Posthumously in the “Hall of Fame”
Cologne coaching legend receives last major honor
October 29, 2025 – 3:48 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Great honor in Cologne: Ten influential coaching personalities were inducted into the new German “Hall of Fame”, including Hugo Budinger.
The first ten personalities have been inducted into the newly founded German “Hall of Fame” for trainers at the German Sports and Olympic Museum in Cologne. Former national hockey coach Hugo Budinger, who died in 2017 at the age of 90, received a special honor posthumously. He founded the Cologne Coaching Academy in 1974 and was its first director. The initiator of the ceremonial ceremony on Tuesday evening is the coaching academy of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), which celebrated its 50th birthday in 2024.
In addition to Budinger, the first ten members include the 73-year-old former national handball coach Heiner Brand, the 54-year-old national swimming coach Bernd Berkhahn, the 69-year-old former national biathlon coach Fritz Fischer and the 72-year-old long-time sports scientist Ulrich Hartmann. Also honored were the 53-year-old former javelin throw world champion and later coach Steffi Nerius, the 65-year-old former national hockey coach Bernhard Peters and the 67-year-old former national wrestling coach Lothar Ruch. Those honored also include the 83-year-old former handball and hockey coach Zlatan Siric-Bernhard and the 55-year-old national rowing coach Sabine Tschäge.
The selection of the honorees was made by a five-person jury including the director of the coaching academy, Lothar Linz, his deputy Frank Wieneke, the chairman of the professional association of coaches, Holger Hasse, the long-time artistic gymnastics national coach and academy employee Ulla Koch and the sports journalist Frank Nägele. From now on, the Hall of Fame will be expanded to include more members every year.
With the honor, the coaching academy wants to “set an example of the appreciation of a profession that works in the background and yet is crucial,” it said. Without the commitment of trainers, sporting careers, Olympic medals and emotional sporting moments are unthinkable.
The personalities honored on Tuesday evening represent more than 500,000 trainers in Germany “who advance sport day after day with their dedication and passion.” Inclusion in the Hall of Fame is also intended to honor personalities who have had a significant impact on the training and development of trainers.