Kemal Aydın

Kemal Aydın — Biography

Kemal Aydın was born on 19 January 1934 in the village of Derekışla in the Balâ district of Ankara Province. The son of Hacı Hasan Aydın, one of Ankara's first butchers, he attended İnönü Primary School, the era's 4th Middle School (today's Cebeci Ortaokulu) and Ankara Gazi Lisesi, and graduated from the Ankara Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences in 1964.

He began playing football in 1951 with Sanayi Barbarosspor in Ankara, then joined Gençlerbirliği in 1956, playing mainly as a defender until an injury ended his career in 1962; his last season in the Millî Lig was 1960-61. Known on the pitch as "Kara Kemal," he was never called up to the national team but was remembered by fans as one of the best players of his era. In 1967 he became general captain of the Türk Telekom football team, and for many years served as an observer and representative for the Turkish Football Federation.

He began his civil-service career in 1956 at the Ankara Land Registry and Cadastre Directorate before moving to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, where he served as the minister's sports advisor, head of the Ankara Sports Academy and Secretary General of the Football Federation. After retiring in 1985 he continued advising the ministry and representing the federation in European competitions, and headed the Turkish delegation at the 1988 King's Cup in South Korea. Married to Özden Aydın and the father of two, he died in Ankara on 8 January 2019.