"Baba" Gündüz Kılıç (29 October 1918 – 17 May 1980) was a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

football player and coach. He was

Ali Kılıç Ali Kılıç or Kilij Ali also known as Kılıç Ali Bey (born as Suleiman Asaf, 1890; Istanbul, Constantinople - July 14, 1971; Istanbul) was a Turkish people, Turkish officer of the Military of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Army and Turkish Lan ...

's son and Altemur Kılıç's brother.

Biography

Born in 1918 in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, Gündüz Kılıç attended Galatasaray Lycee and then started his football career as a center forward with

Galatasaray SK Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

. He was strong, big, well-educated, sophisticated, charismatic, charming and hungry for success. He never looked flashy, yet was never boring. Kılıç was the mastermind behind the rise of Turkish football schooling football players that would become respectable managers after their career. He was also part of Turkey's squad at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

, but he did not play in any matches. He took a break from his career in 1938, moving to Germany for a university education. When he returned to Turkey, he again wore the Galatasaray shirt and won two league championships with the team. Kılıç, who played 11 matches with the

Turkey national football team The Turkey national football team ( tr, Türkiye Millî Futbol Takımı) represents Turkey in men's international Association football, football matches. The team is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation ( tr, Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu ...

, played for Galatasaray until 1953 except he played for

Ankara Demirspor Ankara Demirspor is a Turkish professional Association football, football club based in Ankara. They compete in the TFF Second League. They were one of the Süper Lig, Super League's founding members in 1959. By winning the former Turkish Footbal ...

during his national service military obligation. His 5 goals against

Beşiktaş JK Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...

are still a record for all 3 Istanbul derbies. His 5 goals were scored in the 43' (1-1), 58' (4-1), 73' (5-2), 76' (6-2) and 89' (9-2) minute. The "Gündüz Kılıç Revolution" started early one morning at Galatasaray in 1952, when he hung his uniform in his locker and put on his coaching suit and whistle without looking back. Once the captain of the

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

team, Gündüz Kılıç coached his former teammates and the bright young talents he added to the squad. He led his team to several championships after eighteen years without a championship between 1934 and 1952. He also transferred Turkish superstar

Metin Oktay Metin Oktay (2 February 1936 – 13 September 1991) nicknamed the Uncrowned King ( tr, Taçsız Kral) by Galatasaray fans, was a Turkish footballer and one of the most successful goal scorers in Turkey. Early life Metin Oktay was born in Kar ...

to the team. Under Kılıç, Galatasaray reached quarter-finals of the European Cup, with the

AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons ...

side of

Nereo Rocco Nereo Rocco (; 20 May 1912 – 20 February 1979) was an Italian association football player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, he is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, winning s ...

ending their run. Every Galatasaray player, student or supporter had found an exemplary man in Gündüz Kılıç: a man who performed so well, motivated so well, educates so well and brought out the very best in every single person he ever worked with. A true gentleman both on and off the field, Gündüz Kılıç helped Galatasaray to reach new targets. Under his leadership, Galatasaray won numerous championships, Turkish Cup titles and international matches. His visionary coaching style and strong communication skills were to be the backbone of Turkish coaching for many years to come. The player, whose nickname was "Father", died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, USA on 17 May 1980. His body was transferred to Istanbul and was interred at the

Aşiyan Asri Cemetery The Aşiyan Asri Cemetery ( tr, Aşiyan Asri Mezarlığı) is a burial ground situated on Aşiyan between the Bebek, Istanbul, Bebek and Rumelihisarı neighborhoods of the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. Many renowned intellectuals, writers an ...

Honours

As player

Milli Küme The National Division or National League ( tr, Millî Küme) was a top-level football competition organised by the Turkish Football Federation, including the most successful teams from Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir in Turkey. It was the first nat ...

: 1 *** 1938-1939 **

Istanbul Football League The Istanbul Football League ( tr, İstanbul Futbol Ligi) was founded as a regional football league under the name Constantinople Football Association League by James La Fontaine and Henry Pears in Istanbul, the capital of the former Ottoman Empi ...

: 1 *** 1948-1949 **

Istanbul Futbol Kupası The Istanbul Football Cup ( tr, İstanbul Futbol Kupası) was a football competition for Istanbul clubs in Turkey. The cup replaced the Istanbul Shield The Istanbul Shield ( tr, İstanbul Şildi) was a football tournament for Istanbul clubs in Tu ...

: 2 *** 1941-1942, 1942–1943

As manager

: 2 *** 1954-1955, 1955–1956 **

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

: 2 *** 1961-1962, 1962–1963 **

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup ( Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...

: 3 ***1962-1963, 1964–1965, 1965–1966 ** TFF Süper Kupa: 1 ***1966

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kilic, Gunduz 1918 births 1980 deaths Turkish footballers Turkey international footballers Ankara Demirspor footballers Galatasaray S.K. footballers Olympic footballers of Turkey Footballers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Turkish football managers Galatasaray S.K. (football) managers Beşiktaş J.K. managers Süper Lig managers Footballers from Istanbul Galatasaray High School alumni Turkey national football team managers Altay S.K. managers Burials at Aşiyan Asri Cemetery Turkish people of Abkhazian descent Association football forwards