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Club Atletic Oradea (Nagyváradi Atlétikai Club) (), commonly known as CA Oradea (Nagyváradi AC), or simply as CAO (NAC), is a Romanian
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
,
Bihor County Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea. Toponymy The origin of ...
, which competes in the
Liga IV Liga IV is the fourth level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia D into Liga IV before the start of play for the 2006–07 season. Current format Liga IV has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised a ...
. The team was founded as ''Nagyváradi Atlétikai Club'' in 1910, when the city was part of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. Over its history, Club Atletic Oradea won once the Hungarian national title, the Romanian national title and the Romanian national cup. The Romanian title won in
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
, under the name of ''ICO Oradea'', put the club based in
Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
in a select group of football clubs that won the national title in two different countries, together with
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n side
Rapid Wien Sportklub Rapid Wien (), commonly known as Rapid Vienna, is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid has won the most Austrian championship titles (32), including the first title in the season 1911–12, ...
, which also won the German national title, in
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...
. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, CA Oradea came back in the Romanian championship, but now under the rule of
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
regime, a fact that had a negative impact on the club's identity, mainly due to the ultra-nationalism of the communist leaders, who identified the football club as too connected with the Hungarian football and the Hungarian community. As a result, the club often changed its name and colors, to mislead and forget pre-communist memories. In 1945 ''Nagyváradi Atlétikai Club'' was renamed as ''Libertatea Oradea'', then in 1948 as ''Întreprinderea Comunală Oradea (ICO)'', in 1951 as ''Progresul Oradea'', in 1958 as ''CS Oradea'' and in 1961 as ''CSM Crișana Oradea'' (not to be confused with
Crișana Oradea Crișana Oradea was a football club based in Oradea, Romania. It was founded in 1929 and dissolved in 1954. History The club was founded in 1929. The players from the first year of existence were: Putirică, Combi, Aurel, Bulzan, Restea, Slopu, ...
). Dissolved in 1963, by the same communist regime, Club Atletic Oradea was re-established in the summer of 2017, as a football club ruled by a private management. In the same year CA Oradea was enrolled in the fifth tier (
Liga V Liga V is the fifth level of the Romanian football league system. Current format Liga V has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised and are organised by every county association. Each team plays in their own county. The county associatio ...
) and after only three years promoted back to the national divisions (
Liga III The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season. It was the first in this format (six series of 18 t ...
), after 58 years of absence.


History


Early years, on the road (1910–1940)

