Jean Löring

Hans "Jean" Löring (16 August 1934 – 6 March 2005) was a German football player and entrepreneur best known for his role as chairman of SC Fortuna Köln, a role he filled for over 30 years, from 1967 to 2001.[1][2] In the years before the introduction of the Bundesliga, he himself played in the Oberliga for Prussia Dellbrück, FC Viktoria Köln and Alemannia Aachen. After that he was a boxing manager for a time. As an entrepreneur, he was successful in electrical and pipeline construction, among other things.

Jean Löring
Personal information
Full name Hans Löring
Date of birth (1934-08-16)16 August 1934
Place of birth Cologne, Germany
Date of death 6 March 2005(2005-03-06) (aged 70)
Place of death Cologne, Germany
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1957 Preußen Dellbrück
1957–1961 Viktoria Köln
1961–1962 Alemannia Aachen
Managerial career
1974 Fortuna Köln
1977 Fortuna Köln
1980 Fortuna Köln
1986–1987 Fortuna Köln
1989 Fortuna Köln
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Biography

Born as Hans Löring, he himself took the name Jean which, in the local Cologne dialect, is pronounced Schäng. Löring, by trade, was an electrician and after his active career started an electrical business. He also dealt in real estate.[1]

As a football player, Löring fielded for Preußen Dellbrück, later to become Viktoria Köln (1955–61), and Alemannia Aachen (1961–62), in the Oberliga West.[1]

In 1967, he took over as chairman of Fortuna Köln. Throughout his time in this position, he is estimated to have supported the club with between DM 30 and 40 million, eventually leading to his own insolvency. After having to declare insolvency, Löring was rarely seen in public, as he felt embarrassed about it. His club, Fortuna Köln, was only able to survive in professional football through his financial help, rarely enjoying good support in Cologne and consequently, after his departure, the club itself became insolvent. Fortuna declined as far as the sixth division Verbandsliga but has since made a partial recovery.[1]

In the time as chairman of the club, Fortuna's greatest success was reaching the Bundesliga in 1973, where it lasted for only one season, and making a losing appearance in the German Cup final in 1983, against local rival 1. FC Köln.[1]

After that, he initially ended his active football career due to a hip joint injury. He then built up a business empire that later consisted of nine companies, the core of which was Hans Löring ELRO Elektro- und Rohrleitungsbau GmbH (1973: 300 employees). In 1966 he became president of SC Fortuna Köln, a position he held until 2001.[3] In the first phase of his presidency, Löring also filled in as a player for the contract players' team, which has since been promoted to the Regionalliga West. He was a regular player and was used in 26 games in which he scored a goal. 1969/1970 followed another 9 and 1970/71 another three appearances, each without scoring, so that Löring completed a total of 38 regional league games for Fortuna. During his presidency, Fortuna made it from the district league to the next higher league every two years.[4] In addition, Löring was manager of the Cologne boxing professional Jupp Elze, who died in 1968 as the German champion after a fight for European championship.[5]

Löring spend his final years mostly alone, accompanied only by his four dogs.[6]

Character

Jean Löring was one of the most colorful figures in German football.[1]

In December 1999, when his club was 0–2 behind against Waldhof Mannheim he sacked coach Toni Schumacher, the former national team goalkeeper, at half time. Because the assistant coach left with Schumacher he himself coached the team for the rest of the game and promptly lost 1–5. Throughout his time with Fortuna he took up the double role, serving as chairman and coach, on five occasions.[1]

When Löring was banned from the stadium for a game because he verbally attacked a referee he decided to dress up as Santa Claus and watch the game from the stands without being identified.[1]

Hans Krankl, who was briefly coach at Fortuna, when joining the club was told how difficult Löring was but found him to be one of the nicest people he ever met in football and described him as a grandfatherly figure.[1]

In the early 1970s, he acquired the castle-like property Haus Kickley near Nideggen-Rath (Düren district), which was designed by the architect Paul Darius, from the Hoesch family of industrialists from Düren. The property was already used for representative purposes and many a lavish party on the occasion of the promotion to the Bundesliga in 1973. The cheetah "Fortuna" sometimes lived on the property, which Löring donated to the Cologne Zoo on behalf of the association after its successful promotion. In 1973 alone he supported Fortuna Cologne with around 2.5 million marks and included several players on his company's payroll.[7] In 1975 he acquired shares in the then ailing Dorint hotel chain through the mediation of his friend and Cologne financial broker Herbert Ebertz.[8]

Death

Löring, suffering from cancer, died at the Hospiz Dr.-Mildred-Scheel-Haus in Cologne on 6 March 2005. He was buried at the Südfriedhof, located in Köln-Zollstock.[1]

After Löring's death it was discussed to rename the home of Fortuna, the Südstadion, after him. The city also marked out the way to his grave at Südfriedhof.[9]

References
  1. Derakhshani, Azad (15 December 2011). "Als der "Schäng" den "Tünn" in der Pause entließ". weltfussball.de (in German). Archived from the original on 19 November 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  2. "Historie" (in German). SC Fortuna Köln. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  3. "6. März 2005 - Fußball-Patriarch Jean Löring stirbt in Köln" (in German). WDR. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  4. "Jean Löring gestorben" (in German). Kicker. 6 March 2005. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. Krücken, Markus (8 January 2021). "Kölner Milieu-Schrecken Dummse Tünn (82): Bei der Ringschlacht war ich stänevoll" (in German). Express. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  6. "Löring verbittert und allein zu Haus: Fortuna Köln war sein Schicksal" (in German). Die Welt. 6 February 2003. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  7. "Gar nicht so jeck" (in German). 24 June 1973. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  8. Machatschke, Michael (21 September 2001). "Betten-Boomer" (in German). Manager-magazin. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  9. "Steuer jagt toten Jean Löring". Der Express. 30 January 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
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