Franz John

Lore & Background

Born in Pritzwalk, Brandenburg, John moved with his parents to Pankow, Berlin, and later joined VfB Pankow. After an apprenticeship as a photographer in Jena, he moved to Munich and became a member of 1879 Munich. On 27 February 1900, he led eleven players out of MTV to found Bayern Munich in the restaurant Gisela, becoming its first president. Under his lead, the club joined the South German Football Association in its first year.

He left Bayern in 1903 and Munich in 1904, returning to Pankow to open a photo laboratory and later becoming president of VfB Pankow. He was made an honorary member (Ehrenmitglied) of Bayern Munich in 1922 and later received the club's needle of honour in gold, though the exact year is not universally confirmed. He died in Pankow, East Berlin, at age 80, with no descendants. His grave was later traced to Fürstenwalde, and Bayern Munich recreated it with a new tombstone for the club's 100th anniversary in 2000.

Reader's Guide

Franz John is remembered as the founding president of Bayern Munich, instrumental in the club's early integration into the South German Football Association. His later life saw a return to Berlin and continued involvement with VfB Pankow.

Did You Know?

• He met Gustav Manning at VfB Pankow, who later helped integrate Munich clubs into the German Football Association.
• John had no descendants.