Dr. Constantin Radulescu

Dr. Constantin Radulescu (or "Jumate" as his friends nicknamed him in his youth) has been compared to Sir Alex Ferguson for the longevity, passion and dedication he displayed for the team closest to his heart: CFR Cluj. His daughter, Ioana, characterized him as "an intransigent person, but at the same time tolerant". But there was one thing Dr. Radulescu did not tolerate: indiscipline. In fact, he would constantly check up on his players in their rooms, fining them if they partied too late into the night. "Some say he drugged them. It's true. He drugged them with onions, so they would sleep better at night," Ioana goes on to say.

However, the powerful scent of onion had little effect on one of the players: Petru Emil. In 1968, Emil went out for a night on the town. When he came back the next morning, he could not find the key to his house. Radulescu had hidden the key from him as punishment. In 1969, another player, Alexandru Vasile, arrived at a match against CFR Arad near-drunk. As punishment, Radulescu unofficially named him coach that day and put the responsibility of devising a game plan on his shoulders. Oddly enough, the Transylvanians actually earned a 1-1 draw and Vasile was the man of the match. "Football was different back then. Money didn't matter. When they promoted in 1969, my father and the players were only given a 2000 Lei bonus. During his last years, he became more and more upset over the direction that Romanian football was taking."

Romica Petrescu characterized Radulescu's training sessions: "The training routines were the same as at Ajax [Amsterdam], with two practices Tuesday, two on Thursday, and Wednesday off. Everything was done based on how tense the players were, how fast their pulses were racing."

Former CFR star, Augustin Tegean, provided further insight into Dr. Radulescu's personality: "He was different in so many ways; harsh, strict, and uncompromising. He would constantly mention that he was the only one allowed to joke around, since he was from Bucharest. He had a strong personality. We all respected him. We were even afraid of him....I must say that there were many tense moments between us. Once, he even kicked me off the team during a game against FC Brasov, unjustly of course. I told him, "If you take me off, you'll lose the game anyway. If you think I'm playing poorly, than you're a poor coach as well. [laughter]"

Dr. Constantin Radulescu was born on May 30, 1924 in Bucharest. Although Romanian football was in its infancy, Radulescu decided to pursue a career playing the world's most popular sport. He originally played for Olimpia Bucharest (1938), Sportul Studentesc (1942-1943), and Universitatea Cluj (1943-1949). In 1949 alongside several other young doctors, he made the move from Universitatea to local rivals, CFR. Radulescu would play for CFR for the next six years before a serious injury forced him to end his career prematurely. The doctor was then offered a job coaching CFR's youth team. The next year, though, Radulescu was called up to coach the first team which by then had relegated to the 3rd league. Although he would leave his coaching position soon after, his career and indeed his life would forever revolve around CFR Cluj. 

In 1962, Radulescu came back for a short stint, replacing Stefan Kovacs (who would later win the European Cup with Ajax Amsterdam). Five years later, Radulescu returned to his club. In the 1967 autumn campaign, CFR finished in last place in Divizia B. However, with Radulescu's inspirational leadership, the team actually avoided relegation by the end of the season. The next year the doctor achieved his greatest success, promotion to Divizia A. Until 1976 (excluding a short pause in 1970), Radulescu coached CFR Cluj, earning some surprising results in Divizia A.

However, Radulescu left when relegation loomed in 1976. Several months later, he accepted the position of head coach at Universitatea Cluj. At the beginning of his tenure, he made his objectives clear. Radulescu wanted to restructure the entire club from the bottom up in order to achieve real, lasting performances. However, the local authorities who controlled the University-based club quickly became jealous of his enterprising spirit and sacked him. Perhaps this was a sign of the growing corruption and indifference at all levels in the Romanian government. 

In 1980, Dr. Radulescu again was called to bring the club back to its former glory. Due to political reasons, his ambitions had little effect and his departure two years later was inevitable. From 1992-1995, Dr. Constantin Radulescu coached CFR for the last time in his life. Even though he had very limited financial and material resources, he helped to raise several talented footballers. 

The doctor's greatest achievement was the role he played behind the construction of CFR's stadium in 1973: "The joy of making a dream of over 20 years into a reality, the dimensions of the field, the state of the pitch, the pool, the gym, and the training field, all were difficult to imagine just a few years before," Radulescu relates in his book, O Viata Inchinata Fotbalului. In 2007, CFR Stadium was officially renamed in his honour and is today the most modern arena in the country. Dr. Radulescu would be proud!

Radulescu was the most important figure in the club's history. His leadership, his strength, his hard work, and his passion are all the characteristics which defined the club. Even today, these are the virtues that make CFR 1907 Cluj unique.

In 2002, Radulescu passed away. His dream was to see CFR return to Divizia A after having to endure the pain of seeing his beloved team struggle for so many decades in muddy mediocrity. Unfortunately, his death came only two years before CFR's long-awaited promotion. Although he would never see his dream team again, perhaps the doctor is watching and admiring his beloved club from a better place.

        Next match:

Sept. 11/2010

7th Round 2010/11

Rapid - CFR Cluj  

Cluj-Napoca

Aug. 2 8/2010 

CFR Cluj-Pandurii

2-1

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