A Frankfurt footballer and sports journalist
In 1929, the "Frankfurter Sportgemeinde Eintracht (F.F.V.) von 1899" celebrated the 30th anniversary of the founding of its predecessor club, the "Fußball-Club Victoria 1899". Eintracht published a commemorative publication to mark the occasion. In it, it paid particular tribute to a man who worked behind the scenes to provide an "effective sounding board for the successes of our active players": Ludwig Isenburger.
Isenburger came from Frankfurt am Main. He was born here in 1885 into a football-loving family. Even as a child, he played football with his brother Alfred. He made his debut in a football club with "FC Germania 1894". He later moved to FC Victoria. He studied law, but earned his living as a sports journalist. He quickly made a name for himself with his articles. In 1920, Isenburger was one of the first employees of "Kickers", the well-known sports magazine. He also made his expertise available to Eintracht, which had emerged from FC Victoria. He reported on their matches and took care of the club's public relations work.
The anti-Semitic laws and the terror of the National Socialists put an end to Ludwig Isenburger's successful career. Because he was Jewish, he lost his press licence. From then on, he lived in precarious circumstances. The Gestapo deported him to Buchenwald in November 1938. The SS held him in the special pogrom camp there for almost a month. In July 1939, he emigrated to Brazil with his wife. At the age of over fifty, he tried to build a new life there as a language teacher - with little success. Ludwig Isenburger died in Rio de Janeiro in 1970.
