Ion Nunweiller (9 January 1936 â 3 February 2015) was a Romanian football defender and manager.
[[File:LicÃÂ Nunweiller, Radu Nunweiller, Ion Nunweiller 1963.jpg|thumb|left|270px| Nunweiller was born on 9 January 1936 in Piatra NeamÃÂ, Romania. He had an Austrian father named Johann Nunweiller, who settled in Piatra NeamÃÂ after World War II where he met his wife, Rozina, and later they moved to Bucharest. He had six brothers: Constantin, the oldest, was a water polo player, while Dumitru, LicÃÂ, Victor, Radu, and Eduard were all footballers who each played at least one spell at Dinamo BucureÃÂti. They are the reason why the club's nickname is "The Red Dogs" as especially he and LicÃÂ were known for their aggressiveness on the field, which often caused their faces to turn red from the effort. Nunweiller began playing junior-level football in 1950 at Progresul ICAB BucureÃÂti, and one year later, he moved to Dinamo BucureÃÂti where he worked with coach Petre Steinbach. He started his senior career in 1956, playing for Dinamo 6 BucureÃÂti in Divizia B.
Nunweiller came back to Dinamo BucureÃÂti where on 12 August 1956 he made his Divizia A debut under coach Angelo Niculescu in a 2âÂÂ1 victory against Dinamo BacÃÂu. In his first seasons spent with Dinamo he scored four goals against rivals Steaua BucureÃÂti, including a brace in a 2âÂÂ1 victory. He won his first trophy after being used the entire match by coach Iuliu Baratky in the 4âÂÂ0 win over CSM Baia Mare in the 1959 Cupa României final.
Nunweiller helped the club win four consecutive Divizia A titles from 1962 until 1965. In the first one he worked with three coaches, Traian Ionescu, Constantin TeaÃÂcÃÂ, and Nicolae Dumitru, who gave him 26 appearances in which he scored three goals. In the following two Dumitru and Ionescu used him in 18 and 26 matches, respectively. In the last one he played 25 games under the guidance of Angelo Niculescu. At the conquest of all these titles he was teammates with his brother LicÃÂ, and his brother Radu was also on the team for the last two.
Nunweiller also won two more Cupa României trophies with The Red Dogs. Coach Ionescu used him and his brothers Licàand Radu for the full 90 minutes in the 5âÂÂ3 victory over Steaua in the 1964 final. In the 1968 final, he played the entire match which was a 3âÂÂ1 win over Rapid BucureÃÂti, being coached by Bazil Marian. Nunweiller played for Dinamo in a total of 19 European Cup matches in which he scored twice and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup game. He appeared in the first European match of a Romanian team, the 3âÂÂ1 victory against Galatasaray in the 1956âÂÂ57 European Cup, helping the team go to the next phase of the competition where they were eliminated by CDNA Sofia. In the 1963âÂÂ64 European Cup edition, he scored once in a 2âÂÂ0 victory against East Germany champion Motor Jena which helped them advance to the next phase where they were defeated by Real Madrid against whom he scored in a 5âÂÂ3 loss. He also appeared in a historical 2âÂÂ1 win over Inter Milan in the 1965âÂÂ66 edition who were the winners of the previous two seasons of the competition. For the way he played in 1966, Nunweiller was placed fifth in the ranking for the Romanian Footballer of the Year award.
Afterwards Nunweiller spent two seasons at Fenerbahçe from 1968 until 1970, making him one of the first Romanians to play professional football in Turkey. During his time in Turkey, Nunweiller played four games in the 1968âÂÂ69 European Cup where he helped Fenerbahçe eliminate the champion of England Manchester City. In his second season at the club he was coached by Traian Ionescu and was teammates with Ilie Datcu, all of them previously working together at Dinamo. They won the Turkish Super League title, a TSYD Cup in which Nunweiller scored the only goal in the final against Beà Âiktaà Â, and he was also named the best foreign player of the 1969âÂÂ70 season.
In 1970, Nunweiller returned to Dinamo and in his first season he won another title, playing alongside his brother Radu, coaches Dumitru and Ionescu using him in 20 games. Nunweiller made his last Divizia A appearance on 12 December 1971 in a 2âÂÂ1 away loss to ArgeàPiteÃÂti, totaling 279 matches with 19 goals in the competition.
Nunweiller played 26 games for Romania, making his debut on 26 October 1958 under coach Augustin Botescu in a 2âÂÂ1 friendly loss to rivals Hungary. He played four matches in the 1960 European Nations' Cup qualifiers as Romania eliminated Turkey in the round of 16, reaching the quarter-finals where they were defeated by Czechoslovakia, who advanced to the final tournament. Nunweiller played two games in the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifiers, one during the 1966 World Cup qualifiers and four in the Euro 1968 qualifiers. He also played for Romania's Olympic team, being chosen by coach Silviu PloeÃÂteanu to be part of the 1964 Summer Olympics squad in Tokyo where he played four games, helping the team finish the competition in fifth place.
After ending his playing career in 1972, Nunweiller became the head coach of Dinamo BucureÃÂti, managing to win the title in his first season, one of his players being his brother Radu. Together, they won another title in the 1974âÂÂ75 season, but this time Nunweiller was the assistant coach of Nicolae Dumitru. As head coach he led The Red Dogs to a third title in the 1976âÂÂ77 season, having his brother Licàas his assistant coach.
In the following years he qualified FlacÃÂra Moreni to the 1989âÂÂ90 UEFA Cup, had an experience in Turkey at Bursaspor and obtained the first ever promotion to Divizia A of his hometown team CeahlÃÂul Piatra NeamÃÂ. Nunweiller has a total of 374 matches as a manager in the Romanian top-division, Divizia A, consisting of 163 victories, 76 draws and 135 losses.
On 25 March 2008, Nunweiller was decorated by the president of Romania, Traian BÃÂsescu for all of his achievements as a football coach, and for forming young generations of future champions with Ordinul "Meritul Sportiv" â (The Order "The Sportive Merit") class III.
Nunweiller died on 3 February 2015 at age 79 in a hospital in PiteÃÂti. He was buried in a cemetery in Albota, with his coffin wrapped in the flags of Dinamo BucureÃÂti and Fenerbahçe. After his death, his former Dinamo teammate, Cornel Dinu talked about him: "He was the creator of The Red Dogs symbol and the main pillar of resistance through which the great team was built from the early 1960s. A player who had many moments of heroism, blocking opponents and ensuring that his own defense was never overtaken. He was an indisputable leader of that era and achieved great success as a coach in the 1970s, also serving in a leadership role at Dinamo. Both as a player and as a coach, he embodied the spirit of determination and loyalty in service to the club."
Dinamo BucureÃÂti
Fenerbahçe
Dinamo BucureÃÂti
Dinamo BucureÃÂti (assistant)
CeahlÃÂul Piatra NeamÃÂ