The game of football had arrived to
Nagyvárad ) , blank2_name_sec1 = Patron saint , blank2_info_sec1 = Saint LadislausBudapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. The first football match that was ever played on the banks of
Crișul Repede The Crișul Repede (Romanian Crișul Repede ("the rapid Criș"); Hungarian Sebes-Körös) is a river in Bihor County, Crișana, Romania and in southeastern Hungary (Körösvidek). Together with the rivers Crișul Alb ("the white Criș") and Crișu ...
river was a friendly one and was held in the Rhédey Garden. The game was gaining in popularity fast, but there was not yet an organized club to represent the town in matches against other towns. This organizational problem led to the establishment of Nagyváradi Sport Egyesület (NSE), then appeared Nagyváradi Torna Club (NTK), both
multi-sport A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...
clubs, but none focused mainly on football. Then, eight years after that first football match played in Oradea's history, ''Nagyváradi Atlétikai Club (NAC)'' – in
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
: Club Atletic Oradea (CAO) was established, also a multi-sport club, but with the football section as the "pearl of the crown". The constituent assembly was held on 25 May 1910, in the EMKE Café (today Astoria Hotel), a place that also had an important contribution in the identity, bohemianism and cosmopolitanism of the football club. EMKE (Erdélyi Magyar Közművelődési Egyesület) Café, translated as the Coffee Shop of the Hungarian Cultural Association of Transylvania Coffee Shop, was the place where the Oradea's cultural elite spent much of its time, one of the main clients being the well-known poet
Endre Ady Endre Ady (Hungarian: ''diósadi Ady András Endre,'' archaic English: Andrew Ady, 22 November 1877 – 27 January 1919) was a turn-of-the-century Hungarian poet and journalist. Regarded by many as the greatest Hungarian poet of the 20th century ...
. Back to the football club, the first board of directors was formed of: Dr. Emil Jonas (chairman), Béla Mikló (executive president), Andor Szabo (secretary) and Dr. Kálmán Kovács (cashier), one of the decision took also in that first day was to submit the documents for registration at the
Hungarian Football Federation The Hungarian Football Federation ( hu, Magyar Labdarúgó Szövetség, MLSZ) is the governing body of football in Hungary. It organizes the Hungarian league and the Hungarian national team. It is based in Budapest. Honours ;National Team * Worl ...
. On 31 July 1910, NAC played its first game, against
KVSC KVSC 88.1 FM in Saint Cloud, Minnesota is part of Minnesota's Independent Public Radio network. It is operated by St. Cloud State University and broadcasts a freeform radio format. KVSC-FM is a non-commercial educational public broadcastin ...
, and in January 1912 a home ground was secured, in the Rhédey Garden. The next month, a touring team from
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
came to town:
Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surro ...
, the Northern League champions that season, NAC won with an incredible 8–0. Before
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the club activated only on local and a regional level, they joined the eastern division of the Southern Hungarian League and in 1913 NAC won 25 out of 31 matches. One of the most important games for the local community, in this period, was the match against Hungarian giant,
Ferencváros Ferencváros () is the 9th district of Budapest ( hu, Budapest IX. kerülete), Hungary. Name The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary. History The development of Fe ...
, played in
Nagyvárad ) , blank2_name_sec1 = Patron saint , blank2_info_sec1 = Saint Ladislaus During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914–1918), the football competitions were suspended, and the club suffered from the lack of activity. However, friendly matches and different sporting activities were held, even in that tough situation and with all the problems generated by world conflagration. After the war, by the
Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...
Nagyvárad became part of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and officially became Oradea. The club and the city were still dominated by Hungarians. One of the most talented local players unearthed during this period was
Elemér Berkessy Elemér Berkessy (20 June 1905 – 7 July 1993), also referred to as Emilio Berkessy or Emil Berkessy, was a Hungarian footballer and coach. Playing career Berkessy joined Ferencváros in 1928, and with them he was the champion of Hungary twice, ...
(future
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...
midfielder and
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
manager – in 1954 he became the first foreign manager in the English league). The team joined the Romanian national championship in 1921–22, but NAC – now also known as Clubul Atletic Oradea – was beaten in the "fight" for Town of Oradea champion title by
Stăruința Oradea Stăruinţa Oradea (Hungarian: Nagyváradi Törekvés; English: Perseverance) was a Romanian football club from Oradea. They reached the final round of the Romanian football championship five times in the 1920s. Stăruinţa Oradea was founded in ...
and then by Înțelegerea Oradea for the first few seasons, thus did not qualify for the national finals until 1923–24. They beat
Universitatea Cluj Fotbal Club Universitatea Cluj (), commonly known as Universitatea Cluj or simply as U Cluj, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I, the first ...
and
Jahn Cernăuți Jahn Cernăuți was a German football club from Czernowitz, Bukovina (then in Austria-Hungary, subsequently Kingdom of Romania, nowadays in Ukraine). The club became regional champions in 1924, 1925, and 1934 and participated in three seasons of ...
, before it was defeated in the final by
Chinezul Timișoara Chinezul Timișoara was a football club that played both in the Romanian and the Hungarian championship during its existence. It was based in Timișoara, Romania (at the time of foundation Temesvár, Austria-Hungary). History The club was establ ...
– who would win the first six Romanian titles after the
Great Union In Romanian historiography, the Great Union ( ro, Marea Unire) or Great Union of 1918 () was the series of political unifications the Kingdom of Romania had with several of the so-called Romanian historical regions, starting with Bessarabia on ...
. In 1932–33, after another spell confined to the regional tournament, CAO appeared in an expanded national competition, organized as two parallel leagues of seven teams; they finished second in their division, while local rivals
Crișana Oradea Crișana Oradea was a football club based in Oradea, Romania. It was founded in 1929 and dissolved in 1954. History The club was founded in 1929. The players from the first year of existence were: Putirică, Combi, Aurel, Bulzan, Restea, Slopu, ...
came third in the other one. Two years later, with the national league reorganized into one division, CAO finished as runners-up, sandwiched between the two dominant clubs of the period, Ripensia Timișoara and
Venus București Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
. In 1938–39 the club was relegated to a restructured Divizia B, where they remained until the next war brought a strange upturn in fortunes. In 1932, the management of the club decided that contact with football in other countries would help the development of the sport in
Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
. So, they undertook a twelve-match tour in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, during which they beat (score 5–2)
Olympique Lillois Olympique Lillois was a French association football club from the city of Lille. Founded in 1902 they merged with SC Fives in 1944 to form Lille OSC. Honours Championnat de France *Champion: 1914, 1933 *Runner-up: 1936 Events Jan ...
, who would become in that season the inaugural French national champions, and obtained a 3–3 draw against
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
. In the following year, the tour was in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and its North African colonies, and Oradea was spreading its fame with 21 victories and 4 draws, 110 goals scored and only 23 conceded. During the interwar period, CAO supplied eighteen Romanian internationals, however the majority were still ethnic Hungarians, Jews and Germans. Players who starred in CAO's green and white stripes in this period included:
Ferenc Rónay Ferenc Rónay or Francisc Rónay (29 April 1900 – 6 April 1967) was a Hungarian-Romanian footballer and manager. Rónay was the first ever scorer of the Romania national football team, giving them the equaliser against Yugoslavia in their d ...
, the first ever goalscorer for the
Romanian national football team The Romania national football team ( ro, Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in international men's Association football, football competition and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation ( ro, Federația Rom ...
(against
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
in 1922);
Nicolae Kovács Nicolae Kovács ( hu, Kovács Miklós, sometimes rendered as ''Nicolae Covaci'', 29 December 1911 – 7 July 1977) was a Romanian-Hungarian football player and coach. He was a dual international football player and played both for Romania and H ...
, a forward who was one of only five men to play at the first three World Cups;
Iuliu Baratky Gyula Barátky ( ro, Iuliu Baratky; 14 May 1910 – 14 April 1962) was an ethnic Hungarian football player who represented both Hungary and Romania internationally. His preferred position was the half right. He played a total of 155 games in ...
, a Hungarian from
Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
who opted to stay in Romania throughout the
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, becoming a legend at
Rapid București Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a '' cascade' ...
and
Iuliu Bodola Iuliu Bodola ( hu, Bodola Gyula; 26 February 1912 – 12 March 1993) was a Romanian- Hungarian association football striker who played internationally both for Romania and Hungary. His nickname was ''Duduş''/''Dudus''. He is Romania's third ...
, a prolific goalscorer throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s. Bodola was transferred to
Venus București Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
in the Romanian capital in 1937. Club Atletic Oradea's team that participated in the 1932 and 1933 Tours of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
was formed of: Ștefan Czinczer – Andrei Glanzmann,
Iosif Bartha Iosif Bartha (18 July 1902 – 26 October 1957) was a Romanian footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, Americ ...
,
Vasile Chiroiu Vasile Chiroiu (August 13, 1910 – May 9, 1976) was a Romanian football defender who played for Romania in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Honours ;Ripensia Timişoara *Liga I The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Ro ...
,
Iuliu Bodola Iuliu Bodola ( hu, Bodola Gyula; 26 February 1912 – 12 March 1993) was a Romanian- Hungarian association football striker who played internationally both for Romania and Hungary. His nickname was ''Duduş''/''Dudus''. He is Romania's third ...
,
József Moravetz József Moravetz or Iosif Moravet' (14 January 1911 – 16 February 1990) was a Romanian footballer who played as a midfielder. Biography Moravetz was born in Austria-Hungary, now in Romania. He played in Liga I for RGMT Timişoara, and pl ...
,
Coloman Braun-Bogdan Coloman Braun-Bogdan (13 October 1905 – 15 March 1983) was a Romanian football midfielder and football manager. Born in Arad, Arad County, which was at the time part of Austria-Hungary, he made a name for himself as one of the best Roman ...
,
Elemér Kocsis Elemér Kocsis ( ro, Elemer Cocis; 26 February 1910 – 6 October 1981, in Romania) was a Hungarians in Romania, Hungarian Romanian Association football, football Forward (association football), forward and Manager (association football), coach. ...
,
Nicolae Kovács Nicolae Kovács ( hu, Kovács Miklós, sometimes rendered as ''Nicolae Covaci'', 29 December 1911 – 7 July 1977) was a Romanian-Hungarian football player and coach. He was a dual international football player and played both for Romania and H ...
,
Ferenc Rónay Ferenc Rónay or Francisc Rónay (29 April 1900 – 6 April 1967) was a Hungarian-Romanian footballer and manager. Rónay was the first ever scorer of the Romania national football team, giving them the equaliser against Yugoslavia in their d ...
, Takács, Kraus, Nicolae Roșculeț and János Remmer (player and coach).


The Romanian-Hungarian champion (1940–1949)

