Sportclub Wacker was an Austrian football club based in the Obermeidling district of Vienna. It was established between 1906 and 1908 at the initiative of schoolboy Max Freund and continued to operate until the 1971 merger with Jedlesee Sports club SK Admira Vienna, which resulted in the formation of FC Admira/Wacker. This new entity succeeded both clubs as their legal successor. The club colors of Wacker Vienna were black and white, and the team played its home matches in the 20,000-capacity stadium on Rosasgasse (Wackerplatz) near Schönbrunn Palace.

In 53 years competing in the first division, the Meidling Buam achieved 478 victories. The club reached its historical pinnacle in 1947 when it became champions and won the cup final against Austria Wien by a score of 4–3. The club's most notable success at an international tournament occurred in 1951 when it advanced to the Mitropacup final. Nevertheless, Wacker achieved notoriety as the "eternal runners-up" in the league. If one considers the abbreviated championship in 1945, Wacker finished the season in second place eight times, but only once in first place.

History

1906-1912: The first years of the Meidling Buam

SC Wacker Vienna was established by Max Freund, a soccer enthusiast from Meidling. Freund was a member of the Vienna AC youth soccer team and found the lengthy and costly journeys from Meidling to the Prater for training to be a significant inconvenience. He collaborated with his friend Oskar Wittek to recruit numerous pupils, with whom they met regularly to play soccer next to the Meidling slaughterhouse. In 1906, Max Freund finally proposed the establishment of his soccer club, which he named "Wacker." However, this ambitious endeavor ultimately failed due to the lack of an appropriate legal age among the prospective members, who were unable to register the club with the authorities. The issue was temporarily set aside, and the young footballers initially focused on establishing their clubhouse and procuring their club uniforms. A suitable location was swiftly identified in the laundry room at Aichholzgasse 33, where the Wacker players could now store all their belongings, including goalposts. Additionally, the pupils persuaded a mother to have black and white shirts made for the entire team. The club colors were selected because the majority of the young athletes had previously worn black cloth trousers and a white rowing shirt when playing soccer.

In 1907, the individual deemed suitable to assume the role of club chairman was identified in the form of Mr. Rudolf Krones, thus paving the way for the formal establishment of Wacker Wien. The innkeeper Nitsch provided the club with a sports ground in the form of a sand pit, which was initially leveled by the club members and prepared for the inaugural match in 1909 against ASV Hertha Wien. The inaugural match on the club's pitch resulted in a 3:1 defeat against the visitors from Favoriten. In the same year, the Wacker players achieved admission to their newly founded club to the Austrian Football Association. Starting in the third and therefore lowest class, Wacker was able to play its way unbeaten into the second-class "2nd Class A," where it competed against clubs that are largely unknown today. In this period, the Meidlingers were pitted against formidable opponents, including Blue Star, Red Star, Wiener Bewegungsspieler, Donaustadt, Nußdorfer AC, Ober St. Veit, and Hernalser Sportfreunde. Despite facing considerable challenges, the Black & Whites demonstrated resilience and competitiveness in their inaugural season, ultimately claiming the championship title in their second year in the second division in 1911/12. In Franz Twaroch, the Meidlingers also had their first "star" and crowd favorite in the team, who even made an appearance for the Austrian national team, which had been in existence since 1902. This was the first player from a second division club ever to do so.Blaha 1947, p. 3ff; Schidrowitz 1951, p. 186f

1912-1934: Up and down in the championship To be promoted to the first division, the Black & Whites were required to play a relegation match against the penultimate team in the first division, SpC Rudolfshügel. The Wacker players entered the match with a great deal of respect for the Rudolfshüglers, but ultimately lost by a score of 0:6. However, just one season later, Wacker was once again at the top of the second division table and was subsequently challenged by Hertha Vienna in the relegation match. The results against the favorites were 0:2 and 2:2, which resulted in Wacker once again missing out on promotion to the first division. With an impressive goal difference of 102:15, Meidling 1914 secured the second division championship for a third consecutive year. That year, the relegation matches were also abolished at Vienna's request. This was surprising, as the Döblingen side had unexpectedly been relegated themselves at the end of the season. Wacker was finally in the first division. However, the First World War soon overshadowed the joy of promotion to the highest level. Almost the entire Wacker team was called up as soldiers, and around half of them did not return.Blaha 1947, p. 26ff. The club did not play a major role in the war championships. In its first season as a first division club, Wacker was only able to win a single game, but relegation was suspended during the war. Despite finishing at the bottom of the table in the inaugural post-war season in 1919, the club was able to avoid relegation by being promoted to a higher division. The club's rapidly growing popularity in Meidling soon made the construction of a new, larger stadium necessary. On October 8, 1921, the stadium on Rosagasse, which could hold 20,000 spectators, was finally opened with a championship match.

