games in which he scored a goal in a 3âÂÂ2 away win over Bulgaria during the 1947 Balkan Cup. He also made two appearances in the 1948 Balkan Cup. Marian's last appearance for the national team took place on 8 May 1949 in a home friendly that ended with a 2âÂÂ1 victory against Poland.
Marian started coaching in 1954 at juniors and as an assistant for six years at Rapid BucureÃÂti. He started to work as head coach in the 1960âÂÂ61 Divizia B season at Jiul PetroÃÂani, helping it earn promotion to Divizia A, but the team was relegated after one season. He went on to coach Viitorul BucureÃÂti, shortly thereafter moved to Romania's under 21 national team, and in 1967, he coached Romania's senior team for one friendly game that ended in a 1âÂÂ1 draw against Uruguay in Montevideo at Estadio Gran Parque Central.
Marian won his first trophy as a coach in 1968 when he guided Dinamo BucureÃÂti to win the 1967âÂÂ68 Cupa României after a 3âÂÂ1 victory in the final against Rapid BucureÃÂti which was coached by his former Carmen BucureÃÂti teammate Valentin StÃÂnescu. Marian went to have some short spells at Farul ConstanÃÂa and ArgeàPiteÃÂti before going to Rapid. There, he won the 1971âÂÂ72 Cupa României after a 2âÂÂ0 victory in the final against Jiul PetroÃÂani. At Rapid he also had his first European performances. They reached the round of 16 in the 1971âÂÂ72 UEFA Cup campaign after eliminating, for the first time in Romanian football history, an Italian team, Napoli, then getting past Legia Warsaw, being eliminated by the team who eventually won the competition, Tottenham. In the 1972âÂÂ73 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign the team reached the quarter-finals, eliminating Landskrona BoIS and Rapid Wien.
In 1973 he went to coach abroad in Algeria at Boufarik and JS Kabylie, afterwards returning for one season at Rapid BucureÃÂti. From 1979 until his retirement at age 67 in 1989 he coached Romania's under 21 national team.
Marian, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease in the last years of his life, died on January 19, 2008, in Bucharest at the age of 85 and was buried in the town's Andronache cemetery.
Locomotiva BucureÃÂti
Jiul PetroÃÂani
Dinamo BucureÃÂti
Rapid BucureÃÂti