. The
Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all ...
in August 1940 annexed northern
Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
, including
Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
, to
Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
’s ally
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, while
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
was in the throes of its own right-wing military dictatorship. Many footballers of German or Hungarian origin who were at clubs in
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
,
Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...
, Arad or other parts of Romania, crossed the new border into this region and joined clubs in
Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
(Nagyvárad) or
Cluj-Napoca ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...
(Kolozsvár); many of them signed for CAO – now, once again, known officially by its Hungarian name, NAC. After one season back in a Transylvanian league, NAC was promoted to the Hungarian top division. They finished second in 1942–43 and then in 1943–44 they became the first team from outside
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
to win the Hungarian championship in its 43-year history, finishing a huge 13 points ahead of the second placed team
Ferencváros Ferencváros () is the 9th district of Budapest ( hu, Budapest IX. kerülete), Hungary. Name The southern suburb of Pest was named after King Francis I on 4 December 1792 when he was crowned king of Hungary. History The development of Fe ...
. The players who helped the club to this historic achievement included some major Hungarian and Romanian footballers of the age:
Gyula Lóránt Gyula Lóránt (born Gyula Lipovics, 6 February 1923 – 31 May 1981) was a Hungarian footballer and manager of Croatian descent. He played as a defender and midfielder for, among others, UTA Arad, Vasas SC, Honvéd and Hungary. During the ...
was only 20 years old during NAC's title-winning season. He went on to play at Vasas, alongside
László Kubala László Kubala ( sk, Ladislav Kubala, es, Ladislao Kubala, 10 June 1927 – 17 May 2002) was a Hungarian-Slovak professional footballer who also had Spanish citizenship. He played as a forward for Ferencváros, Slovan Bratislava, Barcelona, ...
, who in 1949 fled the incoming Communist government and formed a team of Hungarian footballers who would play exhibition matches around Western Europe. Lóránt tried to escape and join Kubala, but was captured and interred, until the national team coach secured his release. Lóránt played for Hungary from 1949 until 1955, encompassing the greatest period of Hungarian success: he played in central defense for the ''Aranycsapat'', the ''Mighty Magyars'' of the early 1950s. Besides winning the Romanian championship with
UTA Arad Uta or UTA may refer to: Universities *University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States * University of Tarapacá, in Chile *University of Tampere, in Finland Sports * FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad * A ...
and three more Hungarian titles with Honvéd, Lóránt went on to coach
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
in the late 1970s.
Iuliu Bodola Iuliu Bodola ( hu, Bodola Gyula; 26 February 1912 – 12 March 1993) was a Romanian- Hungarian association football striker who played internationally both for Romania and Hungary. His nickname was ''Duduş''/''Dudus''. He is Romania's third ...
or Gyula Bodola was an ethnic Hungarian born in what is now
Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...
(then Brassó) in 1912. After a hugely successful seven-year spell as a prolific striker with CAO in the 1930s, and an equally fruitful three years at
Venus București Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
, he headed back to Oradea after the annexation of northern Transylvania by Hungary in 1940 and played for NAC for five years. After the war, he moved to Budapest and represented
MTK Budapest Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre is a multi-sports club from Budapest, founded in 1888. It has sections for football, handball, basketball, volleyball, futsal, ice hockey, water polo, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, fencing, canoeing, boxing, wrestlin ...
. During his years in Romania he played 48 times for the
Romanian national football team The Romania national football team ( ro, Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in international men's Association football, football competition and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation ( ro, Federația Rom ...
, while from 1940 to 1943 he was a regular for
Hungarian national football team The Hungary national football team ( hu, magyar labdarúgó-válogatott) represents Hungary in men's international football and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation. The team has made 9 appearances in the FIFA World Cup and 4 appe ...
. Remarkably, he held the Romanian international goalscoring record for 66 years, from 1931 until 1997, when
Gheorghe Hagi Gheorghe "Gică" Hagi (; born 5 February 1965) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the owner and manager of Liga I club Farul Constanța. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Hagi was considered one of ...
overtook his total of 30 goals. The municipal stadium in Oradea is now named after him.
József Pecsovszky József Pecsovszky or Iosif Petschovschi (also known as József Perényi; 2 July 1921 – 6 October 1968), was a Romanian football player. His nickname was ''Peci''. He could play in any position on the pitch, he was even goalkeeper once. Caree ...
known in Romania as Iosif Petschovschi or simply ‘Peci’, was another young member of the successful NAC team and was capped by
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
at the age of 21. An attacking midfielder from
Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...
, of Hungarian extraction, Peci would later become a hero in Arad due to his starring role in UTA's three league titles in the 1940s, and then won two further championships with
CCA București CCA may refer to: Organisations *Canadian Cat Association *Canadian Cattlemen's Association, an advocacy group for the Canadian beef industry *Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, Quebec * Canadian Council on Africa * Center for Contemporar ...
in the 1950s. His first game for Romania was against Hungary in Budapest in 1945, alongside Spielmann and Simatoc; he scored, but Hidegkuti and
Puskás Puskás is a Hungarian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ferenc Puskás (1927–2006), Hungarian football player and manager **FIFA Puskás Award, the player judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant and "most beauti ...
scored two each in a 7–2 win for the Magyars. Pecsovszky is one of the all-time greats of Romanian football. .
Francisc Spielmann Francisc Spielmann ( hu, Sárvári Ferenc; 10 July 1916 – 21 November 1974) was a football player and coach of German ethnicity who played as a striker at international level for Romania and Hungary. Career Spielmann begin his football caree ...
, known in Hungary as Ferenc Sárvári, top-scorer for NAC in their title-winning season, with 23 goals; he was also the Hungarian player of the year. The coach of the side throughout NAC's Hungarian period was 1920s CAO hot-shot
Ferenc Rónay Ferenc Rónay or Francisc Rónay (29 April 1900 – 6 April 1967) was a Hungarian-Romanian footballer and manager. Rónay was the first ever scorer of the Romania national football team, giving them the equaliser against Yugoslavia in their d ...
.
Gusztáv Juhász Gusztáv Juhász (also written as Guștav Iuhași; 19 December 1911 – 20 January 2003) was a Romanian football player and coach of Hungarian origin. Biography Player As a midfielder, he played for 18 seasons in the Romanian and Hungarian ...
, also spelled (in Romania) as Gustav Iuhași, had been a regular in midfield for the
Romanian national football team The Romania national football team ( ro, Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in international men's Association football, football competition and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation ( ro, Federația Rom ...
since 1934, when he was also part of the CAO team that finished second in the Romanian championship. Together with Bodola and
Rudolf Demetrovics __NOTOC__ Rudolf Demetrovics (19 September 1914 – 2 March 1993), also known as ''Rudolf Demetrovici'', ''Rudolf Deményi'' or ''Rezső Deményi'', was a Romanian footballer of Hungarian descent, who played as a midfielder. Debuted in football ...
, Juhász was part of the great
Venus București Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
team of the late 1930s.
Nicolae Simatoc Nicolae Simatoc (also known as Miklós Szegedi; 1 May 1920 – 2 December 1979) was a Romanian association football manager and midfielder who played for a number of clubs throughout Europe, including Ripensia Timişoara and Carmen București in ...
, a reserve, was the only ethnic Romanian in the NAC squad; he was kept out of the starting line-up by the all-Timișorean midfield of Petschovschi, Demetrovits and Juhász. Simatoc eventually would go on to spend one season alongside Kubala at
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...
, as well as two years at
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...
. The 1944–45 Hungarian season was abandoned after four games due to the movement of the front, and NAC never played in the Hungarian league again:
Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...
was occupied by Soviet and Romanian troops in 1944 and later reverted to Romania at the end of the war. NAC/CAO changed its name to Libertatea Oradea in 1948, and then to ICO Oradea the following year after the Soviet takeover of Romania. Petschovschi, Bodola and Ronnay left for
Ferar Cluj Ferar Cluj ( hu, Kolozsvári Vasas) was a football club from Kolozsvár/Cluj that played both in the Hungarian and the Romanian Championship. History Founded in 1880 as ''Kolozsvári Atlétikai Club'', the football section was founded in 1904 ...
– the third-placed team in
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
in 1943–44 - while five of the championship-winning team would form the core of a new dominant power in Romania,
ITA Arad Asociația Fotbal Club UTA Arad (), commonly known as UTA Arad or simply UTA, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Arad, Arad County, which competes in the Liga I. The UTA acronym stands for ''Uzina Textilă Arad'' ("Text ...
. By 1948–49, only three players remained from the great NAC team of 1943–44. And yet ICO Oradea became Romanian champions.
Gheorghe Váczi Gheorghe Váczi (4 August 1922 – 16 October 2006) was a Romanian football player who played as a striker. Career overview *''Total matches played in Romanian First League:'' 194 matches – 126 goals *''Total matches played in Hungari ...
, an ethnic Hungarian who was capped by Romania, contributed 21 goals in 26 matches. They also had names such as Vécsey,
Spielmann Spielmann or Spielman is a German occupational surname, which means " jester", from the Middle High German ''spilære''.''Dictionary of American Family Names''"Spieler Family History" Oxford University Press, 2013. Retrieved on 16 January 2016. The ...
, Vasile Ion,
Bodo Bodo may refer to: Ethnicity * Boro people, an ethno-linguistic group mainly from Northwest Assam, India * Bodo-Kachari people, an umbrella group from Nepal, India and Bangladesh that includes the Bodo people Culture and language * Boro cu ...
, Zilahi, Serfözö or
Mircea David Mircea David (16 October 1914 – 12 October 1993) was a Romanian football player, who played as a goalkeeper. After a match between Romania and Italy, played in Rome, he was nicknamed by the Italian football fans ''Il Dio'', because of his incr ...
and the coach in that year was
Nicolae Kovács Nicolae Kovács ( hu, Kovács Miklós, sometimes rendered as ''Nicolae Covaci'', 29 December 1911 – 7 July 1977) was a Romanian-Hungarian football player and coach. He was a dual international football player and played both for Romania and H ...
, former CAO player and brother of the
Ștefan Kovács Ștefan Kovács ( ro, Ştefan Covaci; hu, Kovács István; 2 October 1920 – 12 May 1995) was a Romanian football player and coach. By winning 15 major titles he is one of the most successful association football coaches in the history of th ...
who would coach
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
to great success in the early 1970s.


