Jacek Gmoch

Jacek Wojciech Gmoch (born 13 January 1939 in Pruszków) is a former Polish footballer, who later became a trainer and manager of the Poland National Team.

Jacek Gmoch

Gmoch in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Jacek Wojciech Gmoch
Date of birth	(1939-01-13) 13 January 1939
Place of birth	Pruszków, Poland
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Znicz Pruszków
1960–1968	Legia Warsaw	330[1]	(10)
International career
1962–1968	Poland	29	(0)
Managerial career
1969–1971	Legia Warsaw (assistant)
1971–1974	Poland (assistant)
1976–1978	Poland
1979	Skeid Fotball
1979–1981	PAS Giannina
1981–1982	Apollon Athens
1982–1983	AEL
1983–1985	Panathinaikos
1985–1986	AEK Athens
1986–1988	AEL
1988–1989	Olympiacos
1990–1991	Aris
1991–1993	APOEL
1993	AEL
1994–1995	Athinaikos
1995–1996	Ethnikos
1996–1997	APOEL
1997–1998	Ionikos
1998–1999	Kalamata
1999–2000	Panionios
2002–2003	Ionikos
2010	Panathinaikos (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

While having a successful football career he graduated in communication from the Warsaw University of Technology. Gmoch begun playing for Znicz Pruszków, later moving on for a successful career at Legia Warsaw. With Legia, he won the Polish Cup twice (in 1964 and 1966) and contributed to the beginning of the successful 1968–69 season. He also became a player for the national Team of Poland (29 caps).[2]

Following a major injury in a friendly match, Gmoch began a coaching career, starting in Legia Warsaw in 1969–71. Having been offered the Poland National Team assistant's job by Kazimierz Górski, he lasted from 1971–74. Together they achieved an Olympic Gold medal in Munich 1972, as well as 3rd Place in the 1974 World Cup. He moved to the U.S. to follow his scientific career at the University of Pennsylvania (1975–6). He returned to International football in 1976 to qualify the National Team of Poland to the 1978 Mundial in Argentina (fifth place). He later moved to Norway in 1979 and Greece until 2003 where he became one of the most successful and recognised coaches.

In Norway, he became Skeid Fotball manager and then he went to Greece and worked first as a manager of PAS Giannina,[3][4] Apollon Athens, Larisa,[5]. In 1983, he did his big step as a manager and became trainer of Panathinaikos. In his first season as Panathinaikos manager, his team won the Double and the following season, his team for second time in their history, reached the Semi finals of European Champions Cup, where they were eliminated by Liverpool. For the 1985–86 season, he became coach of another great Greek club, AEK and the following season he became again trainer of Larisa and in 1988, his team historically won their first and only Greek Championship. After Larisa, he worked as a manager for Olympiacos and Aris Thessaloniki, in 1991 he went to Cyprus to become APOEL trainer, where his team won the championship and cup. He remained there until the middle of the season 1992–93. Later, he worked for Athinaikos (1994–95), Ethnikos Piraeus (1995–96), Ionikos (1997–98), Kalamata (1998–99), Panionios (1999), and again for Ionikos in 2002–03.

He acted as a member of the Polish Olympic representation team in Athens 2004 Summer Olympics and later became a minor shareholder and President of Legia Warsaw, as well as following up a career in television commentating for several networks. He notably commentated Champions League matches for the Greek Television ERT, as well as International Tournaments in Poland for channels Polsat and TVP.

On 15 November 2010, Gmoch took over as the caretaker manager of Panathinaikos, following Nikos Nioplias, who resigned after a string of mediocre results in the first part of the 2010–11 season. As caretaker manager he successfully won against Iraklis in his only final match before being succeeded by the new manager of the team. The score was 4–2. The stadium crowd lauded him.