Rot-Weiss Essen

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Rot-Weiss Essen is a German football club based in Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen. The club was formed as SV Vogelheim on February 1st, 1907 out of the merger of two smaller clubs: SC Preussen and Deutsche Eiche. In 1910, Vogelheim came to an arrangement with Turnerbund Bergeborbeck that allowed the two clubs to field a football side. The footballers left in 1913 to set up their own club, Spiel- und Sportverein Emscher-Vogelheim, which changed its name to Spiel und Sport 1912 after World War I. Finally, in 1923, this side turned again to Turnerbund Bergeborbeck to create Rot-Weiss Essen.

The pinnacle of the club's success came in the 50's with a 2:1 win over Alemannia Aachen in the 1953 German Cup final, followed by a national championship in 1955 when it beat Kaiserslautern 4:3. The following season, Rot-Weiss became the first German side to qualify for the Champions League.

The club played most of the 60's as a second division side, but did manage its first appearance in the Bundesliga in 1966-67. It returned to the Bundesliga for two seasons in 1969-70, and again, for four seasons beginning in 1973-74. Since then Rot-Weiss has been a solid second or third tier club, with just one season spent in the Oberliga Nordrhein (IV) in 1998-99. After playing in the Regionalliga Nord (III) after a 17th place finish and relegation from the 2.Bundesliga after the 2004-05 season, Rot Weiss Essen secured promotion back into the second division on May 20, 2006.

The club has been plagued by financial problems that saw it denied a license in 1984, 1991, and 1994, each time being demoted from the 2.Bundesliga as a result. Bright spots during this period included winning the German amateur championship in 1992 and an appearance in the 1994 German Cup final, which they lost 1:3 to Werder Bremen. The club still enjoys solid fan support, with an average attendance of better than 10,000 per game.

Current Squad

Famous players

Mario Basler
Dieter Bast
Bjarne Goldbæk
Horst Hrubesch
Ali Bilgin
Willi "Ente" Lippens, Rot-Weiss' most prolific goal scorer
Helmut Rahn, who scored the winning goal in West Germany's 1954 World Cup victory, known as The Miracle of Bern, played with Rot-Weiss (1951-59) during the club's most successful years.
Otto Rehhagel, one of Germany's most successful coaches

External links

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