Andrei Stocker
Romanian footballer (1942–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andrei Stocker (22 November 1942 – 21 December 2025) was a Romanian footballer who played as a central defender and a referee.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 November 1942[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Aninoasa, Romania[2] | ||
| Date of death | 21 December 2025 (aged 83) | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Central defender[2] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Minerul Aninoasa | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Minerul Aninoasa | |||
| 1965–1976 | Jiul Petroșani[a] | 271 | (8) |
| 1976–1977 | Minerul Lupeni | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
Stocker, nicknamed "Keke", was born on 22 November 1942 in Aninoasa, Romania.[1][2][3] His parents were Transylvanian Saxon miners, and because of their German origins, they were deported by the Soviets in 1945 to perform forced labor for a few years in the Donbas region.[2]
Stocker started playing football at Minerul Aninoasa.[2][3] There, he was noticed by coach Eugen Mladin who brought him to his team, Jiul Petroșani.[2][3] In his first season at Jiul, he helped the team gain promotion to Divizia A.[2][3][4] He made his debut in the competition on 21 August 1966 under coach Ștefan Coidum in a 7–0 victory against Steagul Roșu Brașov.[2][3][5] After playing one and a half years as a right midfielder, Stocker started to play alongside Gogu Tonca in the central defense.[2] Subsequently, they became known for their tough playing style, with some considering them the most aggressive defensive duo in Divizia A's history.[2] His first performance with The Miners was reaching the 1972 Cupa României final, where coach Eugen Iordache used him the entire match in the eventual 2–0 loss to Rapid București.[2][6] Stocker eventually won the competition two years later after a 4–2 victory against Politehnica Timișoara in the 1974 final, as coach Traian Ivănescu used him the full 90 minutes, helping Jiul win its first trophy.[2][7] Afterwards he played in both legs against Dundee United in the first round of the 1974–75 European Cup Winners' Cup which was lost with 3–2 on aggregate.[2][8] In May 1975, during a Jiul – Politehnica Iași home game, the wooden stand of the stadium started to burn due to a cigarette thrown into a pile of seed husks.[2] Stocker, along with teammates Tonca and Petre Libardi jumped in to help the firefighters extinguish the fire.[2] He appeared in 271 Divizia A matches and scored eight goals for Jiul.[2][3]
In 1976, Stocker joined Minerul Lupeni, ending his career one year later.[2]
Refereeing career
Personal life and death
Honours
Notes
- The statistics for the 1965–66 Divizia B season are unavailable.[3]