The Wacker fans were able to celebrate their first major success shortly thereafter. With a remarkable 4:2 victory over Rapid Vienna, the Meidlingers advanced to the 1923 Cup final, where they suffered a 3:1 defeat at the hands of Wiener Sport-Club in front of 20,000 spectators at the Hohe Warte. Feigl played in goal for Wacker, Kolndorfer, and Huber as backs, Klicka, Resch, and Pellet in the half-back line, and Liebhardt, goalscorer Kowanda, Wana, Röscher and Stach as forwards. Throughout the championship, the Wacker players achieved consistent mid-table finishes, yet were unable to challenge for the title. The most notable achievements of the season were the individual matches in which the team was able to compete with the top clubs. In 1924, professional football was introduced in Austria, marking the inception of the championship as a professional league. Despite achieving a seventh-place finish in the inaugural professional year, the team subsequently secured ninth and eighth-place finishes in the lower half of the table. The appointment of renowned coaches such as Rigo Kuthan and Jenő Konrád did not yield immediate results. In 1928, however, the club commenced its inaugural season with a noteworthy 4:1 victory over the then-current record champions, Rapid. This result ultimately positioned the club in 4th place in the table, a provisional club record. The away win on June 11, 1929, against the then top European club Slavia Prague 3-0 under coach Ferdinand Feigl, who had been in goal at the 1923 Cup final, is also recorded as particularly valuable in the Wacker chronicle.Blaha 1947, p. 47 After this brief high, the team soon returned to mid-table. The majority of the players on the Wacker team at the time were from Meidling, and the majority of them remained loyal to the club for the remainder of their careers. The club was fortunate to have exceptional players such as Karl Zischek, who enabled them to remain consistently at the top of the Austrian league despite their great successes in the national team. In 1934, Wunderteam right winger Zischek and Johann Walzhofer participated in the World Cup in Italy. Despite Austria's advancement to the semi-finals, the team ultimately placed ninth in the tournament and did not compete in the international Mitropacup.

1934-1947: Rise, Second World War and winning the double The ascent to become a top national club commenced in the late 1930s. In their twentieth year as a first division club, the Meidlingers achieved a fourth-place finish in the championship, equaling their best result of 1928. This was followed by even more impressive performances in the subsequent years. The club confirmed its upward trajectory with two additional fourth-place finishes in 1937 and 1938. Following the annexation of Austria by the German Reich on March 12, 1938, the professional national league, which was deemed "unworthy of a German man,"Kastler 1974, p. 57 was replaced by the amateur championship in the Gauliga XVII. In the face of these adverse circumstances, the club was able to maintain its position for the time being. In the 1938/39 season, Wacker was able to challenge the then series champions Admira Vienna for the first time under coach Otto Haftl. The club temporarily climbed to the top of the table and faced Admira in a direct duel at the Praterstadion on March 19 in the deciding match for the title. Although the Meidlingers suffered a 2:4 defeat in front of 38,000 spectators, they were runners-up for the first time in the club's history. The Black & Whites also finished runners-up in the following years, 1940 and 1941, but were beaten by Rapid on both occasions. However, they were able to build up a comfortable lead thanks to Franz Binder. The club was unfortunate in the 1939 DFB Cup. Wacker advanced to the semifinals of the German Cup, where they faced SV Waldhof Mannheim. The first match in Mannheim ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time. The second match in Vienna ended in a 2–2 draw after extra time, and the third match on a neutral pitch in Munich ended in a 0–0 draw after extra time. A draw was agreed upon, which favored Mannheim. Wacker was eliminated from the competition with a perfect record.Kastler 1975, p. 92 The club suffered increasingly from the consequences of the Second World War. A significant number of players were lost to the war, including national goalkeeper Alexander Martinek and Wacker international Josef Pekarek, who lost a leg. The stadium was badly damaged by bombs. In 1944, the club was confronted with the relegation battle, but narrowly won the relegation match against SG Reichsbahn 2:1. The club had to cancel all matches in the 1945 spring championship.