Walter, Fritz

▪ 2003

      German association football (soccer) player (b. Oct. 31, 1920, Kaiserslautern, Ger.—d. June 17, 2002, Enkenbach-Alsenborn, Ger.), was the captain and chief playmaker of West Germany's victorious World Cup side in 1954; it was the first time that a German team had won that trophy, and the triumphant players were feted as national heroes. He was recalled again, at age 37, for the 1958 World Cup finals, but West Germany lost in the semifinals. Walter made his league debut in 1938 with FC Kaiserslautern and first played for Germany in 1940. During World War II he served as a paratrooper and spent time in a Soviet labour camp. After the war he twice led his old team to the West German championship (1951 and 1953). When he retired in 1959, Walter had scored 33 goals in 61 appearances for his country, as well as 306 goals in 379 matches for Kaiserslautern. In 1985 the stadium in Kaiserslautern was named after him, and in 1999 he was voted a member of Germany's Team of the Century.

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