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Gogu Tonca

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Gogu Tonca
Personal information
Date of birth (1947-05-02)2 May 1947[1]
Place of birth Bucharest, Romania[2]
Date of death 23 October 2010(2010-10-23) (aged 63)[3]
Place of death Petroșani, Romania[3]
Position Central defender[2]
Youth career
1959–1966 Steaua București
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1976 Jiul Petroșani 176 (4)
1976–1977 Corvinul Hunedoara 31 (2)
1977–1978 Minerul Lupeni
Total 207 (6)
Managerial career
1980–1982 Jiul Petroșani (assistant)
1983–1984 Jiul Petroșani
1989–1990 Jiul Petroșani
1994 Jiul Petroșani (caretaker)
1994–1995 Minerul Livezeni
Minerul Lupeni
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gogu Tonca (2 May 1947 – 23 October 2010) was a Romanian footballer who played as a central defender and a manager.

Playing career

[edit]

Tonca was born on 2 May 1947 in Bucharest, Romania and initially practiced boxing before switching to football with Steaua București's junior squads.[1][2]

In 1966 he joined Jiul Petroșani, making his Divizia A debut on 12 November 1966 under coach Ștefan Coidum in a 1–0 loss to Dinamo București.[2][4][5][6] After playing in his first seasons at Jiul as a right or left defender, Tonca started to play alongside Andrei Stocker 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] Tonca, in particular, was known for his distinctive method of engaging opponents before home games.[2][7][8] He would approach them, cautioning against overly ambitious play to avoid severe tackles, explaining his imperative to win for his four children and the victory money essential for their provision.[2][7][8] 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][9] Tonca 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][10] Afterwards he played in both legs and scored one goal against Dundee United in the first round of the 1974–75 European Cup Winners' Cup which was lost with 3–2 on aggregate.[11] 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 the pile of seed husks.[2] Tonca along with teammates Stocker and Petre Libardi jumped in to help the firefighters extinguish the fire.[2]

In 1976, Tonca joined Corvinul Hunedoara, where on 30 June 1977 he made his Divizia A appearance in a 1–0 win over Politehnica Iași, totaling 207 matches with six goals in the competition.[2][5][12] Afterwards he moved to Minerul Lupeni in Divizia B where he ended his playing career.[2]

Managerial career

[edit]

After he retired from his playing career, Tonca started working as an assistant for his former teammate, Petre Libardi at Jiul Petroșani.[2] Shortly afterwards he became head coach of the team and he also coached Minerul Lupeni.[2]

Personal life and death

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His nephew, Andrei Tonca, was also a footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Jiul Petroșani, among other teams.[8][3][13]

Tonca died on 23 October 2010 at age 63.[2][7][8][14]

Honours

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Jiul Petroșani

References

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  1. ^ a b Gogu Tonca at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Ticăloșii fără glorie Povestea celui mai dur cuplu de fundași centrali din istoria Ligii 1: "Ne loveau încă de pe tunelul întunecat. Era îngrozitor"" [The gloryless villains. The story of the toughest pair of central defenders in the history of Liga 1: "They were starting to hit us from the dark tunnel. It was awful."] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Gogu Tonca a fost înmormîntat astăzi" [Gogu Tonca was buried today] (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Jiul Petroșani. Special. Cei mai loiali jiuliști" [Jiul Petroșani. Special. The most loyal Jiul players] (in Romanian). Gddhd.ro. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Gogu Tonca profile". Labtof. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Dinamo București vs Jiul Petrosani 1-0". Labtof. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "S-a stins felinarul Jiului" [Jiul's lantern went out] (in Romanian). Liga2.prosport.ro. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "A murit Gogu Tonca!" [Gogu Tonca has died!] (in Romanian). Liga2.prosport.ro. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Romanian Cup – Season 1971–1972". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Romanian Cup – Season 1973–1974". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Dundee United vs. Jiul Petroșani 3 – 0". WorldFootball. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
    "Jiul Petroșani vs. Dundee United 2 – 0". WorldFootball. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Gogu Tonca. 1976–77 Corvinul Hunedoara". Labtof. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
    "Corvinul Hunedoara vs Politehnica Iasi 1-0". Labtof. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Victorie pentru Gogu Tonca!" [Victory for Gogu Tonca!] (in Romanian). Liga2.prosport.ro. 30 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Gogu Tonca a fost condus pe ultimul drum" [Gogu Tonca was driven on the last road] (in Romanian). Liga2.prosport.ro. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
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