Sever Coracu (2 October 1920 â 1993) was a Romanian football striker and a sprinter. He was national champion at 200 metres sprint in 1939.
Coracu was born on 2 October 1920 in Kovin, Kingdom of SCS, and began playing junior-level football in 1934 in TimiÃÂoara, Romania at local club Progresul, a few years later moving to Ripensia. In 1938 he went to play for Universitatea Cluj, first at the junior team. He scored his first goal for the senior side in a 7âÂÂ0 win over Olimpia Satu Mare in the 1939âÂÂ40 Divizia B season. The team finished that season in second place, playing a play-off for promotion to Divizia A against Victoria Cluj in which he scored two goals in the 5âÂÂ1 victory. Subsequently, he made his first league debut under coach Iosif Kovács in a 2âÂÂ1 home loss to Sportul StudenÃÂesc BucureÃÂti.
Coracu stayed with "U" Cluj in the hardest period of the club's history, because in 1940, the team moved from Cluj-Napoca to Sibiu as a result of the Second Vienna Award, when the northern part of Transylvania was ceded to Hungary. In 1945, after the end of the Second World War and the return of the northern part of Transylvania to Romania, "U" returned to its home in Cluj. During these years the team's biggest performance was reaching the 1942 Cupa României final, where Coracu did not play in the eventual defeat to Rapid BucureÃÂti. Also in the 1940âÂÂ41 Divizia A season he scored a brace in a 3âÂÂ2 home loss to eventual champions, Unirea Tricolor BucureÃÂti, one of them being directly from a corner kick. In the 1941âÂÂ42 unofficial Cupa Basarabia he scored six goals in a 17âÂÂ0 home win over CFR Sibiu. After the war in which some of the club's players died, the team had to earn its right to play in Cluj, having to defeat Ferar Cluj. During the war, Ferar competed in the Hungarian league under the name Kolozsvár AC, finishing third in one season and had more experienced and international footballers. According to historian Gheorghe Bodea who was at the game, the disparity between the two teams could be seen since the players entered the field as Ferar 's players had new equipment while the players of "U" appeared in equipment that was five years old. Bodea also claims that the game was dominated at first by Ferar but Universitatea resisted with captain Mircea Luca being the leader of the defense. At one moment in the game, Luca's eyebrow was broken during an aerial duel, and Coracu bandaged him so he could continue the match. With Luca handling the defense and Coracu the offense, "U" Cluj won with 4âÂÂ0.
In the summer of 1946, the Romanian Football Federation decided that Universitatea Cluj had to play a play-off against Victoria Cluj in order to earn the right to play in the 1946âÂÂ47 Divizia A season. In the first leg, the score was a 1âÂÂ1 draw, but in the second The Red Caps won with 3âÂÂ1, one of their goals being scored by Coracu. The team reached the 1949 Cupa României final in which Coracu did not play in the 2âÂÂ1 loss to CSCA BucureÃÂti. In 1950 he went to play for Divizia B side Locomotiva Cluj where he stayed until he retired in 1952. Coracu was a player known for scoring many goals from corner kicks and for his speed which made him national champion at 200 metres sprint in 1939.
Coracu made his debut for Romania on 22 September 1940 under coach Liviu Iuga in a 2âÂÂ1 away victory against Yugoslavia. He also appeared in a 1âÂÂ0 loss to Albania in the 1946 Balkan Cup.
Coracu died in 1993 in Cluj-Napoca.
Universitatea Cluj