Horst Panic (12 July 1938 â 7 November 2025) was a Polish football player and manager. After spending his professional playing career with Górnik Waà Âbrzych, he started his managerial career with the same club, leading them to a historic promotion to the Ekstraklasa in 1983, earning a "best coach" award in a Sà Âowo Polskie plebiscite. He later went on to manage various other clubs, primarily in Lower Silesia.
Horst Panic was born on 12 July 1938 in Bobrek, a present-day suburb of Bytom, southern Poland.
Panic began his football career at Zryw Chorzów, and from 1955 he played for Bielawianka Bielawa. From 1965 to 1970, he played for Górnik Waà Âbrzych, with whom he competed in the Polish Second Division with over 70 appearances for them. He played as a forward.
After his playing career, Panic remained in the sport and worked as a coach. In the 1974âÂÂ75 season, he became an assistant to Stanisà Âaw Stachura at Górnik Waà Âbrzych, then playing in the Third Division. From 1975 to 1978, he assisted Stanisà Âaw à Âwierk and secured promotion to the Second Division in 1976. In the 1978âÂÂ79 season, he became the first team manager of the Waà Âbrzych team, but was dismissed after the autumn round.
He returned to the manager's position in the spring round of the 1980âÂÂ81 season, and in 1983 he led Górnik to the Ekstraklasa for the first time in the club's history, considered a historic success. After the autumn round (half-way point of the season), his team even led the league, and ultimately finished the season in 6th place. These successes earned Panic the title of Best Coach of 1983 in the "Sà Âowo Polskie" plebiscite.
After the end of the successful 1983âÂÂ84 season, he moved to Zagà ÂÃÂbie Sosnowiec. With Zagà ÂÃÂbie, he finished 5th in the First Division in the 1984âÂÂ85 season and left after the autumn round of the 1985âÂÂ86 season after relegation to the third tier.
In the spring of 1987, he managed the other team in Waà Âbrzych and Górnik's fierce rivals, the Third Division Zagà ÂÃÂbie Waà Âbrzych; from the 1990âÂÂ91 season a Second Division team after winning promotion.
From 1991 to 1994, he coached Chrobry Gà Âogów at the Second and Third Division levels, and from 1995, the Second Division Amica Wronki for less than half a season, but was dismissed before the season's end, which nonetheless ended with the team's promotion to the First Division.
In May 1995, he became the manager of Lechia Dzierà ¼oniów, but failed to keep the team in the Second Division. In the 1995âÂÂ96 season, he managed the Third Division Polonia à Âwidnica. He also had a short stint at Varta Namysà Âów in 1998.
He ended his career as a coach at amateur clubs LKS Bestwina and Drzewiarz Jasienica.
Panic died on 7 November 2025, at the age of 87. His stories about Polish football are said to have been the inspiration for the Polish cult film '.