In July 1949, the city of Stuttgart was the setting for two major events in German footballing history. The Neckarstadion played host to the German championship final, while the Opera bore witness to the re-founding of the DFB.
Meanwhile, no-one at VfB had serious title pretensions that summer after up-and-down performances in pre-season. Nevertheless, coach Georg Wurzer’s side, made up primarily of players from the local region, were always in the running right from the start of the 1949/50 Oberliga Süd campaign. At the end of the season, VfB finished second in the table, which saw them through to the final round of matches to decide the champions of Germany.
Underdogs going into final
Despite a fine run of form to get them there, VfB were far from favourites going into what was the club’s second appearance in the final in their history. That honour went to Offenbach Kickers, who had flying winger Horst Buhtz in their ranks. However, nigh on 100,000 fans saw VfB record a 2-1 win thanks to early goals from Erwin Läpple (17’) and Walter Bühler (27’). Offenbach pulled one back early in the second half courtesy of Buhtz (47’), but the lads from Cannstatt were not to be denied and took home their first ever German league title!
Foundation for a golden decade
When the team returned to Stuttgart the following day, the city afforded them the kind of welcome that had never been seen before. Hundreds of thousands lined the streets to fete their heroes as they made their way from the main station to Bad Cannstatt.
Securing that first German league title 75 years ago is still regarded as the starting point for what was a golden era for VfB in the 1950s, as well as the foundation for the close relationship between the club and both the city and the region as a whole.