Erwin Nyc

Who was Erwin Nyc?

Erwin Peter Nytz or Edward Piotr Nyc was an interwar Polish soccer midfield player of Upper Silesian origin. Born Erwin Nytz, his Silesian homeland became Poland after Treaty of Versailles and he changed his last name to its Polonized version in 1934. During the Second World War he again used his birth name Nytz.

In late 1930s Nyc played for Polonia Warszawa, and also represented the Polish national football team. He participated in the legendary 1938 FIFA World Cup game Poland - Brazil 5-6.

During the Second World War, Nyc returned to Upper Silesia, where for a while played for a German minority team 1. FC Katowice. Called up to the German Army, continued his career in the military teams of the Luftwaffe and the garrison of Berlin.

After the war Nyc unlike many of his fellow Silesian-German soccer players remained in his homeland under Communist Poland. Initially, he had many problems with the Communist government, which regarded him as a traitor. However, a group of players from Kraków and Warsaw claimed that he had never betrayed Poland and had actively supported Polish underground organizations.