Robert Gronowski (13 May 1926 – 24 February 1994) was a Polish professional

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player and manager. He spent the majority of his career with

Lechia Gdańsk Lechia Gdańsk () is a Polish football club based in Gdańsk. The club was founded in 1945 by people expelled from Lwów, who were supporters of Poland's oldest football team Lechia Lwów, founded in 1903. The club's name comes from Lechia, a ...

, with whom he also managed for a brief spell after retiring from playing professional football. His brother, Henryk Gronowski was also a former professional footballer who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

Early years

Having been born in

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional cap ...

in 1926, which was then in Germany, Robert was born as Robert Gruner. Unlike his brother Henryk who changed his name to the Polish version of their last name, Gronowski, Robert never officially changed his name and was always known as Robert Gruner throughout his lifetime. However, all footballing records stated his name as Robert Gronowski.

Senior career

After World War 2 Gronowski joined the newly established football team of his birth city Piast in Gliwice, which had now been integrated into Poland. In 1949 Gronowski joined

with his younger brother, Henryk. Gronowski spent a total of 11 years at Lechia, playing over 158 games in all competitions and scored 58 goals in all competitions, still placing as one of the club's highest goalscorers in their history, and is still the club's third highest goalscorer in the

Ekstraklasa Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO Ekstraklasa since the 2019–20 season due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams. Contested by 18 cl ...

with 35 goals in the top division. In 1961 Gronowski moved to Australia to play for Polonia Melbourne and Polonia Sydney, Football teams which had been created by Polish nationals who had moved to Australia. During his time with the clubs, Gronowski also acted as the clubs' manager, with the role as a player manager.

International career

In 1953 Gronowski played for Poland, in what turned out to be his only international appearance. He played against

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

in a 2-0 defeat.

Managerial career

After his roles as a player manager in Australia, Gronowski focused solely on management. His first full-time appointment was with

in 1966, meaning his first three management jobs also saw him managing his brother. His time at Lechia didn't last long, and Gronowski soon found himself without a job. After Lechia Gronowski managed

SKS Stoczniowiec Gdańsk SKS Stoczniowiec Gdańsk is a football club based in Gdańsk, Poland. It spent a large part of its history as Polonia Gdańsk. The club was founded in 1945 and currently plays in the Gdańsk regional divisions. It is best known for its period ...

, RKS Stocznia Północna, and Ogniwo Sopot, all of which are located in the Tricity area.

Personal life

Gronowski is commemorated by a star at the MOSiR Stadium in Gdańsk. The "Avenue of Stars" commemorates the efforts and success of former players and coaches.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gronowski, Robert 1926 births 1994 deaths Sportspeople from Gliwice Piast Gliwice players Lechia Gdańsk players AKS Chorzów players Polonia Gdańsk players Polish footballers Poland international footballers Polish football managers Lechia Gdańsk managers Association football forwards Western Eagles FC players Western Eagles FC managers