The last performance and many changes (1950–1963)

After the title won with ICO, coach
Nicolae Kovács Nicolae Kovács ( hu, Kovács Miklós, sometimes rendered as ''Nicolae Covaci'', 29 December 1911 – 7 July 1977) was a Romanian-Hungarian football player and coach. He was a dual international football player and played both for Romania and H ...
returned on the banks of Bega river, in the city where he had learn the secrets of football, but this time as the coach of Știința Timisoara, (future Politehnica Timișoara). In the place of Kovács, his former teammate from the golden squad of NAC,
Gusztáv Juhász Gusztáv Juhász (also written as Guștav Iuhași; 19 December 1911 – 20 January 2003) was a Romanian football player and coach of Hungarian origin. Biography Player As a midfielder, he played for 18 seasons in the Romanian and Hungarian ...
, had returned, now as a head coach of the "white and greens". The squad had not undergone major changes, but the organization of
Romanian football league system The Romanian football league system, also known as the football pyramid, refers to the system in Romanian club football that consists of several football leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation. The first three leagues ar ...
had taken, with the year 1950, the total course of the Soviet model. The championship starts to be played in the spring-autumn frequency, instead of autumn-spring, then all the teams were renamed after the new agreed model, for example, the clubs supported by the army end up wearing the abbreviations "CCA", "CA" or "ASA". , the teams affiliated to the Miliția became Dinamo, in fact,
Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinbu ...
created a real system of satellites during this period, on the entire territory of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, from
Bacău Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...
to
Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...
and from
Cluj-Napoca ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...
to Slatina. Other football clubs were also renamed, as "Science" (for teams affiliated to Universities), "Miner", "Flame" or "Metal" (for football clubs affiliated to industry branches, depending on the industry they represented). In 1951, the management of the football club opted for a new change of identity, ''ICO'' was renamed as ''Progresul Oradea'', the second important step in the plan of blurring the identity of the club. This time the club's colors were also changed from "white and green" to "blue, bleu and white" similar with the colors combination used by Progresul București (which was named Spartac Banca RPR at the time), but often combined with white or red, in any case, a new identity and not too well defined, but also not so representative for Oradea of those times. In the
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...
season, however, Progresul, under the leadership of the same
Gusztáv Juhász Gusztáv Juhász (also written as Guștav Iuhași; 19 December 1911 – 20 January 2003) was a Romanian football player and coach of Hungarian origin. Biography Player As a midfielder, he played for 18 seasons in the Romanian and Hungarian ...
, achieved a rank beyond expectations, occupying the last step of the podium after
CCA București CCA may refer to: Organisations *Canadian Cat Association *Canadian Cattlemen's Association, an advocacy group for the Canadian beef industry *Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, Quebec * Canadian Council on Africa * Center for Contemporar ...
and
Dinamo București A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinbu ...
. In that team of Oradea appeared among others, the veterans
Mircea David Mircea David (16 October 1914 – 12 October 1993) was a Romanian football player, who played as a goalkeeper. After a match between Romania and Italy, played in Rome, he was nicknamed by the Italian football fans ''Il Dio'', because of his incr ...
,
Adolf Vécsey Adolf Vécsey (also known as Adolf Weber; 13 June 1916 – 1979) was a Hungarians, Hungarian association football, football player who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper.Ladislau Zilahi Ladislau "László" Zilahi (born 24 February 1922 – 1997) was a Romanian professional football player and manager of Hungarian ethnicity. Born in Oradea, Zilahi played in his career for CA Oradea, also called over time as: Libertatea, ICO or ...
,
Gavril Serfözö Gavril Serfözö (25 September 1926 – 16 May 2002) was a Romanian footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Honours ;CA Oradea *Liga I: 1948–49 ;CCA București *Cupa României: 1948–49, 1950 ;UTA ...
,
Gheorghe Bodo Gheorghe Bodo (also known as Bodó György; 1923 – 2004) was a Romanian professional footballer who played his entire career for CA Oradea, as a midfielder. He played at international level in 8 matches for Romania and scored 2 goals, also be ...
or
Gheorghe Váczi Gheorghe Váczi (4 August 1922 – 16 October 2006) was a Romanian football player who played as a striker. Career overview *''Total matches played in Romanian First League:'' 194 matches – 126 goals *''Total matches played in Hungari ...
(from the ICO generation of 1949), but also the defender Iuliu Darok (a product of Dermata Cluj and already Romanian international since 1947) or the new "terrible child" of
Crișana Crișana ( hu, Körösvidék, german: Kreischgebiet) is a geographical and historical region in north-western Romania, named after the Criș (Körös) River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru, and Crișul Repede. In Roma ...
, Iuliu Kiss, a product of Metalul Oradea Football Academy (former Stăruința), a club that also gave other "heavy names" to the Romanian football, such as
Iosif Bartha Iosif Bartha (18 July 1902 – 26 October 1957) was a Romanian footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, Americ ...
or
Iuliu Barátky Gyula Barátky ( ro, Iuliu Baratky; 14 May 1910 – 14 April 1962) was an ethnic Hungarian football player who represented both Hungary and Romania internationally. His preferred position was the half right. He played a total of 155 games in ...
, among others. After a
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
season that was ended on an honorable 6th place, under the management of
Dincă Schileru Dincă Schileru was a Romanian footballer and manager. Schileru was the coach that won the 1957–58 Cupa României, which was the first trophy in Politehnica Timișoara's history. In 2008 he received post-mortem the Honorary Citizen of Timiș ...
, Progresul lost some important pieces, such as:
