A “bank robber” named Helmut Grashoff: In 1962 Borussia hired Fritz Langner as coach. The new leadership sold national player Albert Brülls to Modena for a record fee of 250,000 marks, using the money to stabilize the club. Helmut Grashoff later joked that when he took possession of the money in Italian lire, carried in a suitcase, he was afraid of being mistaken for a bank robber.\n\nLangner invested wisely in new players and rebuilt the team.
In the same year the club’s A-youth side, featuring later stars Jupp Heynckes and Herbert Laumen, won the West German championship. You ain’t seen nothing yet.