Galatasaray remember football icon on death anniversary

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish football club Galatasaray on Sunday commemorated one of its legends Gunduz Kilic, nicknamed "Father", who died on May 17, 1980.

Galatasaray said on its website that it remembered Kilic -- a former player and head coach -- as he left his mark on the Turkish football.

Born in 1919 in Istanbul, Kilic was a Galatasaray High School student, where he started to play football as an amateur.

Founded in 1481, Galatasaray High School is one of the oldest and most prestigious Turkish schools, where the education is bilingual, French and Turkish.

As a Galatasaray player, he won the Turkish league in 1949.

Kilic also played for Turkish national football team, having 11 international caps for his nation.

He retired from football in 1952 to serve for his club Galatasaray and Turkish national team.

Kilic managed Turkey as head coach as the team managed to qualify for the 1954 World Cup.

He claimed the Turkish Super Lig titles with Galatasaray as the Istanbul-based team's head coach in 1962 and 1963.

Turkey established its premier league, the Super Lig, in 1959 as 18 clubs compete annually.

Also, he managed Galatasaray's city rivals Besiktas and later became a sports columnist until his death.

Kilic was 60 when he passed away on May 17, 1980.

He was a beloved and respected football figure in Turkey for his leadership character and charisma as he was nicknamed "Father".