CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS (1908)
Picture : William Robert “Billy” Mac Cracken
Interesting and curious facts about full internationals and national players (1908)
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1908
Sune Almkvist(4.2.1886-8.8.1975) played for IFK Uppsala and took part in the 1908 Olympic football in London. He was quick and agile outside right. He was truly an all-round sportsman, and was popularly known only as “Bandykungen” [bandy king]. His record in sports was impressive: four times football international (1908), 11 times Swedish bandy champion, twice Swedish tennis champion, and an excellent golfer as well.
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Harald August Bohr(22.4.1887-21.1.1951) played for Akademisk Boldklub (Copenhagen) and took part in the 1908 Olympic football in London. The right half-back played four times for Denmark from 1908 to 1910. He was the brother of the world-renowned physicist Niels Henrik David Bohr (7.10.1885-18.11.1962), who played football for the same club but never was called up for the national team. On the other hand, he won the Nobel prize for his research on the structure of atoms.
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When Switzerland met Germany (5:3) on April 5, 1908, the Swiss fielded two players with an academic degree. Their goal was kept by Dr. Ivan Dreyfuss (Servette FC, Geneva), and their inside right was Dr. Siegfried Pfeiffer (FC Basel), who scored two goals. Switzerland also profited from an own goal by Ernst Jordan, the right full-back of Magdeburger Fußball- und Cricket Club Victoria 1896. Ernst Jordan, who was born on May 18, 1883, really was called Ernst Langmeier, but played under the pseudonym “Jordan”. The German FA was evidently not aware of this, and had him on file as Ernst Jordan.
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When Germany first met Switzerland, on April 5, 1908, the German goal was kept by 19 year-old high school senior Fritz Baumgarten (Berliner FC Germania 1888), who conceded five goals in pouring rain and was never called up for the national team again. The youngest player on the German team was outside left Willy Baumgärtner(Düsseldorfer SV 1904), who at the age of 17 years and 104 days also was the youngest ever German international. Until 1909, the outside forward played for Germany four times in a row, yet without ever scoring a goal. Around 1930 Willy Baumgärtner emigrated to Brazil and settled in São Paulo, where he died on November 16, 1953.
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When Norway lost to Sweden (3:11) in Göteborg on July 12, 1908, Norwegian outside left Tryggve Herman Granof Ski og FK Mercantile, Kristiania (now Oslo) played his only full “A” international ever. The fellow, who was born in Bergen on January 20, 1889, would attain fame, though not as a footballer. First, though, he played for Bergen Fodboldklub and then for La Villa Longchamp Ouchy in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he continued his schooling after he turned 13. When he returned to Norway, he played for Mercantile, took part in the above-mentioned international and earned his wings as a pilot at the capital. He also was an excellent skier.
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Tryggve Herman Gran
When Robert Falcon Scott of England needed a ski instructor for his Antarctic expedition (1910-1913), he chose Norwegian Tryggve Herman Gran. This expedition was a race against a similar expedition by Norway, which was headed by Roald Amundsen and crossed the Antarctic reach the South Pole, in 1911. Gran had also become a polar explorer, his passion was flying. On July 30, 1914, he became the first man to fly over the North Sea: He took off from Scotland and four hours and ten minutes later landed in Norway, just south of Stavanger (Reve). During World War I he was a pilot with the British, was awarded a medal and promoted to major. In 1919 he was the first man to fly from London to Stockholm, and amongst the second to cross the Atlantic by air. He went on to write several books, and died in Arendal on January 9, 1979, at the age of almost 90.
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When Hungary beat Bohemia 5:2 in Budapest on April 5, 1908, Dr. Paul von Goldberger kept goal for Hungary. The native German from Freiburg had already played in Vienna under the pseudonym “Gilly” before joining the second-division Hungarian club 33 FC (Budapest). The German goalkeeper (born in 1880) was not eligible to play for Hungary, even through the Hungarians had him on file as Dr. Pál Goldberger-Gilly. His younger brother, Karl von Goldberger, who studied in Berlin, was also a goalkeeper and used the same pseudonym “Gilly”. He played for Berliner T.u. FC Britannia 1892 at the German 1903 and 1904 finals, and in 1907 won the German championship with Freiburger FC.