Adolf Vécsey Adolf Vécsey (also known as Adolf Weber; 13 June 1916 – 1979) was a Hungarians, Hungarian association football, football player who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper.Gavril Serfözö Gavril Serfözö (25 September 1926 – 16 May 2002) was a Romanian footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Honours ;CA Oradea *Liga I: 1948–49 ;CCA București *Cupa României: 1948–49, 1950 ;UTA ...
or
Gheorghe Váczi Gheorghe Váczi (4 August 1922 – 16 October 2006) was a Romanian football player who played as a striker. Career overview *''Total matches played in Romanian First League:'' 194 matches – 126 goals *''Total matches played in Hungari ...
, after it already lost
Mircea David Mircea David (16 October 1914 – 12 October 1993) was a Romanian football player, who played as a goalkeeper. After a match between Romania and Italy, played in Rome, he was nicknamed by the Italian football fans ''Il Dio'', because of his incr ...
and János Kovács II at the end of 1951 (both retired). After two seasons, in which former important players of CAO, such as
Elemér Kocsis Elemér Kocsis ( ro, Elemer Cocis; 26 February 1910 – 6 October 1981, in Romania) was a Hungarians in Romania, Hungarian Romanian Association football, football Forward (association football), forward and Manager (association football), coach. ...
or
Iuliu Barátky Gyula Barátky ( ro, Iuliu Baratky; 14 May 1910 – 14 April 1962) was an ethnic Hungarian football player who represented both Hungary and Romania internationally. His preferred position was the half right. He played a total of 155 games in ...
(in his second term and the last one as manager of CAO) took the lead of the team, Progresul relegated under the command of the same
Dincă Schileru Dincă Schileru was a Romanian footballer and manager. Schileru was the coach that won the 1957–58 Cupa României, which was the first trophy in Politehnica Timișoara's history. In 2008 he received post-mortem the Honorary Citizen of Timiș ...
, who was signed in the summer of 1954 in order to save the team from relegation, but relegated from the bottom of the league table. The situation of Oradea's football club seemed problematic, but Progresul was unexpectedly well organized, signing in the spring of 1955 a new manager, its former player (newly retired, at that time)
Ladislau Zilahi Ladislau "László" Zilahi (born 24 February 1922 – 1997) was a Romanian professional football player and manager of Hungarian ethnicity. Born in Oradea, Zilahi played in his career for CA Oradea, also called over time as: Libertatea, ICO or ...
. As a
Divizia B The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
team, Progresul Oradea reached the
1955 Cupa României final The 1955 Cupa României Final was the 18th final of Romania's most prestigious football cup competition. It was disputed between CCA București and Progresul Oradea, and was won by CCA București after a game with 9 goals, in extra time. It was ...
, which was lost with 3–6 în front of
CCA București CCA may refer to: Organisations *Canadian Cat Association *Canadian Cattlemen's Association, an advocacy group for the Canadian beef industry *Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, Quebec * Canadian Council on Africa * Center for Contemporar ...
. The following year as a
Divizia A The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
team, the club won the 1956 Cupa României final, after a 2–0 win against
Divizia B The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
team Energia Câmpia Turzii. The winning squad of Progresul was managed by
Camil Scherz Camil Schertz or Camil Scherz (also known as Kamill Fuszek; 6 February 1921 – 1983) was a Romanian professional footballer and manager of Jewish ethnicity. As a footballer, Schertz played for Club Atletic Oradea, Csepel and ITA Arad, among ot ...
and formed of the following players: Adalbert Gébner – Gheorghe Kromely, Andor Tyirják, Gheorghe Barcu, Iosif Bartha, Ștefan Cuc, Ludovic Tóth, Ladislau Köszegi,
Alexandru Karikas Alexandru is the Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex, and Sandu. Origin Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men ...
,
Ladislau Vlad Ladislau "Laci" Vlad (25 March 1930 – 18 March 2013 However, the club's destiny had been sealed some time before this demotion, when the communist leadership of the Oradea Region decided that a new and "clean" club was needed, without a too twisted, cosmopolitan past or that could remind of times before the
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Thus, on 1 April 1958, Crișul Oradea Sports Club (the future
FC Bihor Oradea FC Bihor Oradea may refer to: * FC Bihor Oradea (1958) Fotbal Club Bihor Oradea (), commonly known as Bihor Oradea or simply as FC Bihor, was a Romanian professional football club based in Oradea, Bihor County. It was founded under the name of ...
) was established, with red and blue as the main colors. In the summer of the same year, 1958, ''Progresul Oradea'' was renamed again, this time as ''CS Oradea''. For a total misleading of the public, the logos of the two clubs were now almost identical, and the colors of CS Oradea (CAO) had also became red and blue, both teams playing on the same stadium, Iuliu Bodola Stadium. After a brief period as CS Oradea (1958–1962), the name of the football club was changed again, this time, the local authorities opted for ''CSM Crișana Oradea'', another confusing choice, because this name was already used by a completely different club (see
Crișana Oradea Crișana Oradea was a football club based in Oradea, Romania. It was founded in 1929 and dissolved in 1954. History The club was founded in 1929. The players from the first year of existence were: Putirică, Combi, Aurel, Bulzan, Restea, Slopu, ...
), before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, also a bitter rival of CA Oradea. After yo-yoing between the top two divisions for a few years (Rónay returned as coach in 1962–63), in 1963 the club was dissolved. That same year another club from Oradea won promotion to the top division, Crișul Oradea, a club which was mostly known as
FC Bihor Oradea FC Bihor Oradea may refer to: * FC Bihor Oradea (1958) Fotbal Club Bihor Oradea (), commonly known as Bihor Oradea or simply as FC Bihor, was a Romanian professional football club based in Oradea, Bihor County. It was founded under the name of ...
. The city of Oradea blazed brightly on the region's football firmament, with some of Hungary and Romania's greatest players of the age – one cup, and a league title in two countries – but it is now very much in the shadows: FC Bihor was dissolved on 12 January 2016 after a stormy history and in the spring of 2017 this dissolution subsequently realizing a strange reversed situation of the early 1960s.


