Walter Balmer

Club

Born in Thun, Balmer and started and played his youth football with the local club FC Thun. He advanced to their first team, who played in the Nationalliga B, the second tier of Swiss football in 1964 and played with them as a right winger between 1964 and 1968. He was the team’s top goal scorer in the 1966–67 season and was joint fifth highest scorer in the league. Balmer was discovered by FC Basel head coach Helmut Benthaus in November 1968 in an FCB cup match against second tier club FC Thun. The then 20-year-old offensive player Balmer was the scorer of the equaliser just before half time and was by far the most noticeable player despite the Bernese Oberlanders' 2-1 defeat. Promptly Benthaus offered him a contract and in the winter break he signed for Basel. After playing in four test games Balmer played his debut with his new team in the Swiss Cup away game in the Charmilles Stadium in Geneva on 22 February 1969, but Basel were defeated 1–0 by Servette. He played his domestic league debut for the club in the away game in the Gurzelen Stadion one week later on 2 March as Basel played a 1–1 with Biel-Bienne. He scored his first league goal for his new club on 12 April in the home game in the St. Jakob Stadium as Basel won 2–1 against Servette. At the end of the 1968–69 league season Basel won the Swiss championship. Balmer played six and a half years for Basel, between 1969 and 1976 in the Nationalliga A and won three further league titles in the seasons…

Collateral to his semi-professional football career with FCB, Balmer completed his studies at the University of Basel. The successful completion of his studium was the reason why Balmer ended his career as a top footballer when he was not even 27 years old. He received an offer from the Interlaken high school, which he understandably did not want to refuse, especially since in that era the secure position of a high school teacher was a more stable economic basis than the life of as a semi-professional football in a Swiss NLA club. Balmer taught mathematics and sports as a respected teacher at Interlaken High School until his sudden and much too early death. He had also worked as a sport journalist. He died of heart failure while cross-country skiing on 27 December 2010.

Basel

Swiss League champion: 1968–69, 1969-70, 1971-72, 1972-73 Swiss Cup winner: 1972-75 Swiss League Cup winner: 1972 Cup of the Alps winner: 1969, 1970 Uhrencup winner: 1969, 1970