Gunars Ulmanis
Encyclopedia
Gunārs Ulmanis was a Latvian football right wing midfielder, one of the most famous Latvian footballers of 1960s.
and football
but the famous Latvian football coach Vadims Ulbergs
persuaded him to devote himself entirely to football.
For his first team in the regional competition Ulmanis scored 60 out of the teams 78 goals and was called up to the flagman of Latvian football - Daugava Rīga. In his first game for Daugava - an international game against Polish GKS Katowice
- Ulmanis scored 3 goals.
He was popular among Latvian football fans for his "lazy" and relaxed playing manner which he was able to alter with unexpected outbursts of energy in form of shots on goal or passes to the center. His popularity was partly also connected with his last name Ulmanis (the same as former Latvian president Kārlis Ulmanis
) which also brought him troubles with the Soviet authorities.
He played for Daugava for almost his entire career - from 1955 until 1969, scoring many important goals and having been elected the team captain.
After Daugava he spent two years as player-manager for Rīgas radiorūpnīca and since that he has been coaching youth players. He died on 17 July 2010 at the age of 71.
Biography
While at school Ulmanis played both basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
but the famous Latvian football coach Vadims Ulbergs
Vadims Ulbergs
Vadims Ulbergs was a Latvian football player and manager, one of the most respected veterans of Latvian football.-Biography:...
persuaded him to devote himself entirely to football.
For his first team in the regional competition Ulmanis scored 60 out of the teams 78 goals and was called up to the flagman of Latvian football - Daugava Rīga. In his first game for Daugava - an international game against Polish GKS Katowice
GKS Katowice
GKS Katowice is a Polish football club based in Katowice, Poland. The club currently plays in the Polish First League.-History:In 1963 in Katowice a special organizational committee was called with the purpose of uniting all the clubs and sporting organizations of city into one large club which...
- Ulmanis scored 3 goals.
He was popular among Latvian football fans for his "lazy" and relaxed playing manner which he was able to alter with unexpected outbursts of energy in form of shots on goal or passes to the center. His popularity was partly also connected with his last name Ulmanis (the same as former Latvian president Kārlis Ulmanis
Karlis Ulmanis
Kārlis Augusts Vilhelms Ulmanis was a prominent Latvian politician in pre-World War II Latvia during the Latvian period of independence from 1918 to 1940.- Education and early career :Ulmanis studied agriculture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and...
) which also brought him troubles with the Soviet authorities.
He played for Daugava for almost his entire career - from 1955 until 1969, scoring many important goals and having been elected the team captain.
After Daugava he spent two years as player-manager for Rīgas radiorūpnīca and since that he has been coaching youth players. He died on 17 July 2010 at the age of 71.