Sefer Talat Özkarslı (21 March 1938 – 10 June 2020), nicknamed Koçero,[2] was a Turkish football manager and player who played as a defender. Özkarslı is best known for his stint with Galatasaray from 1961 to 1971, where he helped them win three Süper Lig titles and seven other domestic trophies.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sefer Talat Özkarslı | ||
| Date of birth | (1938-03-21)21 March 1938 | ||
| Place of birth | Gaziantep, Turkey | ||
| Date of death | 10 June 2020(2020-06-10) (aged 82)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1953–1960 | Şehreküstü | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1960–1961 | Göztepe | 29 | (5) |
| 1961–1971 | Galatasaray | 182 | (15) |
| 1971–1974 | Gaziantepspor | 28 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1961–1962 | Turkey B | 2 | (1) |
| 1962–1966 | Turkey U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 1962–1968 | Turkey | 26 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1982–1983 | Gaziantepspor | ||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 April 2018 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 April 2018 | |||
Özkarslı began playing football with his local side Şehreküstü. He was an all-star athlete who excelled in athletics, and after years of amateur success transferred to Göztepe. In 1961, Gündüz Kılıç convinced him to transfer to Galatasaray after and spent ten years there.[4] After his tenure at Galatasaray, Özkarslı played for three years with his local club Gaziantepspor, and promoted them from the third division to the first division. Later in life, he briefly became their manager.[5] On 5 February 2018 in Gaziantep the sports hall "Talat Özkarslı Kapalı Spor Salonu" was opened and named after Özkarslı, and a large major street was also named after him.[6]
Gaziantepspor – managers | |
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