Hans Ullrich Grapenthin
Hans Ullrich Grapenthin (born 1943) is a German former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for FC Carl Zeiss Jena from 1966 to 1985 and was a member of the East German squad that won the football gold medal at the 1976 Montréal Olympics. He is also written Hans-Ullrich Grapenthin, and his nickname was "Sprotte".1
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943; Olympedia records Stralsund, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while German-language references record Wolgast1 |
| Club career | FC Carl Zeiss Jena, 1966 to 1985, including 308 DDR-Oberliga matches1 |
| Club honors | East German champion 1968 and 1970; FDGB-Pokal (GDR Cup) winner 1972, 1974, and 19801 • 2 |
| International | 21 matches for East Germany, 1975 to 19811 |
| Olympic result | Gold, 1976 Montréal, East Germany beat Poland 3-1 in the final; he did not play the final1 |
| Individual honors | GDR Footballer of the Year 1980 and 19811 |
Early career at Carl Zeiss Jena
Across his career he made 308 Oberliga appearances, and by the time he retired in 1985 he had played 412 competitive matches for the first team, including 47 in the FDGB-Pokal and 47 in European competition.1
1981 European final and individual recognition
In the 1980/81 season Jena reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, with the goalkeeper's performances among the reasons for the run. At the Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf the East German side lost 2-1 to Dinamo Tbilisi of the Soviet Union.1 In 1980 and 1981 he was voted GDR Footballer of the Year.1
International career and the 1976 Olympics
After two U-23 internationals and one B-team appearance, Grapenthin's first full international came on 31 July 1975 in Ottawa, a 7-1 win over Canada. His last was on 10 October 1981 against Poland, a defeat that ended East Germany's qualification hopes for the 1982 World Cup in Spain; he finished with 21 caps.1
At the 1976 Montréal Olympics he was the reserve goalkeeper behind Jürgen Croy. East Germany beat Poland 3-1 in the final to become the first German team to win an Olympic football gold medal, and Grapenthin did not play the final.1 Olympedia's match record for the tournament lists him with one game played.3
Later life
Grapenthin trained as a bricklayer. After German reunification he worked for Coca-Cola, organizing sports and corporate events, and moved to Bavaria in 2007 after retiring. His daughter Ina was a substitute rower for the East German team at the 1988 Olympics.1
References
- Hans-Ullrich Grapenthin, Olympedia
- Hans-Ulrich Grapenthin, Kurzy.cz
- Football, Men, 1976 Olympic tournament results, Olympedia
Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › German footballers born before 1995
Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026
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