Ryszard Tadeusz Koncewicz (born 12 April 1911 in Lemberg; died 15 March 2001 in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

) was a Polish soccer player as well as a coach. In the interbellum period, Koncewicz played without notable successes for Lechia Lwów (1927–1939). Caught by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

during the

Polish September Campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

), he spent the war in a German POW camp Oflag IIC Woldenberg, where he represented the unofficial team of the city of Lwów, which consisted of POWs from there. After the war he returned to Poland, and as Lwów was annexed by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, Koncewicz, together with numerous Poles expelled from the city, settled in Bytom, where he played in

Polonia Bytom Polonia Bytom () is a Polish football club based in Bytom, founded in 1920, two times Polish Champions. The team currently plays in the III liga (as of 2022–23). History Beginnings Polonia was founded on 4 January 1920 in the Upper Silesia ...

. In 1950 he became a coach of Ruch Chorzów, winning next year the Cup of Poland. Then he coached Polonia Bytom (1954 champions), Legia Warsaw (1956 champions and winners of Cup of Poland) and

Gwardia Warszawa Gwardia Warszawa was a Polish sports club based in Warsaw. The club was founded in 1948. It participated in the Polish 1st League from 1953–1960 (8 seasons), 1962–1966 (5 seasons), 1967–1968, 1969–1975, 1978–1979 and 1981–1983. The ...

. As early as 1948, Koncewicz started cooperating with then-coach of Polish National Team,

Wacław Kuchar Wacław Michał Kuchar (16 September 1897 – 13 February 1981) was a Polish sports champion, olympian, and multiple football, track and field and speed skating champion of the country. Kuchar excelled in many sports – track and field, foot ...

, who himself was from Lwów as well. Then, he trained Poland for several short periods (1953, 1956–1957, 1964–1966 and 1968–1970). After retiring, he was an activist of the

Polish Football Association The Polish Football Association ( pl, Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej; PZPN) is the governing body of association football in Poland. It organizes the Polish football leagues (without the Ekstraklasa), the Polish Cup and the Polish national footb ...

(PZPN).

References

1911 births 2001 deaths Polish footballers Polonia Bytom players Polish football managers Lechia Gdańsk managers Polonia Bytom managers Legia Warsaw managers Ruch Chorzów managers Poland national football team managers Sportspeople from Lviv People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish Austro-Hungarians Association football forwards Prisoners of Oflag II-C {{Poland-footy-forward-stub