Tadeusz Łopuszański (English)

Z Historia Wisły

Tadeusz Jan Paweł Łopuszański born January 15, 1874 in Lwów, died April 19, 1955 in Chorzów, teacher of sciences (physics, mathematics), pedagogue, Minister of Public Education, founder and first president of Wisła Kraków.

At the end of the 19th century, there was a growing interest among Poles in physical culture in its broadest sense. One manifestation of this was the activities of organizations such as the Sokół Gymnastic Society and Henryk Jordan's Park of Games and Physical Activities. From an early age, Tadeusz Łopuszański himself had an interest in sports. In Jordan's Park, he was one of the so-called pioneers, instructing young people in various activities. As a rower for the Sokół Gymnastic Society, he participated in numerous regattas and also took part in fashionable trips to the Tatra Mountains.

When Łopuszański began working as a teacher, he immediately cared not only for the intellectual development of his students. Recognizing the importance of physical education in the pedagogical process, he encouraged his students to engage in games and organized sightseeing trips. During one of his trips abroad, he had the opportunity to become acquainted with football. Upon his return to Kraków, one day he gathered his students in the classroom after school. He suggested the formation of a football club.

"This proposal shocked us to such an extent that we were silent because we simply could not believe that something like this could come out of our professor's mouth. However, the professor understood our silence and proceeded to talk about how sports were developing in other countries, and therefore we Poles should also join this trend. When he spoke these words, such joy swept over us that we began applauding, and tears appeared in many eyes. We agreed to everything, that the club would be called Wisła, and again there were applause and shouts: 'Polacy i Wisła to Polska' (Poles and Wisła is Poland). We had to hold this Wisła dear in our hearts. So, we decided that our shirts would be blue with a black emblem on the left breast, a split ball in black horizontally, and the collar, cuffs, and shorts would also be black," - this is how Roman Wilczyński, one of Łopuszański's students, recounted the founding meeting.

For several years, Prof. Łopuszański served as the president of Wisła - initially unofficially, and in 1910 (after Wisła's registration as an association), officially. It is worth noting that in 1906, the popularity of football in Kraków rapidly increased, resulting in the formation of numerous teams. Most of them existed only briefly, while only a few had a stronger presence. The fact that Wisła built organizational foundations ensuring its survival was thanks to Łopuszański.

However, Tadeusz Łopuszański remained primarily an educator - educating young people was his life's mission, and sports were just one of the tools. When Wisła reached a sufficient level of development, the club's founder entrusted the fate of the team to subsequent activists and became more fully engaged in education. He worked as a school inspector and also ran an experimental institution implementing an innovative program. In 1919, Łopuszański became the Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Enlightenment. He later served as the Deputy Minister in the same department until the May Coup in 1926. Due to political reasons, he had to withdraw from public life after those events. He then dedicated himself to running the experimental Sułkowski Gymnasium and High School in Rydzyna near Leszno. This institution developed innovative teaching methods at the secondary education level, and physical education was, of course, one of the pillars of the program.

During the occupation, Łopuszański organized clandestine education. After 1945, he wanted to resume the school's activities in Rydzyna, but in the new political conditions, it was impossible. Since 1912, Łopuszański was no longer actively involved in the life of Wisła Kraków, but his contributions were always remembered by the club. He patronized Wisła's anniversaries, was present at the opening of the stadium in 1921, and was appointed an honorary member of the club.

Tadeusz Łopuszański passed away in 1955. He remains in our memory as the founding father of Wisła Kraków, but it is worth remembering that his educational concepts still serve as inspiration for educators.