KAZIMIERZ JAN BUDEK
- 16.02.1935 Kraków – † 22.01.2025 Kraków
Position on the pitch: striker, left midfielder. Weight/height: 170 cm/72 kg. Nicknames: “Kajo”, “Homonciok”. Clubs in career: Wisła Kraków (48-53 youth teams, 54-57 seniors), Stal Mielec (58-62/63), Hutnik Kraków (63-68), Sparta Kazimierza Wielka (68-70). WSK white-collar worker, warehouseman.
Kazimierz Budek was brought to Mielec from premier league Wisła Kraków (42 games – 8 goals in the 1st league; 5 games – 2 goals in the Polish Cup) as a talented 23-year-old striker. Wanting to make better use of the player’s offensive qualities, coach Michał Matyas ordered him to play (despite the footballer’s initial reluctance) at left midfield. The player’s distinctive feature was his unbelievably long leg reach, which meant that opponents rarely won individual duels with him. He was able to score goals from the goalkeeper, after crosses from corner kicks and free kicks.
He made his debut in the blue-and-white jersey of Stal on 18 May 1958 in a home match against Union Racibórz (3-0), scoring the second goal for FKS in the 74th minute of the match. The balance of league appearances in the colours of Stali is: 124 games – 11 goals (40 games/2 goals in the 1st league, 84 games/9 goals in the 2nd league). Polish Cup: 3 matches, no goals. His last appearance in Mielec colours was in the last game of the 2nd league championship (1962/63 season), when Stal drew 1-1 at home against Bałtyk Gdynia on 30 June 1963. In his last 4 seasons in Mielec, he was an ironman , scoring a full 92 league games! (1960 – 22 games/2. liga; 1961 – 26 games/1. liga; 1962 – 14 games/1. liga; 1962/63 – 30 games/2. liga).
Hard-working but not very quick, he passed the ball accurately. His left leg was the better one. Sometimes his defensive colleagues resented him for not getting back, while they had to scramble for him. He liked to joke around and make fun of everyone, and he gave everyone a bad name. The team members were not indebted to him and nicknamed him “Homoncik”. In truth, however, it was Budek, as team representative, who undertook the difficult discussions with the club’s management on financial matters.
After relegation from the 1st league and a first unsuccessful season in the 2nd league (10th place for Stali in the final table of the 1962/63 season), he decided to return to his native Kraków, powering up Hutnik Nowa Huta. Until last week, he remained one of four or five (along with Ryszard Harężlak, who lives in Bielsko-Biała; there is also no information confirmed as of today about the fate of: Erwin Pyka, Augustyn Wiesław Pytlos and Jerzy Syska) of footballers still alive (but not in our city) who played in the 1st division during the Mielecs’ first adventure with the top division (1961-62).
WE REMEMBER!!!
text & photo
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