Rune Larsson (footballer)

{{short description|Swedish football, ice hockey and bandy player}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Rune Larsson

| image = Rune_Larsson_in_1955.png

| caption = Larsson with Hammarby in 1955.

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|07|17|df=y}}

| birth_place = Södertälje, Sweden

| death_date = {{death date and age|2014|08|15|1927|07|17|df=y}}

| death_place =

| height =

| module =

{{Infobox football biography

| embed = yes

| position = Forward

| youthyears1= 1940–1943

| youthclubs1= Verdandi IF

| youthyears2= 1944–1947

| youthclubs2= Sundbybergs IK

| clubs1 = AIK

| clubs2 = Hammarby IF

| years1 = 1948–1952

| years2 = 1953–1958

| caps1 = 47

| caps2 = 111

| goals1 = 14

| goals2 = 64

| manageryears1 = 1962–1963

| managerclubs1 = Hammarby IF

}}

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| embed = yes

| played_for = AIK
Hammarby IF
Tranås AIF

| career_start = 1951

| career_end = 1960

| position = Forward

| ntl_team = SWE

| shoots =

}}

{{Infobox bandy biography

|embed = yes

| image =

| position = Forward

| clubs1 = Sundbybergs IK

| clubs2 = AIK

| clubs3 = Hammarby IF

| years1 =

| years2 =

| years3 =

| nationalyears1=

| nationalteam1=

| nationalcaps1= | nationalgoals1 =

}}

Rune Larsson (17 July 1927 – 15 August 2014) was a Swedish football, ice hockey and bandy player, best known for representing Hammarby IF and AIK in all sports.

Although most known for his footballing career, Larsson briefly represented Sweden internationally in ice hockey.

He later coached his former football club Hammarby in the domestic top division Allsvenskan.

Athletic career

=Football=

Raised in Stockholm, Larsson started to play football as a youngster with local clubs Verdandi IF and Sundbybergs IK.{{cite web|url=https://www.aik.se/sektioner/fotboll/historik/500aikare/runelars.html|title=Rune Larsson – Bakom vinjetten till VM-58|publisher=AIK|access-date=2 February 2021|language=Swedish}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hifhistoria.se/Historia/bilder/1954runelarssonart.jpg|title=Rune Larsson|publisher=HIF Historia|access-date=2 February 2021|language=Swedish}}

In 1948, at age 20, he joined AIK in Allsvenskan, Sweden's first tier. Larsson soon broke into the side as a regular and won the 1950 Svenska Cupen with the club, beating Helsingborgs IF 3–2 in the final. He played four seasons with the club, making 47 league appearances and scoring 14 goals, before leaving after falling out with the board at AIK.

Larsson transferred to rivals Hammarby IF in 1953. He competed in Allsvenskan with the club for three seasons between 1954 and 1957, scoring 16 goals in 60 league games, although Hammarby was unable to produce any sort of challenge for the Swedish championship title. He became known as a technically gifted target player who possessed a great shooting ability, whilst also being a skilled penalty taker.

His best season however came in 1958, when Larsson scored 41 goals in just 33 games in Division 1. He was the driving force when the club won an immediate promotion back to Allsvenskan from the domestic second tier. It is still the highest number of league goals scored by a player in a single season at Hammarby.

At the end of 1958, Larsson was forced to retire from football due to a lung disease, aged 31.{{cite web|url=http://www.hifhistoria.se/Historia/1958.html|title=1951|publisher=HIF Historia|access-date=2 February 2021|language=Swedish}}

=Ice hockey=

Between 1951 and 1956, Larsson was a prominent ice hockey player who represented both AIK and Hammarby IF in Division 1, Sweden's highest league at the time. In 1959, he made a brief comeback as a player-coach for Tranås AIF in the lower divisions.{{cite web|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/155185/rune-larsson|title=Rune Larsson|publisher=Eliteprospects|access-date=2 February 2021|language=Swedish}} Larsson made five appearances for the Swedish national team throughout his career.{{cite web|url=https://www.swehockey.se/globalassets/svenska-ishockeyforbundet/historik/spelare-i-landslagen.pdf|title=Vi som spelat i landslagen|publisher=Swedish Ice Hockey Association|access-date=2 February 2021|language=Swedish}}

=Bandy=

Larsson also played bandy with AIK, Hammarby IF and Sundbybergs IK in Sweden's highest division Elitserien.

Managerial career

For two seasons, Larsson was the joint-manager of Hammarby IF's football team in Allsvenskan together with Folke Adamsson, finishing 9th in the table in 1962 – before getting relegated in 11th place in 1963.{{cite web|url=http://www.hifhistoria.se/Historia/1962.html|title=1962|publisher=HIF Historia|access-date=2 February 2021|language=Swedish}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hifhistoria.se/Historia/1963.html|title=1963|publisher=HIF Historia|access-date=2 February 2021|language=Swedish}}