Josef Uridil

Josef Uridil (nicknamed Pepi, der Tank) (24 December 1895 – 20 May 1962), was an Austrian footballer and coach.

 Career
Pepi Uridil was born on Christmas Eve 1895 in the Vienna district of Ottakring. He began to play football aged eight in the streets of his neighbourhood with his brother Franz. Pepi Uridil played for numerous clubs in his youth, such as Sportklub Orion, Tasmania, Rekord and then Blue Star Vienne, before leaving for the great club of SK Rapid Wien.

During the First World War, he got the nickname "Tank". Pepi Uridil played for a number of seasons with Rapid, and in 1919, his team won in the final 3-0 against Wiener Sport-Club. He was one of the main players in the Championship victory in 1921 against Wiener AC. 

International career
At the end of the First World War he became an Austrian international for the first time. He played for the Austria national football team between 1919 and 1926 and scored eight goals in eight games. Appearances and goals for Austrian internationals at rsssf.com
International statistics
Transfermarkt.at 
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoals  Austria191921192144192213192610Total88

Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Uridil goal.

+ List of international goals scored by  Josef UridilNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition15 October 1919  WAC-Platz, Vienna ,   Austria  2-02-0  Friendly match25 May 1921    Fussballringstadion, Dresden ,   Germany  3-33-3  Friendly match37 November 1920   Råsunda Stadium,     Stockholm,  Sweden    1-0 3-1   Friendly match419 April 1925  Töölön Pallokenttä,  Helsinki,   Finland  1-13-2  Friendly match53-2611 June 1922   Hohe Warte  ,  Vienna, Austria  1-07-1  Friendly match72-183-1

Coaching career
After his retirement from football, Pepi Uridil became a manager of Bratislava club. He then moved to Ripensia Timişoara and the Romania national football team for the 1934 World Cup in Italy. His team were beaten in the first round by eventual finalists, Czechoslovakia.

He later coached Austrian side SC Helfort, then Beogradski SK in Yugoslavia in 1935. He then moved to Switzerland to coach FC Biel from 1936 to 1937, and FC Lucerne until 1938. He then trained German side Schwarz-Weiß Essen between 1938 and 1941, and VfL Altenbögge between 1941 and 1943.

After the Second World War, he returned to coaching Schwarz-Weiß Essen from 1949 to 1951. He went on to train his former club, Rapid Vienna, for one season from 1953 to 1954. In this year they beat the London club Arsenal 6-1 on 25 May 1953.
Personal life
Uridil was also a businessman. He created his own brand of beer, Uridil, and a brand of sugar, Kracheln. The famous Viennese writer Hermann Leopoldi wrote a musical piece named Heute spielt der Uridil ("Today, Uridil is playing") in 1922. Pepi Uridil played a number of film roles, such as Pflicht und Ehre ("Necessity and Honour") in 1924.

 Honours 
 Austrian Football Bundesliga (5): 1916, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923
 Austrian Cup (2): 1919, 1920
 Austrian Football Bundesliga top scorer (3): 1919, 1920 (non-official), 1921

References 

Category:1895 births
Category:1962 deaths
Category:Association football forwards
Category:Austrian footballers
Category:Players of the Austrian national football team
Category:SK Rapid Wien players
Category:Austrian football managers
Category:SK Rapid Wien managers
Category:Austrian football forwards
Category:Austrian Football Bundesliga top scorers
Category:Austrian football champions
Category:1934 FIFA World Cup managers
Category:Sportspeople from Vienna