Eşref Bilgiç

Eşref Bilgiç — Biography

Eşref Bilgiç was a left winger and forward who came through Beşiktaş's own ranks and was part of the club's championship sides of the 1930s and 40s. He worked in Turkish football as a player, referee and coach, and died in Istanbul on December 9, 1992; he was buried at Emirgân Cemetery.

He played for Beşiktaş from 1926 to 1947, scoring 110 goals in 346 matches. With a squad that included Hakkı Yeten, Şeref Görkey, Hüseyin Saygun, Hüsnü Savman, İbrahim Tusder, Feyzi Uman and Şükrü Gülesin he won eight Istanbul championships between 1933 and 1947, five of them in a row, though some sources give the number as seven. He was part of the unbeaten National Division champions of 1941 and won the Istanbul Cup and the Prime Minister's Cup in 1944. In the Harp Okulu match in Ankara on April 22, 1944, with Beşiktaş 3-0 down at half-time, he made four assists and scored once in the second half to help his side win 6-3.

He won two caps: he was in the 1931 Balkan Games squad, made his debut against Yugoslavia on October 2, 1931, and scored in a friendly against Bulgaria on November 4, 1932. After retiring as a player he refereed until 1953, started coaching at Kasımpaşa and managed Feriköy in 1956-57. He took charge of Beşiktaş on an interim basis in 1957-58, took them through two rounds of the Federation Cup, and traveled with the club as coach on its 1961 tour of the United States.