Ottmar Walter

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ottmar Walter

| image = Ottmar Walter Obersülzen.jpg

| upright =

| caption = Walter in 2005

| full_name = Ottmar Kurt Herrmann Walter

| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|3|6|df=y}}

| birth_place = Kaiserslautern, Germany

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2013|6|16|1924|3|6}}

| death_place = Kaiserslautern, Germany

| height = 1.77 m

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 = 1933–1941

| youthclubs1 = 1. FC Kaiserslautern

| years1 = 1941–1942

| clubs1 = 1. FC Kaiserslautern

| caps1 = 20

| goals1 = 18

| years2 = 1942-1943

| clubs2 = SV Cuxhaven

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1943

| clubs3 = Holstein Kiel

| caps3 = 6

| goals3 = 3{{cite web | url=https://www.dfb.de/datencenter/personen/ottmar-walter/spieler | title=Ottmar Walter - Spielerprofil }}

| years4 = 1946–1956

| clubs4 = 1. FC Kaiserslautern

| caps4 = 275

| goals4 = 307

| totalcaps = 301

| totalgoals = 328

| nationalyears1 = 1950–1955

| nationalteam1 = West Germany

| nationalcaps1 = 20

| nationalgoals1 = 10

| nationalyears2 = 1956

| nationalteam2 = West Germany B

| nationalcaps2 = 1

| nationalgoals2 = 1

| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's football}}

{{MedalCountry|{{fb|FRG}}}}

}}

Ottmar Kurt Herrmann Walter (6 March 1924 – 16 June 2013) was a German footballer who played as a forward.

He played together with his brother, Fritz Walter, at the club 1. FC Kaiserslautern.{{cite web | url = http://www.worldfootball.net/spieler_profil/ottmar-walter/ | title = Ottmar Walter | publisher = worldfootball.net | access-date = 16 June 2013}} They also played together for the West Germany national team in the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Walter scored four goals in the tournament as West Germany won their first ever World Cup title. In total, Walter earned 20 caps and scored 10 goals for Germany.{{cite web | url = http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/walterottmar/ | title = Ottmar Walter | language = de | publisher = fussballdaten.de | access-date = 16 June 2013}} For his club 1. FC Kaiserslautern he scored an unequaled 336 goals in 321 league and cup matches. Walter debuted in the first team at the age of 18 in 1942 as an outside left in a 7–1 rout of Waldhof Mannheim.

During World War II, Walter was drafted into the Kriegsmarine and suffered heavy injuries in his right knee. After several operations, he was forced to end his career in 1958.

Career

Born in Kaiserslautern, Walter and his two brothers Fritz and Ludwig all joined local club, 1. FC Kaiserslautern.{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/jun/17/ottmar-walter | title=Ottmar Walter obituary | work=The Guardian | date=18 June 2013 | access-date=18 June 2013 | author=Glanvile, Brian}} After making his debut for the club in 1942 he was posted by the navy to Kiel, where he played for Holstein Kiel.

By the late-1940s, Walter was the center forward of 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Like his brother Fritz, he treated the ball elegantly and was also pacy and possessed a powerful shot. As a center forward he also often moved to the wing.

Later life and death

After the end of his career, he concentrated on operating a gas station which he had taken at rent in 1954. When the contract was signed, Walter had failed to notice the fine print in the contract which determined that if the contract got withdrawn, the gas station and the goods on the ground of the gas station would subrogate to the new leaseholder.{{Cite book | last = Bitter | first = Jürgen | title = Deutschlands Fußball Nationalspieler | publisher = Sportverlag | year = 1997 | language = de | page = 523}} This happened in 1969 and in consequence of this Walter tried to commit suicide. However, he survived and later described that attempted suicide as a "panic reaction". Later Walter found a job as an employee of the city of Kaiserslautern.

He died 16 June 2013.{{cite news | url = https://www.welt.de/sport/fussball/article117167831/Weltmeister-Ottmar-Walter-ist-tot.html | title = Fußball-Legende Ottmar Walter ist tot | language = de | newspaper = Die Welt | date = 16 June 2013 | access-date = 16 June 2013}}