New era, the same spirit (2017–present)

On 22 December 2016 ''CAO 1910 Association'' was founded, then on 17 March 2017 the association changed its status as a sports association named: Asociația Club Sportiv CAO 1910, thus marking the refoundation of the white and green team. The refounding of the club was followed by a marketing promotion period, in which, among other things, the official website of the club and the Facebook official page were launched. Then, on 28 July 2017 a partnership was signed between CAO and
CSM Oradea CSM Oradea is a Romanian sports society from Oradea, Romania, founded in 2003. Men's Basketball section During the last few years, CSM Oradea became one of the most powerful teams in Romanian basketball. The ''Red Lions'' have won the champi ...
, the team that took over the
FC Bihor Oradea FC Bihor Oradea may refer to: * FC Bihor Oradea (1958) Fotbal Club Bihor Oradea (), commonly known as Bihor Oradea or simply as FC Bihor, was a Romanian professional football club based in Oradea, Bihor County. It was founded under the name of ...
youth academy after its dissolution, but which didn't have a senior squad, so through this partnership
CSM Oradea CSM Oradea is a Romanian sports society from Oradea, Romania, founded in 2003. Men's Basketball section During the last few years, CSM Oradea became one of the most powerful teams in Romanian basketball. The ''Red Lions'' have won the champi ...
ensured a continuity for the youth players at senior level and CAO assured a youth academy. In the same period the team was enrolled in
Liga V Liga V is the fifth level of the Romanian football league system. Current format Liga V has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised and are organised by every county association. Each team plays in their own county. The county associatio ...
. At the end of the season CAO had an impressive ranking line, 24 wins, one draw and only one defeat, 146 goals scored and 21 conceded, 73 points, with 15 more than their main promotion rival, Dinamo Oradea. After the promotion, "the white and greens" continued their strategy to promote young players, being ranked 2nd in the
Liga IV Liga IV is the fourth level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia D into Liga IV before the start of play for the 2006–07 season. Current format Liga IV has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised a ...
, Bihor series, at the end of the 2018–19 season, 13 points away from the champions,
CSC Sânmartin CSC, Csc or CSc may refer to: Awards * Conspicuous Service Cross (disambiguation) ** Conspicuous Service Cross (Australia) ** Conspicuous Service Cross (New York) ** Conspicuous Service Cross (United Kingdom) Science and industry * Cancer ...
, a team with many players of certain quality and experience, as
Salif Nogo Salif Nogo (born 31 December 1986) is a Burkinabé-French former professional association football, footballer who played as a centre back. Nogo started his career in Burkina Faso at Union Sportive de Ouagadougou, US Ouagadougou, then in 2006 ar ...
,
Alexandru Sorian Alexandru Ioan Sorian (born 5 January 1991) is a Romanian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for CS Lotus Băile Felix, Lotus Băile Felix.Liga IV Liga IV is the fourth level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia D into Liga IV before the start of play for the 2006–07 season. Current format Liga IV has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised a ...
and the third one after the refoundation was beyond the expectations for the "white and greens". CA Oradea won all his matches in the autumn campaign, scored 69 goals and conceded only 6, leading the league table with a total of 45 points. The season was suspended during the winter break, due to
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
outbreak, then on 21 May 2020, CAO was crowned as the champions of
Liga IV Liga IV is the fourth level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia D into Liga IV before the start of play for the 2006–07 season. Current format Liga IV has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised a ...
, Bihor Series based on the results of the matches that were played in the autumn of 2019. The promotion play-offs were played on the Municipal Stadium in
Zalău Zalău (, unofficial and former official name: ro, Zălau (; german: Zillenmarkt or , hu, Zilah, tr, Zile) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2011, its estimated population was 56,202. History Ancient times Zalău is situated in the a ...
, and CAO was assigned in a group of three teams, together with CSM Satu Mare and Someșul Dej. CAO lost 1–3 against Satu Mare, than won 2–1 against Someșul, being ranked 2nd. Finally all the teams from that group were promoted to
2020–21 Liga III The 2020–21 Liga III was the 65th season of Liga III, the third tier of the Romanian football league system. The season began in September 2020 and ended in May 2021. The format was changed from five series of 16 teams to ten series of 10 teams ...
, due to the
Liga III The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season. It was the first in this format (six series of 18 t ...
competition format changes. In 2020, Oradea Municipality and APTOR (Local Public Association for Tourism) entered in the association, along with the already existing Oradea Renaștem Împreună Association (the association that reunite the founding members, the private sponsors and which owns Club Atletic Oradea brands, registered at the Romanian State Office for Inventions and Trademarks). At the end of the first season spent in the national divisions, after 58 years of absence, CA Oradea was ranked on an honorable 4th place, out of 10, then in the summer of 2021, the club announced that will be a break up between the owners (Oradea Municipality, APTOR and Oradea Renaștem Împreună) due to a difference of opinion between the public and the private parts. Municipality of Oradea wanted a merger between the two brands, Club Atletic Oradea (owned by Oradea Renaștem Împreună) and
FC Bihor Oradea FC Bihor Oradea may refer to: * FC Bihor Oradea (1958) Fotbal Club Bihor Oradea (), commonly known as Bihor Oradea or simply as FC Bihor, was a Romanian professional football club based in Oradea, Bihor County. It was founded under the name of ...
(owned by the Municipality), while the private side did not agree with this and wanted to continue the Club Atletic Oradea project. The owners agreed that the private management of the club will retire from the executive management and the association will work as Club Atletic Oradea only for another season, being expected an exchange of places through which FC Bihor (supported by the public owners), will reach the third tier, while the private owners (Oradea Renaștem Împreună, the official owner of the Club Atletic Oradea brands) will continue to support the white and green club, but a division below, back in the fourth league. CA Oradea had a good 2021–22 season and was ranked 2nd, out of 10, qualifying for
Liga II The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
promotion play-offs, where it was eliminated in the semi-final round, by
Corvinul Hunedoara Clubul Sportiv Corvinul 1921 Hunedoara, commonly known as Corvinul Hunedoara or simply as Corvinul, is a Romanian football club based in Hunedoara, Hunedoara County, currently playing in the Liga III. Founded in 1921 under the name of ''Fero Spo ...
, 2–4 on aggregate. On 24 June 2022, Club Atletic Oradea announced officially the break up, and that the club will continue in the county leagues, under the ownership of the private management, which also own the Club Atletic Oradea brands, registered at the Romanian State Office for Inventions and Trademarks. On the place of CAO, in the
Liga III The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season. It was the first in this format (six series of 18 t ...
will play the club owned by the Municipality of Oradea and APTOR.


Crest and colours


Crest

Club Atletic Oradea's first emblem, used between 1910 and 1919, was an almost replica of River Plate crest, the differences consist of a green sash instead of a red one, and also the initials ''NAC (Nagyváradi Atlétikai Club)'' wrote on diagonal, in opposition with the sash. For the next 20 years (1920–1940), the club used the first logo that introduced the green stripes, positioned on a white background, inside of a brown circle. On the logo were the two initials, ''CAO (Club Atletic Oradea)'' and ''NAC'', as a symbol of the
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n- Hungarian culture and friendship that existed around the club. In 1930, at the 20th anniversary of the club, the administrative staff decided to make a special logo. They modified the current logo, changing the places between the white background and green lines. At the time, the club was in the Hungarian championship, so on the top of the crest appeared only ''NAC'', as an abbreviation, wrote with gold colour. On the sides appeared the laurels and on the bottom of the logo, on two different ribbons were marked the year of foundation (1910) and the current year (1930). The last form of the logo with Hungarian influences was during the 1940s, with the same white and green stripes, now having some gold lines between them. On the top of the logo was written ''Nagyváradi AC'', on the bottom, the year of foundation 1910 and in the middle was placed a local coat of arms. After 1945, the club was moved back in Romania, but this time under the communist regime installed by the Soviets, fact that led to the removal of any Hungarian names. The club's name, as well as the crest, were frequently changed, not less than five times in the next 20 years. Some of them were lost in time, but for example, between 1951 and 1958, when the club was known under the name of ''Progresul Oradea'' used a triangular logo, with a bleu, blue and white water tower in the middle. On the top of the crest appeared the name of the club, in red colour. In 2017, after the refoundation, the club moved back to the name of Club Atletic Oradea and the original white and green colours. The new logo uses a rounded shape, with a green background and a gold outline. Above the logo are two golden stars representing the two national titles won by the club in Hungary (
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
) and Romania (
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...
), inside the shape appears with white letters the name of the club and the year of foundation, as well as a stylized golden shape of the Oradea's Fortress. In 2022, the club introduced a more modern variant of the logo used in the interwar period. The new logo is composed of a white shield, with green vertical stripes, having a geometric shape inspired by the emblems used both in the interwar period and in the first part of the 1940s. At the top of the logo, there are the two abbreviations so well known and confused with the club's history: CAO (Club Atletic Oradea) and NAC (Nagyváradi Atlétikai Club), a symbol of diversity and good cooperation between the main peoples who contributed to the development of Oradea. The new logo also borrows two elements from the last logo (used between 2017 and 2021), the two green stars, representing the titles won in Hungary (1944) and Romania (1949), as well as the year of founding, 1910.


