Hugo Budinger

Like no other, Hugo Budinger, played a role in post-war West German field hockey as a player, coach, and official. With the West German team, the 58 times capped international from Rot-Weiss Köln (1951-61) was captain of the team that won the surprise bronze medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He was also on the team at the 1952 Helsinki Games when Germany were beaten 1-0 by Netherlands in the quarter-final. He competed in his third Olympics in Rome in 1960, when the team finished seventh. Budinger was a member of the West German team that won the unofficial European Championship in 1954.

Previously, “Mister Hockey” had revolutionized European field hockey with ideas following a trip to Pakistan, including the introduction of the so-called twist grip. Budinger at that time worked as a lecturer at the German Sports College in Cologne. After his playing career he was the sporting director of the West German Hockey Federation (DHB) from 1961-1969 and also served as the national head coach. In 1968, the national team under his leadership finished in fourth in the Mexico City Olympics and won a World Cup bronze medal in 1973.

In all, Budinger served his sport for 26 years ranging from a player to DHB Vice President. In 1974 he co-founded and was head of the Trainer Academy of the German Sports Federation in Cologne up to 1993. In 1979, at the age of 52, he promoted sports science and, in 1990, he was appointed honorary professor on the grounds for his work in the field of movement and training. Budinger was a member of the West German National Olympic Committee, and from 1993 was a member of the Council of Elders. In the 1990s he also committed himself to the German Golf Federation, and in 2011 he was inducted into the German Sports Hall of Fame.