Uli Hoeneß Manager Titles

Lore & Background

Ulrich Hoeneß was born on 5 January 1952 in Ulm, Württemberg-Baden, West Germany. He grew up in a conservative, Catholic-influenced family as the son of master butcher Erwin Hoeneß and his wife, Paula, in Ulm. He attended the Hans-Multscher-Grundschule before transferring to the Schubart-Gymnasium, both located in Ulm. Along with his younger brother Dieter, he began playing football in the youth department of VfB Ulm. He later transferred to TSG Ulm 1846. At the age of 15, he became captain of the DFB's school selection team. During training camps of the South German A-Youth team at the Schöneck sports school in Baden, he shared a room with Paul Breitner for the first time. Later, they moved into their first shared apartment in the Munich district of Trudering. In 1971, Hoeneß graduated from the Schubart-Gymnasium in Ulm. He was exempted from military service because wearing a combat helmet caused him head and knee pain. Hoeneß graduated with an average grade of 2.4. Initially, he intended to study business administration in the winter semester of 1971–72, but due to a penalty for non-Bavarian applicants, he was unable to study this subject at LMU Munich. He decided to study English and history for teaching instead but dropped out after two semesters.

In Their Own Story

The Munich evening air was crisp, carrying the scent of cut grass from the Grünwalder Straße pitch. Uli stood on the sideline, hands clasped behind his back, watching the midfield battle unfold. He knew every player's weakness because he had once played alongside them. A whistle blew, signaling a tactical shift he had practiced for weeks. In that moment, the captaincy armband was gone, but the responsibility remained heavier than ever.

Reader's Guide

Hoeneß played as a left-sided forward with amateur club TSG Ulm 1846 and was recruited by Udo Lattek, then manager of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. He immediately made an impact, scoring six times in 31 matches as the Bavarians finished in second position behind Borussia Mönchengladbach, and adding the domestic cup. During his eight-and-a-half-year stint with Bayern, Hoeneß won a total of eight major titles, including three league titles and as many European Cups. In the 1973–74 European Cup final replay against Atlético Madrid, he scored two goals in the 4–0 victory. However, in the final of the following year's European Cup he suffered an injury to his right knee from which he never fully recovered. In late 1978, Hoeneß was loaned to Bayern's neighbors 1. FC Nürnberg, where it was hoped he could get more match practice. His recovery failed, and he was forced to retire at the age of 27. He appeared in 250 matches in Germany's top division, netting 86 times. Hoeneß played 35 times for West Germany. His debut came on 29 March 1972; he scored the final goal in a 2–0 friendly win in Hungary. He won both UEFA Euro 1972 and the 1974 FIFA World Cup. In the final of the latter, against Holland, he committed a foul on Johan Cruyff in the opening minute that led to a goal from the subsequent penalty, but West Germany came from behind to win 2–1. He also played in Euro 1976, where he missed the decisive West German shot in the penalty shootout loss against Czechoslovakia. Hoeneß had retained his amateur status until 1972, allowing him to take part in that year's Summer Olympic Games, where West Germany failed to qualify for the semifinals. Immediately after retiring as a player in May 1979, Hoeneß was appointed commercial/general manager of Bayern Munich. On 27 November 2009, after 30 years as general manager, Hoeneß was elected president of the club. In August 2016, Hoeneß announced that he would seek re-election to the post of president of Bayern Munich. He was re-elected in November 2016 with more than 97% of the votes. On 1 May 2019, Hoeneß celebrated 40 years of working for Bayern's management. On 15 November 2019, Hoeneß retired as Bayern's president and was succeeded by Herbert Hainer. Hoeneß spent 49 years at Bayern, both as a player and in management of the club.

Did You Know?

• Hoeneß was the sole survivor of the crash of a light aircraft on 17 February 1982, in which three others died.
• He co-owns HoWe Wurstwaren KG, a Nuremberg-based bratwurst factory.
• Hoeneß pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 2014 and served 18 months in prison.
• His nephew Sebastian is a head coach for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.