#OL70years One Day, One Season : 1950-51

Published on 27 May 2020 at 7:00 AM by sc

In 2020, Olympique Lyonnais celebrates its 70th anniversary. On this occasion, the club will be offering you, from May 26, the date of the official announcement of the club's creation, a look back into the history of a season every day of the week and thus a trip back in time to August 27, the date of the club's first official match.

The men of the season

Squad : Azzouz, Calligaris, Deligny, Dupraz, Friederich, Grimonpon, Hatron, Heisserer, Juillard, Jurilli, Lergenmuller, Marin, Maschio, Ninel, Pajan, Rodriguez, Rolland, Salas, Scalon, Steckiw, Tichy, Woehl.

Manager : Oscar Heisserer.

President : Armand Groslevin.

1950 1951 equipe

The history of the season

With the statutes filed at the end of May 1950, Olympique Lyonnais chosen as its name and red and blue as its emblematic colors, the history of the professional club of the city of Lyon was set to begin. President Armand Groslevin has instructed former LOU coach Oscar Heisserer to recruit both economically and judiciously, with high ambitions and a big objective already: to join the National Division in the first year of its existence.

On August 27, 1950, OL played the very first official match in its history. Facing CA Paris, Lyon won 3-0 thanks in particular to the first goal by Georges Dupraz after only 45 seconds of play. The club's story was thus launched in front of 3,000 spectators at the Stade de Gerland and the crazy dream would come true a few months later, when OL became second division French champions.

The match of the season : Rouen -OL

On April 22, 1951, only a one point was needed for OL to climb to the highest level. Not yet Division 1 or Ligue 1, it was then the National Division. By earning a draw (1-1) away to Rouen, OL won the league and entered the top flight of French football in its first year of existence.

The player of the season : Georges Dupraz

1950 1951 dupraz

The 27-year-old Haut-Savoyard-born striker had played elsewhere in France before joining Lyon. But it was in our city that he first became known. First at LOU, where he finished the 1949/50 season with 19 goals. Quite logically, Georges Dupraz then signed up with OL. He was the top scorer that first year with 20 goals. But he is also the one who made an indelible mark on OL's history: on August 27, 1950, on a pass from Steckiw, he scored the team's first official goal.