Zoltán Beke

Beke was born on 30 July 1911 in Fehértemplom, Austria-Hungary (now Serbia). He grew up and started to play football in the Mehala neighborhood of Timișoara, Romania. In 1925 he began playing junior-level football at Chinezul Timișoara. Three years later he started his senior career at Chinezul. In 1930, Beke joined Ripensia Timișoara where he made his Divizia A debut on 11 September 1932 in a 3–2 away loss to CFR București. He won the title in his first season, with coach Jenő Konrád using him in four games in which he scored once. In the following season he helped the team reach the 1934 Cupa României final, playing in the first leg against Universitatea Cluj, which led to them winning the cup. In the 1934–35 season he won another title, coaches Josef Uridil and Rudolf Wetzer giving him 14 appearances in which he scored three goals, also the team reached the Cupa României final where he played the entire match in the 6–5 loss to CFR București. Next season, Beke helped Ripensia win The Double, being given 12 appearances in which he netted five goals by coaches Wetzer and Konrád, and he played in the 5–1 win over Unirea Tricolor București in the Cupa României final. In the following Cupa României edition, the team reached another final, but he did not play in the 5–1 loss to Rapid București. In the 1937–38 season, Ripensia won another title, but coach Sepp Pojar used him in only seven matches in which he netted one goal. Afterwards he played in Ripensia's 3–0 win over AC…

Beke was selected by coaches Constantin Rădulescu and Josef Uridil to be part of Romania's squad that went to the 1934 World Cup in Italy but remained on the bench in the 2–1 defeat to eventual finalists, Czechoslovakia in the first round. He played six matches for the national team, making his debut on 25 August 1934 under coach Rădulescu in a friendly which ended with a 4–2 away loss to Germany. He helped the team win the 1936 Balkan Cup, playing in two victories against Greece and Bulgaria. His last appearance for The Tricolours was in a friendly which took place on 10 June 1937 and ended with a 2–1 home win over Belgium.

Beke's first coaching spell started in 1942 when he was a player-coach at CFR Turnu Severin, helping the club win the 1942–43 Cupa României after a 4–0 victory against Sportul Studențesc București in the final. Afterwards he trained the youth teams of Știința Timișoara. For five years, between 1965 and 1970, he trained IRA Timișoara in the municipal championship.

Player

Ripensia Timișoara

Divizia A: 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1937–38, runner-up 1933–34, 1938–39 Cupa României: 1933–34, 1935–36, runner-up 1934–35, 1936–37 CFR Turnu Severin

Cupa României: 1942–43 Kolozsvári VSC

Magyar Kupa runner-up: 1943–44 Romania

Balkan Cup: 1936

Manager

CFR Turnu Severin

Cupa României: 1942–43