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Arnoldo Pablo Watson Hutton(20.8.1886-29.7.1951), centre forward of Alumni AC (Buenos Aires), was the son of Alejandro Watson Hutton, the great pioneer of football in Argentina and a native Scot. From 1906 to 1913, Arnoldo played 17 times for Argentina and scored six goals. A wiry man, from on 1906 he was part of the Alumni winning side and would become an prolific scorer.
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When Norway made their international début in Göteborg on July 12, 1908 (3:11 Sweden), their centre-half Poul Houmannof Ski og FK Mercantile, Kristiania (now Oslo), was injured but could not be replaced because there were no substitutes. As a Belgian living and working in the Norwegian capital Kristiania, Poul Houmann (16.5.1883-21.2.1978) was not eligible to play for Norway. After returning to Belgium, he went back to playing for his old club Racing Club de Bruxelles starting with the 1908/09 season, and from 1912 onwards for Standard Club Liégeois. When Belgium played against the England amateurs in London in April 1909, half-back Houmann was nominated for the Belgian national team, but was not selected in the end.
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Poul Houmann
Otto Hantschick(Berliner T.u. FC Union 1892) made his international début in Berlin on April 20, 1908, against the England amateurs (1:5). The full-back (born on February 11, 1884) studied art (painting and drawing) in Frankfurt am Main, then moved to Berlin after finishing his studies. One of the six German players making their international début on this day was outside right Adolph Gehrtsof FC Victoria 1895 (Hamburg). The quick and clever winger (born on October 30, 1886) died on January 17, 1943, while fighting in World War II.
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His club mate and partner on the right wing at Victoria (Hamburg) wasHermann Garrn, popularly only known as “Etsche” or “Etje”. Inside right Hermann Garrn (11.3.1888-27.3.1964) was actually called Hermann Ehlers. He played for Germany twice from 1908 to 1909. Hans Schmidt, born in Berlin on November 2, 1887, still was attending school when he joined FC Germania 1888 (Berlin), where he developed into a good outside right. He also became a businessman. On July 7, 1908, he played his only full “A” international for Germany (2:3 Austria). He died on July 9, 1916, while fighting in World War I.
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Evelyn Henry Lintott, born in Godalming (Surrey) on November 2, 1883, attended the King Edward VI Grammar School and St. Luke’s College in Exeter, where he also began to play football. He played for Woking, Surrey County and Plymouth Argyle, and from 1907 on for Queen’s Park Rangers (London). He developed into a strong and clever left half-back who provided good passes and had a solid grasp of the game around him. From 1907 to 1908 he played four official full “A” internationals for the England amateurs as centre-half. He only became a professional during the summer of 1908. In November of the same year he transferred to Bradford City AFC, and in 1912 to Leeds City. From 1908 to 1909 he also played seven times for England. Until 1911, he was chairman of the Players’ Union for a lengthy period, and also worked as a teacher. During World War I he served with the 1st Yorkshire Regiment and fell on July 1, 1916, while fighting at the Somme (northeastern France).
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When Belgium beat France (2:1) in Paris on April 12, 1908, Belgian goalkeeper Robert Hustin had not been released by his employer, so reserve keeper Henri Leroy (also of Racing Club de Bruxelles) was lined up on short notice. Leroy went on to play 18 more full “A” internationals while Robert Hustin only made ten. When Belgium lost to the Netherlands (1:3) in Rotterdam on April 26, 1908, wing half Georges Mathot was injured. Although substitutions of players were not allowed then, Dutch captain “Bok” de Korver agreed to let Camille Vanhoorden replace Mathot at half-time. It is not known whether English referee John T. Howcroft noticed this.
