Bundesliga club-by-club historical guide: Preußen Münster
The Bundesliga's original one-season wonders, Preußen Münster competed in the league's inaugural edition but haven't done so since and are the only team in history to feature in the Bundesliga without facing Bayern Munich.
bundesliga.com is taking you through all the teams to have graced Germany’s first division over the last 60 years – based on the number of seasons they’ve played up to and including 2023/24.
Discover many more memorable moments and records in the Bundesliga's 60-year history!
Preußen Münster
Years in Bundesliga: 1 (1963/64)
Most appearances: Dagmar-Ernst Drewes and Klaus Bockisch (both 30)
Most goals: Hermann Lulka (nine)
Youngest player: Heinz-Rüdiger Voß (20 years, nine months, 27 days)
Münster are the Bundesliga’s original one-season wonders. They earned the right to compete in the inaugural season as one of five teams from the Oberliga West. Preußen had gone on tours of South America in 1962 and the USA in 1963 and were the first Bundesliga team to host a sell-out crowd, drawing 1-1 with Hamburg in front of 38,000 at the Preußenstadion.
They won seven of their 30 games but finished second-bottom, just a point shy of safety. As a result of playing in the 16-team season, they will hold the record for fewest Bundesliga games played (30), unless the league were to be reduced from 18 again or they were to come back up. As a consolation, they hold the record for fewest overall defeats (14) and fewest goals conceded (52) of all clubs to have played in the Bundesliga. They also hold a unique place as the only one of the 55 clubs prior to 2023/24 to have been in the Bundesliga but never faced Bayern Munich.
They did take on the Munich (not necessarily at the time) giants in 1966 in a friendly match to mark Preußen’s 60th anniversary, winning 2-1. Things have been steady but with some ups and downs since the one-year Bundesliga cameo. A reordering of divisions took them to the third tier for the first time in 1981. It wasn’t until 2006 that they dropped to the fourth but are now back into the 3. Liga for 2023/24.
