Miscellaneous

The Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) has reason to celebrate: Germany's top league is in its 60th season and, to mark its anniversary, is more attractive and high-quality than ever before. Until its ‘birthday’ in September 2026, this space will regularly feature milestones in the development of the upper house into what is now the strongest league in Europe. In the third part of our journey through an era of German sporting history, we remember the first stars, who hardly gave a thought to professionalism as we know it today.

Every top sports league thrives not only on high-class performances and excitement, but also on its outstanding players. Since the founding of the upper house at the beginning of the second half of the 1960s, numerous players in the Table Tennis Bundesliga have also been the focus of media and public attention, without, however, having to take on the roles of stars as we understand them today or even being perceived as such. Nevertheless, some protagonists stood out more than others thanks to their extraordinary performances.

Compared to other sports, the gallery of influential players from the ‘founding years’ of the Table Tennis Bundesliga is already extremely extensive. Whether Eberhard Schöler, Wilfried Lieck, Jochen Leiß, Peter Stellwag or even Peter Engel – names that many new players to table tennis still encounter frequently today through stories told by their coaches or older club mates ‘from back then’.

No one from that era ever felt neglected or underappreciated when Eberhard Schöler was universally credited with being the ‘face of the Bundesliga’ for the decade from the mid-1960s onwards. ‘Mr. Pokerface’, who had practically ‘inherited’ the role of German number one from Conny Freundorfer with the introduction of the Bundesliga, was already a living legend during his active career. His 1969 World Championship final against Shigeo Ito remains unforgettable, despite Schöler's defeat, not least because the Düsseldorf native remained the last German to reach the singles podium at a World Championship for 42 years. The future DTTB sports director and vice-president also left his mark on the Bundesliga: The 155-time national player's eight titles in the top flight (one with TuSA Düsseldorf and seven with local rivals Borussia Düsseldorf) set a record that stood for 38 years, with spectators often flocking to the halls solely to witness the virtuosity of Schölers' extremely successful defensive play.

Wilfried Lieck was one of Schölers' almost literal ‘eternal rivals’, especially in the second half of the first decade of the Bundesliga. After playing for Moltkeplatz Essen and Borussia Düsseldorf, winning two championships, the feared block and counterattack specialist made league history in 1973 with TTG Altena-Nachrodt when the Sauerland team, not least thanks to Lieck, became the first promoted team to win the title. In 1976, the future European mixed doubles champion won the team championship once again with TTC Altena.

One of the most colourful players of the first decade of the Bundesliga was Jochen Leiß. Following the championship with his home club TTV Mettmann, the energetic left-hander and later national coach made the sensational and already well-paid move as a semi-professional to ambitious neighbours Borussia Düsseldorf – and won two more titles with the Rhinelanders.

Of course, there are countless other names associated with the first decade of the Bundesliga, some of whom did not begin to make a lasting impact on the top flight until the mid-1970s. Representative examples include later championship players such as Peter Stellwag and Peter Engel.

Florian Manzke