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Z Historia Wisły

Remember the Coaches, After All, You Came from Them

The 115th anniversary of TS Wisła Kraków is a justified occasion to remind and honor the names of the athletes whose achievements have shaped the rich history of the oldest Polish club. Generally, the names of their coaches go unnoticed, despite their professional and dedicated work in training and education, which laid the foundations for their successes. Over the past 115 years, hundreds of coaches have worked at Wisła, including notable figures who achieved championship titles alongside their protégés, as well as those who trained and nurtured thousands of children and youth across various sports sections. Often, those who did not win medals and ended their sports careers after a few years fondly and gratefully remember their coaches, crediting them with much of their preparation for life in today’s complex world of economy and science. The principles of discipline, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence learned through training and competition bear fruit in contemporary society.

Let’s try to recall the names of those coaches who have made their mark in history with the gold or silver medals of their protégés. The longest list will undoubtedly be in football, where from Imre Schlosser to Robert Maaskant, names like Artur Walter, Józef Kuchynka, Michał Matyas, Czesław Skoraczyński, Orest Lenczyk, Franciszek Smuda, Henryk Kasperczak, and Maciej Skorża appear. It’s also important to mention long-time mentors of young “Wisła” players: Lucjan Franczak and the invaluable discoverer of many football talents, Adam Grabka.

In men’s and women’s basketball, which together brought the club 31 championship titles and 23 runners-up positions, prominent names include Jerzy Groyecki, Jan Mikułowski, Jerzy Bętkowski, Ludwik Miętty-Mikołajewicz, Zdzisław Kassyka, Wojciech Downar-Zapolski, José Hernandez, and Stefan Svitka. We must also remember the recently deceased mentor of many generations of youth, Jan Długosz.

Volleyball players achieved their greatest successes under the leadership of Zbigniew Szpyt, Stanisław Poburka, Lesław Kędryna, and Ryszard Litwin. Currently, European Champion Magdalena Śliwa is trying to continue their work.

Great names have also passed through the boxing section, starting from Józef Romanow and Teofil Kowalski to Olympic medalists Zbigniew Pietrzykowski and Stanisław Dragan.

In the history of the Wisła gymnastics section, initiated by Jerzy Lewicki, Barbara Ślizowska—mentor of several Olympians—Noran Bachutaszwili, Sławomir Kaliszewski, and the continuing legacy of Małgorzata Solarz-Kulbicka have made their mark.

In the swimming section, the strongest names include Józef Gryglewski, a long-time mentor of Wisła’s swimming stars, Włodzimierz Kękuś, and currently dedicated coach Paulina Kujawa.

The judo section was initiated by coach Franciszek Hapek, followed by many Polish champions mentored by Czesław Łaksa, Marek Tabaszewski, and currently Robert Zaczkiewicz, who leads this section.

It’s hard not to mention the now non-existent athletics section and its outstanding coaches: Janusz Korosadowicz, Włodzimierz Puzio, Andrzej Biernacki, Władysław Wątroba, and Zbigniew Król. Recently, at the Tokyo Olympics, after winning a gold medal in the mixed 4×400 relay, Kajetan Duszyński, who ran the anchor leg, stated that he owed his success to his work with Zbigniew Król. Indeed, many Wisła coaches have worked and achieved success with national representatives, and many athletes raised in Wisła proudly wore the jersey with the White Eagle.

It is impossible to mention all sections and all coaches who have worked at Wisła, but let us once again emphasize and appreciate their contributions to creating the beautiful history of the White Star.

In conclusion, I would like to paraphrase the beautiful song by Jonasz Kofta, “Remember the Gardens, after all, you came from there…” and say: “Remember the coaches, after all, you came from them.”