Faruk Ilgaz

Faruk Ilgaz — Biography

Faruk Ilgaz was an engineer and sports administrator known as the 24th president of Fenerbahçe and the man who led the club in the period when it won the most trophies. He served as president in three separate spells totalling 13 seasons; in 1966-67 Fenerbahçe won five trophies in one season, including the league title. For a time he was also acting mayor of Istanbul. He died in Istanbul on 16 July 2014, aged 92, and Fenerbahçe remembers him on the anniversaries of his death.

He graduated from Saint Joseph French High School in 1939 and from the civil engineering department of Istanbul Technical University in 1944, and he spoke French and English fluently. As a schoolboy he joined Fenerbahçe's youth team and played for it for a while. His bond with the club continued through administration: he joined the board in 1956, became second president in 1965 and held the presidency in 1966-1974, 1976-1980 and 1983-1984. The season that went into history was 1966-67, when Fenerbahçe took the league, the Turkish Cup, the Spor Toto Cup, the Balkan Cup and the Presidential Cup.

Alongside sports administration he entered politics: in 1967 he was elected acting mayor of Istanbul on the Justice Party's quota. When Istanbul Mayor Haşim İşcan died in office, he ran the municipality in 1968 as acting mayor for about three months, until the June elections. The facility opened on Fenerbahçe Island in 1969, which today hosts the club's congresses and meetings, was named Faruk Ilgaz Facilities in 2004.