Ernst Feibusch

1925 - 2020

Ernst "Ernie" Feibusch

March 27, 1925 – April 19, 2020

Ernie Feibusch, known as Coach to all except his immediate family, passed away shortly after reaching his 95th birthday. He was born in Hohen Neuendorf (Berlin), Germany to Emma and Isador Feibusch, and predeceased by his lovely wife, Joyce and their only son, London, and his brothers, Theodor and twin, Hans. His nephews, Robert Feibusch of Ross and John Feibusch of Sunnyvale and his nieces, Miryam Bush of Sheffield, England, and Dr. Kate Feibusch of Windsor, California, survive Ernie. London's wife, Keigh, also survives him. She always brought him a sweet to eat or a coffee with lots of milk whenever she visited; Ernie looked forward to those frequent visits.
Ernie was born to a Protestant mother and Jewish father and immigrated with his family to San Francisco when he was 12. Ernie's uncle, Moritz Feibusch, was the owner of a fruit canning company in San Francisco. Uncle Moritz was a passenger on the Hindenburg when it crashed in New Jersey in 1937. His estate provided the means for Ernie and his family's departure to the United States.
Ernie lived in San Francisco along with other members of the Feibusch family who were able to leave Germany before the war broke out. Ernie and his twin brother, Hans, attended Polytechnic High School, in San Francisco. They were inseparable.
Seven years after landing in San Francisco, he and his twin brother were drafted into the United States Army Air Corp. Coach Feibusch was assigned as a waist gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress for the 390th Bomb Group based in England. He and his fellow crewmembers flew 25 missions over Europe during the war. On their last mission, they were shot down over Germany but managed to steer their plane to a crash landing in neutral Switzerland, where they were detained for five months until the end of the war. After the war, Coach Feibusch spent a year in London, translating German technical documents for the U.S. Army. There, in the country that invented soccer, Coach Feibusch became a lifelong Anglophile. (He even named his son London.) One of Coach's happiest days came in 1966, when he was at Wembley Stadium to watch England win the 1966 World Cup Championship.
Coach Feibusch was a member of the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame, SF Prep Hall of Fame, and Lowell Sports Foundation Hall of Fame.
Coach Feibusch's passion for soccer, and dedication to guiding the young men and women who played at Lowell, made him a beloved figure to many who were lucky enough to learn "the beautiful game" from him. He was a coach's coach, who understood the game and how to teach the game like few others. Over his 44-year high school coaching career, Lowell won 20 Academic Athletic Association championships while he recorded more than 670 career wins and produced both college level and professional soccer players. He played his soccer at San Francisco State University and for the Vikings Soccer Club of San Francisco.
After retiring as a player in 1955 he served as president of the SF Soccer Football League until 1959. He served as the Secretary of the United States Soccer Federation, and founded the Vikings Youth Soccer program that has introduced thousands of young San Franciscans to the game of soccer. Coach began coaching the San Francisco Vikings, for whom he played for 20 years, in 1966.
Until age 90, Ernie could be found out on the pitch at Lowell on Sunday mornings, kicking the round ball with the "Sunday Morning Stumblers." He drew people of all ages and backgrounds to the joy and fellowship of playing soccer together, and fostered lifelong friendships among his players.
At Lowell, Coach Feibusch taught U.S. History, German and Graphic Arts during his 35-year tenure (1955-90). Those lucky enough to play under Coach Feibusch remember him as a larger than life figure, who always spoke his mind and cared about the young men and women he coached and taught. He will be missed by many especially his soccer mates.
Donations in his honor may be made to the Lowell Alumni Association's, Ernie Feibusch Soccer Fund, which benefits Lowell's soccer teams. Please visit www.lowellalumni.org
Due to COVID-19, A Celebration of Ernie's Life will be held in the fall. To receive details, please email coachfeibuschmemorial@gmail.com Memories of Coach, on or off the pitch, would be a welcome addition to this site.