Famous German Coaches

Ottmar Hitzfeld is a German retired football player who played as a forward for popular teams like Basel, VfB Stuttgart, Lugano, and Luzern. After retiring as a player, Hitzfeld established himself as a successful manager. Ottmar Hitzfeld has won 18 major titles so far and is counted among the most successful coaches of international football.  

Retired US baseball player and coach Ron Gardenhire was mostly known as a shortstop for the New York Mets during his playing career. He has also been a manager and coach of the Minnesota Twins, among other teams and was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2022.

The former head coach of NHL teams such as the Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres, Ralph Kruegern was in the news after being fired by the Sabres after their 12-game losing streak. He also headed the Swiss men’s team at the Vancouver Olympics and was associated with the World Economic Forum, too.

Sascha Bajin is a German tennis coach of Serbian origin. A former tennis player, Bajin achieved popularity when he started working with Serena Williams. He served as Serena's hitting partner for eight years, during which she won many titles. He is also credited with coaching Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka and helping her win two Grand Slam titles.

Carsten Jancker is a German former football player who played as a striker for Germany from 1998 to 2002. During his playing career, Jancker also played for popular clubs like Bayern Munich, FC Kaiserslautern, and SV Mattersburg. After retiring as a player, Carsten Jancker established himself as a successful football coach. He is the current manager of DSV Leoben.

The head coach of the Serbian men’s national basketball team, Svetislav Pešić has previously won several medals as the head coach of Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia, and Germany. Both his son, Marko, and his son-in-law, Jan Jagla, have played basketball for Germany. In his short career as a player, he went undrafted by the NBA.

Thomas Schaaf is a German football manager best known for his achievements in the Bundesliga, where he has been one of the longest-serving coaches. In 2004, he was named German Football Manager of the Year. A former player, Thomas Schaaf played as a defender for Werder Bremen from 1978 to 1995, during which he won several titles, including the Bundesliga.

German-American football coach Ernie Stautner, who coached teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Denver Broncos, had also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive tackle. The No. 70 jersey, which he wore, was retired in his honor by the Steelers after his retirement.

Retired German footballer Olaf Thon was mostly known as a central midfielder and played exclusively for Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich throughout his career. He has also managed the German club VfB Hüls. Also known as The Professor, he was part of the 1990 FIFA World Cup-winning German squad.

German-American basketball coach Demond Greene was born in the US, to an African-American father and a German mother. He is also a former player who has represented teams such as Bayern Munich and DJK Würzburg. An Olympian, he was also part of the EuroBasket silver medal-winning German squad in 2005.

Known as the world’s most successful Olympic coach for any sport, German rowing coach Jürgen Gröbler has led teams to medals at every Olympic games from 1972 to 2016, except 1984. He coached both the East German and British national rowing teams and has also received the Order of the British Empire.

Henrik R is a German basketball coach who is credited with bringing in European players into the North Carolina basketball program. A former player, Henrik helped Germany win the gold medal at the 1993 EuroBasket and the bronze medal at the 2002 FIBA World Cup. Henrik R was a seven-time German League champion and four-time German Cup winner.

German basketball coach Dirk Bauermann initially played for BBC Krefeld and then began his coaching career as an assistant coach with Fresno State. Throughout his illustrious coaching career, he has been associated with countless teams, such as Germany, Tunisia, Poland, Iran, and clubs such as Bayern Munich.

Ulli Wegner is a German boxing coach who became the national coach of the German Amateur Boxing Association in Berlin in 1991. German amateur boxers won around 150 medals at the Olympic Games, Military Games, and World and European Championships under Wegner's training. In 1996, Ulli Wegner helped Oktay Urkal win a silver medal at the Olympic Games.

Fritz Sdunek was a German boxing trainer and former amateur boxer. Widely regarded as one of the most famous and successful boxing trainers of all time, Fritz Sdunek is best remembered for having trained world champions like Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir, and Dariusz Michalczewski. 

German football coach and retired footballer Stephen Arigbabu was best known as a power forward/ center for clubs such as Braunschweig and Olympia Larissa. He was also part of the 2002 FIBA World Cup bronze-winning and 2005 EuroBasket silver-winning German squads. Post-retirement, he has been an assistant coach for Baskets Würzburg.

David McCray is a German former basketball player who played as a point guard for popular clubs like BG Karlsruhe, Artland Dragons, and Telekom Baskets Bonn. After retiring as a player, McCray went on to establish himself as a coach. David McCray is currently working as an assistant coach for Riesen Ludwigsburg.

German ice hockey player and coach Manfred von Richthofen was the nephew of World War I fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen, or the Red Baron. He was also a sports official who served as the president of the German national Olympic federation. He was also a major force behind the formation of the DOSB.

Jamilon Mülders is a German former field hockey player best known for winning the gold medal at the 2001 Champions Trophy and the 2002 World Cup. After retiring as a player, Mülders established himself as a coach. Jamilon Mülders has coached the Chinese and German national teams. He is currently working as the coach of the Dutch women's national team.

Born to German immigrants in Canada, Michael Jackel began his college basketball career with Simon Fraser University. He then had a 17-year career with Basketball Bundeslig and won four German League and four German Cup championships. He was also part of the 1993 Eurobasket-winning German team.

John Ecker is a German-American retired basketball player and coach. He achieved popularity while playing for the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national championships from 1969 to 1971. John Ecker is also known as the father of popular pole vaulter Danny Ecker.

Retired German footballer and coach Denis Wucherer has represented clubs such as Frankfurt Skyliners and Benetton Treviso as a player. A promising shooting guard, he, however, went undrafted by the NBA in 1995. He was part of the 2005 European Championships silver-winning German squad.

Markku Slawyk is a German retired professional field hockey player. He is best known for competing at the 1984 Olympic Games, where he won the silver medal for West Germany. After retiring as a player, Markku Slawyk went on to establish himself as a coach in his native country. 

Thorsten Leibenath is a German retired basketball coach and player. He is best known for coaching the Ulm basketball team from 2011 to 2019. In 2019, Thorsten Leibenath retired as a coach and started working as the sports director of ratiopharm Ulm.

Robert Maras is a German retired basketball player and coach. He was an important member of the German national team that won the bronze medal at the 2002 FIBA World Cup in the USA and the silver medal at the 2005 EuroBasket. Robert Maras also played for popular clubs like Caja San Fernando, Bayern Munich, and Skyliners Frankfurt.

Mathias Muller is a German professional hockey player who plays for the German national team. A defender, Muller helped his national team win the gold medal at the 2014 Champions Trophy; silver medal at the 2015 EuroHockey Championship; and bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. Mathias Muller is also currently playing for the Hamburger Polo Club.

Klaus Perwas is a German retired basketball player who played for Telekom Baskets Bonn from 1995 to 1999. After retiring as a player, Perwas went on to establish himself as a coach and is currently working as the assistant coach for the Skyliners Frankfurt.

Christopher Faust is a German hockey trainer and coach. He has coached both men's and women's teams. Christopher Faust is also known for publishing a children book series titled Die Hockey-Kids.

Vladimir Bogojević is a Serbian-German former basketball player who played as a point guard or shooting guard for the Germany national basketball team. A three-time German League champion and two-time German Cup winner, Vladimir Bogojević is counted among the most popular players of his generation. After retiring as a player, Bogojević established himself as a coach.

Alon Stein is an Israeli-German former professional basketball player. He currently works as a coach and is affiliated with Maccabi Rishon Lezion of the Israeli Premier League as an assistant coach. He began playing basketball as a child and played in the State Youth Cup final in 1992 as a 14-year-old. He retired as a player in 2012.