Colours and Kits

The original colours of the club are white and green, this combination was used almost regularly with the exception of some periods, in which colours such as bleu, blue or white were printed on the kits. The classic home kit of Club Atletic Oradea consists of a white body with green stripes, white shorts and green or white socks. After the refoundation, the club used in the first season a printed form of the original kits used by the club, as a symbolic connecting bridge of the current side with the glorious history of the squad from the banks of the
Crișul Repede The Crișul Repede (Romanian Crișul Repede ("the rapid Criș"); Hungarian Sebes-Körös) is a river in Bihor County, Crișana, Romania and in southeastern Hungary (Körösvidek). Together with the rivers Crișul Alb ("the white Criș") and Crișu ...
river. Starting with the 2019–20 season, CAO also adopted a red and blue kit, current colors of
Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
and
Bihor County Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea. Toponymy The origin of ...
, city and region which it represents.


Grounds

In the first 14 years of their existence (1910–1924), "the white and greens" used to play the home matches on the historical stadium of the city, Tineretului Stadium, known at that time as ''Rhédey Garden'', with a capacity of 5,000 people. The stadium was replaced as the first ground with the opening of the new stadium, Municipal Stadium, in 1924. Until its dissolution, in 1963, CAO played its home matches on the Municipal Stadium, with a capacity of approx. 10,000 people, at that time. In 2017, after the re-establishment of the club, "the white and greens" started to play on the same Municipal Stadium, now known under the name of Iuliu Bodola Stadium, with a capacity of 11,155 on seats, the biggest from
Bihor County Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea. Toponymy The origin of ...
and named after
Iuliu Bodola Iuliu Bodola ( hu, Bodola Gyula; 26 February 1912 – 12 March 1993) was a Romanian- Hungarian association football striker who played internationally both for Romania and Hungary. His nickname was ''Duduş''/''Dudus''. He is Romania's third ...
, CAO's great player of the 1930s and 1940s. The home ground of CAO was established here due to the partnership with CSM Oradea and the financial support of the Municipality of Oradea, the owner of the arena. In the summer of 2022, CAO and the Municipality broke up the partnership and the team moved to
Paleu Paleu ( hu, Hegyközpályi) is a commune located in Bihor County, Crișana, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Paleu, Săldăbagiu de Munte (''Hegyközszáldobágy'') and Uileacu de Munte (''Hegyközújlak''). These were part of Cetariu Com ...
, in the Oradea Metropolitan Area. Club Atletic Oradea plays its home matches on Paleu Sports Base in
Paleu Paleu ( hu, Hegyközpályi) is a commune located in Bihor County, Crișana, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Paleu, Săldăbagiu de Munte (''Hegyközszáldobágy'') and Uileacu de Munte (''Hegyközújlak''). These were part of Cetariu Com ...
, with a capacity of 1,500 (300 on seats). In the past, the arena was the home ground of local team FC Paleu.


Support


Rivalries

CAO's bitter rivals are Ripensia Timișoara, but also has rivalries with teams such as:
UTA Arad Uta or UTA may refer to: Universities *University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States * University of Tarapacá, in Chile *University of Tampere, in Finland Sports * FC UTA Arad, a Romanian football club based in the town of Arad * A ...
or Politehnica Timișoara. In the past, CAO also had important rivals at the local level, matches against teams such as
Stăruința Oradea Stăruinţa Oradea (Hungarian: Nagyváradi Törekvés; English: Perseverance) was a Romanian football club from Oradea. They reached the final round of the Romanian football championship five times in the 1920s. Stăruinţa Oradea was founded in ...
or
Crișana Oradea Crișana Oradea was a football club based in Oradea, Romania. It was founded in 1929 and dissolved in 1954. History The club was founded in 1929. The players from the first year of existence were: Putirică, Combi, Aurel, Bulzan, Restea, Slopu, ...
being recognized for their intensity. In the modern era, an important local rivalry is against Lotus Băile Felix.


Youth program

In 2017, after the re-foundation, CAO formed its academy following the partnership signed with
CSM Oradea CSM Oradea is a Romanian sports society from Oradea, Romania, founded in 2003. Men's Basketball section During the last few years, CSM Oradea became one of the most powerful teams in Romanian basketball. The ''Red Lions'' have won the champi ...
, the club which took over the youth academy of Bihor Oradea after its dissolution in 2016. Between 2020 and 2021, CAO–CSM Academy was coordinated by Stelian Farcău and Florin Farcaș (who was also the manager of CA Oradea's senior squad) and the coaches were Claudiu Mutu, Sorin Todea, Horea Rădulescu, Sorin Pop, Lucian Ciocan and Adrian Gongolea. In the summer of 2022, Club Atletic Oradea and CSM Oradea broke the partnership they had, "the white and greens" starting to form their own youth program, while CSM Oradea, supported by the Municipality of Oradea, starting to form their own senior squad, mainly with players that played for CAO.


Honours


Romania


Leagues

*
Liga I The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
**Winners (1): 1948–49 **Runners-up (2): 1923–24, 1934–35 *
Liga II The Liga 2, most often spelled as Liga II, is the second level of the Romanian football league system. The league changed its name from Divizia B just before the start of the 2006–07 Liga II, 2006–07. It is currently Sponsor (commercial), sp ...
**Winners (2):
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
, 1961–62 **Runners-up (1): 1938–39 *
Liga III The Liga 3, most often spelled as Liga III, is the third level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia C to Liga III before the start of the 2006–07 season. It was the first in this format (six series of 18 t ...
**Runners-up (1): 2021–22 *
Liga IV Liga IV is the fourth level of the Romanian football league system. Its name was changed from Divizia D into Liga IV before the start of play for the 2006–07 season. Current format Liga IV has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised a ...
–
Bihor County Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea. Toponymy The origin of ...
**Winners (1): 2019–20 **Runners-up (1): 2018–19 *
Liga V Liga V is the fifth level of the Romanian football league system. Current format Liga V has 42 divisions. The divisions are regionalised and are organised by every county association. Each team plays in their own county. The county associatio ...
–
Bihor County Bihor County () is a county ( județ) in western Romania. With a total area of , Bihor is Romania's 6th largest county geographically and the main county in the historical region of Crișana. Its capital city is Oradea. Toponymy The origin of ...
**Winners (1): 2017–18 *Regional Championship **Winners (2): 1923–24, 1924–25


Cups

*
Cupa României The Cupa României ( en, Romanian Cup) is a Association football, football cup competition for List of football clubs in Romania, Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34 Cupa României, 1933–34, except during World War II. I ...
**Winners (1):
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
**Runners-up (1):
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...


