 Greavu in 1963 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 July 1937 | ||
| Place of birth | Sibiu, Romania[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1 April 2007 (aged 69) | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1952–1954 | Progresul Sibiu | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955–1956 | Progresul CPCS București | ||
| 1957–1971 | Rapid București | 294 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 1961–1966 | Romania[a] | 22 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1988 | Rapid București | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ilie Greavu (19 July 1937 – 1 April 2007) was aRomanianfootballdefender andmanager.
Greavu, nicknamedCauciuc (Rubber) because he could jump one meter and 20 centimeters high, was born on 19 July 1937 inSibiu, Romania.[4][5][6][7] He began playing football in 1952 at local club Progresul, then in 1955 moving to Progresul CPCS București inDivizia B.[4][5] He was transferred toRapid București where on 28 August 1957 he made hisDivizia A debut under coachFerenc Rónay in a 1–0 away loss toEnergia Petroșani.[4][5][7][8]
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He helped Rapid win the1966–67 Divizia A, which was the club's first title, being used by coachValentin Stănescu in 25 matches.[4][5][7][9] After the last game of the season againstPetrolul Ploiești that ended in a 0–0 draw, and the team earned the point that mathematically made them champions, Greavu said:"I played the last thirty minutes with a lump in my throat. Every minute we got closer to the title seemed endless. That half hour was the hardest exam of my life".[10] During his 14-season spell withThe Railwaymen, he also won the 1957 Cupa Primăverii and twoBalkans Cups in1964 and1966.[4][5][7] Greavu reached threeCupa României finals, playing in all, the first two in1961 and1962 under the guidance of coachIon Mihăilescu were lost toArieșul Turda andSteaua București respectively.[11][12][13] In the1968 final he was coached by Stănescu in the loss toDinamo București.[13] He played seven games in European competitions (including four games in theInter-cities Fairs Cup), taking part in the1967–68 European Cup campaign in which he helped Rapid eliminateTrakia Plovdiv, being eliminated byJuventus in the following round.[4][14][15] Greavu made his last Divizia A appearance on 5 June 1971 in a 3–1 home loss toSteagul Roșu Brașov, having a total of 294 appearances with one goal scored in the competition.[4][7]
Greavu played 10 matches forRomania, making his debut on 14 May 1961 under coachGheorghe Popescu in a 1–0 friendly victory againstTurkey.[16][17] He played in six games in the1966 World Cup qualifiers.[16] His last appearance for the national team was on 21 September 1966 in a friendly againstEast Germany which ended with a 2–0 loss.[16] Greavu also played 12 games forRomania's Olympic team, being chosen by coachSilviu Ploeșteanu to be part of the1964 Summer Olympics squad inTokyo where he played in all six games, helping the team finish in fifth place.[1][18]
After retirement, Greavu worked atRapid București as vice-president from 1972 until 1974.[5][7] He also served as head and assistant coach of the senior team, and coach of the children's and junior center where he taught generations of players, which includeStelian Marin,Ion Ion,Iosif Damaschin,Marian Rada andDaniel Niculae.[5][7]
In 2004, Greavu had his legs amputated because he suffered fromarthritis, and he was also ill withdiabetes, ultimately dying on 1 April 2007 at age 69 from aheart attack.[4][5][7]
Rapid București
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