Stanisław Ryszard Burzyński (19 October 1948 – 5 November 1991) was a Polish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. The majority of his career was spent with teams in the Tricity area, with the exception of a spell in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...

Biography

Burzyński started his playing career with Lechia Gdańsk in 1966, making his senior debut in the

Polish Cup The Polish Cup in football ( pl, Puchar Polski w piłce nożnej ) is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title. ...

in the 3–0 victory over Wisła Nowe. In total Burzyński made 22 appearances in all competitions over the span of 3 seasons with Lechia. In 1969 he moved to Lechia Gdańsk's main rivals,

Arka Gdynia Morski Związkowy Klub Sportowy Arka Gdynia () is a Polish professional football club, based in Gdynia, Poland, that plays in the Polish I liga. The club was founded as Klub Sportowy Gdynia in 1929. History The history of Arka dates back to ...

. He spent 7 seasons with Arka over the course of two spells, becoming a fan favourite during that time. In total he made 199 appearances for Arka, with 166 of those coming in the league, and helped Arka to the top division by winning the

II liga II liga (Druga Liga, ), currently named eWinner II liga due to sponsorship reasons by eWinner, is a Polish football league that sits at the third tier of the Polish football league system. Until the end of the 2007–08 season ''II Liga'' refer ...

during his first spell with the club. In 1975 Burzyński moved to

Widzew Łódź RTS Widzew Łódź () is a Polish football club based in Łódź. The club was founded in 1910. Its official colours are red and white, hence their nicknames ''Czerwona Armia'' (Red Army) and ''Czerwono-biało-czerwoni'' (Red-white-reds). Histor ...

, one of the biggest teams in Poland at the time. During his time with Widzew, the team finished 2nd in the league three times, only failing to become Polish Champions in 1978–79 due to goal difference. Widzew also finished runners-up in the

final in 1977. In total Burzyński played 177 times for Widzew from 1975 to 1980. In 1980, his career was put on hold after being sent to prison for driving under the influence of alcohol and killing an 86-year-old man in an accident. He was released from prison in 1981, moving back to the Tricity to play for

Bałtyk Gdynia Bałtyk Gdynia is a Polish football club from Gdynia. The club is named after the Baltic Sea. History The club was established in 1930 by football enthusiasts from the developing city. Bałtyk is the oldest football club from Gdynia, which sti ...

and

MOSiR Gdańsk MOSiR Gdańsk was a football team based in Gdańsk, Poland. The club, Miejskiego Ośrodka Sportu i Rekreacji Gdańsk (''"Municipal Sports and Recreation Center Gdańsk"''), played its games at the Stadion MOSiR, the centre in the city for the s ...

. Before the accident he was due to join English club

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

which fell through due to his time in prison. Due to what Burzyński saw as a missed opportunity in his career he fall into alcoholism, failing to regain his form at any of his final three clubs until he retired in 1988. After his career Burzyński still struggled with his alcohol issues, committing suicide by jumping from his 9th floor apartment window on 5 November 1991.

Honours

Arka Gdynia *II liga (northern group) ''(second tier)'' **Winners: 1973–74 Widzew Łódź *I liga ''(first tier)'' **Runners-up: 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80 *Polish Cup **Runners-up: 1977

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burzyński, Stanisław 1948 births 1991 deaths Lechia Gdańsk players Arka Gdynia players Widzew Łódź players Polish footballers Poland international footballers Sportspeople from Gdańsk Sportspeople from Pomeranian Voivodeship Association football goalkeepers Suicides by jumping Polish people convicted of manslaughter Suicides in Poland