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William Lennie, born in Glasgow on January 26, 1882, played for Mossvale FC before he joined Queen’s Park FC (Glasgow) in 1901. After intervals of one season, he transferred first to Rangers, then Dundee, Fulham and finally Aberdeen (1905-1913), where he settled down and found the position which really suited, outside left. In 1908 he played for Scotland three times, thus also becoming the first “Dons” international. After he married a young Aberdeen girl, they emigrated to the USA.
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William LENNIE
The most famous Irish full-back after the turn of the century was William Robert McCracken(born on January 29, 1883), who had so far played for Ireland 11 times and was a professional with Newcastle United. He made his internatioal début on February 22, 1902, while still with Distillery FC (Belfast). Before the match against England in Belfast on February 15, 1908, “Billy” McCracken suddenly demanded five times the usual player’s fee, whereupon the Irish Football Association (IFA) suspended him, lined up “Sandy” Craig (Glasgow Rangers) instead and did not select him again until 1919.
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The Austro-Hungarian sports authorities were definitely not kindly disposed towards the Czechs. First they instigatedand succeeded in getting Bohemia excluded from FIFA in June 1908, thus preventing it from playing full “A” internationals. Furthermore, they decided that the German-speaking “non-Czechs” living and playing in and around Prague would henceforth be eligible for the Austrian national team. Thus, in 1908 the Austrian national team included Johann Schwarz, Robert Cimeras, Dr. Paul Fischl, Robert Merz, Ernst Thurm and Ladislaus Kurpiel, all with the Prague-based Deutscher Fußball-Club (DFC). From 6.6.-8.6.1908, this team played three official full “A” internationals on three consecutive days, including a 1:11 defeat to England, Austria’s highest international defeat.
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Dr. Louis Otten, born on November 5, 1883, studied medicine and played for Quick (The Hague). From 1907 to 1911 he played for the Netherlands 12 times. “Lou” Otten was a very reliable left full-back. His greatest contribution came as a physician, for as he invented a vaccine against the bubonic plague. The professor of medicine died on November 7, 1946.
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James Hamilton Speirs, born in Glasgow on March 22, 1886, played for Annandale and Maryhill before joining great local rivals Glasgow Rangers in 1905. He later went to England, where he played for Bradford City AFC (1907-1912) and Leeds City. In 1911 he won the English Cup with the “Paraders”, having played for Scotland (2:1 Wales) on March 7, 1908. The inside forward liked to hang back a little and provided his colleagues with good passes. He died on August 20, 1917, while fighting in World War I.
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Maurice Vandendriessche(born in 1887) played for France twice in 1908 even though he was still a minor according to the laws then in force. The right half-back played for Racing Club de Roubaix, with which he also won the French championship in the same year. During World War I he played for Belgium under the pseudonym “Vandendey” (also military team matches) and later took on Belgian citizenship.
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French goalkeeper Zacharie Baton from Lille, who from 1906 to 1908 played for France three times, was considered a war hero in his country. He was injured while fighting in World War I and captured in Serbia, but escaped and continued to fight on the front, where he was captured again. Due to his injuries, it became necessary to amputate his left arm while he was in captivity.
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The French side which played against the Netherlands (1:4) in Rotterdam on May 8, 1908, included the brothers Julienand Victor Denis. While Julien Denis (Racing Club de Calais) had started as centre-half, his younger brother Victor (Union Sportive Tourquennoise) was only a reserve with. Victor (born on 12.1.1889) desperately wanted to play. Thus the brothers decided that Julien would feign injury so that Victor would get to play. This happened during the 55th minute, to which the Dutch agreed. Somehow, though, the deception was discovered, and the brothers were never again called up for an full international. While Victor would go on to become a famous reporter, Julien Denis fell in 1914 while fighting in World War I.
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Last but not least, it should be mentioned that until the 1990’s, all French publications consistently showed the wrong playersin the line-ups for France’s full “A” internationals in 1908 as well as their Olympic football tournament matches. French IFFHS member Pierre Cazal was finally able to prove this and make the necessary corrections.