Hungary


Leagues

*
Nemzeti Bajnokság I The Nemzeti Bajnokság (, "National Championship"), also known as NB I, is the top level of the Hungarian football league system. The league is officially named OTP Bank Liga after its title sponsor OTP Bank. UEFA currently ranks the league 28th ...
**Winners (1): 1943–44 **Runners-up (1): 1942–43 *
Nemzeti Bajnokság II NB II, currently known as the Merkantil Bank Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of Hungarian football. At the end of the 2004–05 season, the tournament format was changed from one division of 14 teams to two divisions: ''Keleti ...
**Winners (1): 1940–41 *Regional Championship **Winners (1): 1913–14


Players


First team squad


Out on loan


Club officials


Board of directors


Current technical staff


Shirt sponsors and manufacturers


Chronology of names


League history


Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level. ;Romania * Iuliu Borbely *
Vasile Chiroiu Vasile Chiroiu (August 13, 1910 – May 9, 1976) was a Romanian football defender who played for Romania in the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Honours ;Ripensia Timişoara *Liga I The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Ro ...
*
Mircea David Mircea David (16 October 1914 – 12 October 1993) was a Romanian football player, who played as a goalkeeper. After a match between Romania and Italy, played in Rome, he was nicknamed by the Italian football fans ''Il Dio'', because of his incr ...
*
Anton Fernbach-Ferenczi Anton Fernbach-Ferenczi (also known as Antal Ferenczi; 4 March 1925 – 1989*) was a Romanian football Forward (association football), forward and Manager (association football), manager. He scored the winning goal in the 2–1 victory against F ...
* Andrei Glanzmann *
Gusztáv Juhász Gusztáv Juhász (also written as Guștav Iuhași; 19 December 1911 – 20 January 2003) was a Romanian football player and coach of Hungarian origin. Biography Player As a midfielder, he played for 18 seasons in the Romanian and Hungarian ...
*
Elemér Kocsis Elemér Kocsis ( ro, Elemer Cocis; 26 February 1910 – 6 October 1981, in Romania) was a Hungarians in Romania, Hungarian Romanian Association football, football Forward (association football), forward and Manager (association football), coach. ...
*
Cornel Orza Cornel Orza (born 9 January 1916) was a Romanian footballer who played as a striker. International career Cornel Orza made seven appearances at international level for Romania, scoring in his debut against Germany which ended with a 1–4 loss ...
*
Ferenc Rónay Ferenc Rónay or Francisc Rónay (29 April 1900 – 6 April 1967) was a Hungarian-Romanian footballer and manager. Rónay was the first ever scorer of the Romania national football team, giving them the equaliser against Yugoslavia in their d ...
*
Gavril Serfözö Gavril Serfözö (25 September 1926 – 16 May 2002) was a Romanian footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Honours ;CA Oradea *Liga I: 1948–49 ;CCA București *Cupa României: 1948–49, 1950 ;UTA ...
*
Nicolae Simatoc Nicolae Simatoc (also known as Miklós Szegedi; 1 May 1920 – 2 December 1979) was a Romanian association football manager and midfielder who played for a number of clubs throughout Europe, including Ripensia Timişoara and Carmen București in ...
* Iosif Stibinger *
Gheorghe Váczi Gheorghe Váczi (4 August 1922 – 16 October 2006) was a Romanian football player who played as a striker. Career overview *''Total matches played in Romanian First League:'' 194 matches – 126 goals *''Total matches played in Hungari ...
*
Ladislau Zilahi Ladislau "László" Zilahi (born 24 February 1922 – 1997) was a Romanian professional football player and manager of Hungarian ethnicity. Born in Oradea, Zilahi played in his career for CA Oradea, also called over time as: Libertatea, ICO or ...
;Hungary *
Elemér Berkessy Elemér Berkessy (20 June 1905 – 7 July 1993), also referred to as Emilio Berkessy or Emil Berkessy, was a Hungarian footballer and coach. Playing career Berkessy joined Ferencváros in 1928, and with them he was the champion of Hungary twice, ...
*
Gyula Lóránt Gyula Lóránt (born Gyula Lipovics, 6 February 1923 – 31 May 1981) was a Hungarian footballer and manager of Croatian descent. He played as a defender and midfielder for, among others, UTA Arad, Vasas SC, Honvéd and Hungary. During the ...
*
Andor Ónody Andor Ónody (3 August 1920 – 5 June 1986) was a Hungarian football player who played as a defender at internationally level for Hungary. Career He started the football career at Kispest. In 1940 he was signed by Elektromos, where he playe ...
;Romania-Hungary *
Iuliu Baratky Gyula Barátky ( ro, Iuliu Baratky; 14 May 1910 – 14 April 1962) was an ethnic Hungarian football player who represented both Hungary and Romania internationally. His preferred position was the half right. He played a total of 155 games in ...
*
Iuliu Bodola Iuliu Bodola ( hu, Bodola Gyula; 26 February 1912 – 12 March 1993) was a Romanian- Hungarian association football striker who played internationally both for Romania and Hungary. His nickname was ''Duduş''/''Dudus''. He is Romania's third ...
*
Nicolae Kovács Nicolae Kovács ( hu, Kovács Miklós, sometimes rendered as ''Nicolae Covaci'', 29 December 1911 – 7 July 1977) was a Romanian-Hungarian football player and coach. He was a dual international football player and played both for Romania and H ...
*
Francisc Mészáros Francisc Mészáros (also known as Ferenc Mészáros; 5 May 1919 – 21 September 1977) was a footballer who played international football for both Hungary and Romania. He played as a defender for Dorogi, Tokodi Üveggyári SC, Újpest, Nagyv ...
*
József Pecsovszky József Pecsovszky or Iosif Petschovschi (also known as József Perényi; 2 July 1921 – 6 October 1968), was a Romanian football player. His nickname was ''Peci''. He could play in any position on the pitch, he was even goalkeeper once. Caree ...
*
Francisc Spielmann Francisc Spielmann ( hu, Sárvári Ferenc; 10 July 1916 – 21 November 1974) was a football player and coach of German ethnicity who played as a striker at international level for Romania and Hungary. Career Spielmann begin his football caree ...
* Albert Ströck


Notable former managers

*
Iuliu Baratky Gyula Barátky ( ro, Iuliu Baratky; 14 May 1910 – 14 April 1962) was an ethnic Hungarian football player who represented both Hungary and Romania internationally. His preferred position was the half right. He played a total of 155 games in ...
*
Nicolae Kovács Nicolae Kovács ( hu, Kovács Miklós, sometimes rendered as ''Nicolae Covaci'', 29 December 1911 – 7 July 1977) was a Romanian-Hungarian football player and coach. He was a dual international football player and played both for Romania and H ...
* Lajos Remmer *
Ferenc Rónay Ferenc Rónay or Francisc Rónay (29 April 1900 – 6 April 1967) was a Hungarian-Romanian footballer and manager. Rónay was the first ever scorer of the Romania national football team, giving them the equaliser against Yugoslavia in their d ...
* Camil Schertz *
Ladislau Zilahi Ladislau "László" Zilahi (born 24 February 1922 – 1997) was a Romanian professional football player and manager of Hungarian ethnicity. Born in Oradea, Zilahi played in his career for CA Oradea, also called over time as: Libertatea, ICO or ...


Management

* dr. Emil Jonas (1910–1911) * dr. Sándor Dénes (1911–1913) * dr. Emil Adorján (1913–1919) * János Pelle (1921–1930) * István Kovács & Gyula Grünstein (1930–1932) * János Pelle & Ernö Popper (1932–1933) * Justin Filip (1937–1938) * János Pelle (1938–1939) * Rezső Jeney & Béla Jancsó (1940–1941) * Rezső Jeney & Károly Krüger (1941–1943) * Gyula Cseuz (1944–1945) * Ștefan Hittner (1945–1948) * dr. Ardelean (1962–1963) * Florin Mal (2017–2021) * Laurențiu Danșa (2021–2022) * Florin Mal (2022–present)


References


External links

*
Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:CA Oradea Association football clubs established in 1910 Football clubs in Bihor County Oradea Sport in Oradea Liga I clubs Liga II clubs Liga III clubs Liga IV clubs 1910 establishments in Austria-Hungary *