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James M. Gavin

James Maurice Gavin (March 22, 1907 – February 23, 1990), sometimes called "Jumpin' Jim" and "the jumping general", was a senior United States Army officer, with the rank of lieutenant general, who was the third Commanding General (CG) of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II. During the war, he was often referred to as "The Jumping General" because of his practice of taking part in combat jumps with the paratroopers under his command; he was the only American general officer to make four combat jumps in the war.

Gavin was the youngest major general to command an American division in World War II, being only 37 upon promotion, and the youngest lieutenant general after the war, in March 1955. He was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses and several other decorations for his service in the war. During combat, he was known for his habit of carrying an M1 rifle, typically carried by enlisted U.S. infantry soldiers, instead of the M1 carbine, which officers customarily carried.

Gavin also worked against segregation in the U.S. Army, which gained him some notability. After the war, Gavin served as United States Ambassador to France from 1961 to 1962.

Early life
Gavin was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 22, 1907. His precise ancestry is unclear. His mother may have been an Irish immigrant, Katherine Ryan, and his father James Nally (also of Irish heritage), although official documentation lists Thomas Ryan as his father; possibly in order to make the birth legitimate. The birth certificate lists his name as James Nally Ryan, although Nally was crossed out. When he was about two years old, he was placed in the Convent of Mercy orphanage in Brooklyn, where he remained until he was adopted in 1909 by Martin and Mary Gavin from Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, and given the name James Maurice Gavin.

Gavin took his first job as a newspaper delivery boy at the age of 10. By the age of 11, he had two routes and was an agent for three out-of-town papers. During this time, he enjoyed following articles about World War I. In the eighth grade, he moved on from the paper job and started working at a barbershop. There he listened to the stories of the old miners. This led him to realize he did not want to be a miner. In school, he learned about the Civil War. From that point on, he decided to study everything he could about the subject. He was amazed at what he discovered and decided if he wanted to learn this "magic" of controlling thousands of troops, from miles away, he would have to continue his education at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York.

His adoptive father was a hard-working coal miner, but the family still had trouble making ends meet. Gavin quit school after eighth grade and became a full-time clerk at a shoe store for $12.50 a week. His next stint was as a manager for Jewel Oil Company. A combination of restlessness and limited future opportunities in his hometown caused Gavin to run away from home. In March 1924, on his 17th birthday, he took the night train to New York. The first thing he did upon arriving was to send a telegram to his parents saying everything was all right to prevent them from reporting him missing to the police. After that, he started looking for a job.

Enlistment and West Point
At the end of March 1924, aged just 17, Gavin spoke to a sergeant in the United States Army. Since he was under 18, he needed parental consent to enlist. Knowing that his adoptive parents would not consent, Gavin told the recruiter he was an orphan. The recruiter took him and a few other underage boys, who were orphans, to a lawyer who declared himself their guardian and signed the parental consent paperwork. On April 1, 1924, Gavin was sworn into the U.S. Army. He later wrote about this period:

"I couldn't wait to join up and I held up my right hand in the Whitehall building on April 1, 1924. I have always remembered the name of the officer who swore me in because it was the same as a Civil War general,—Captain Buckner. He was the first captain of the U.S. Army, in uniform, too, that I had ever seen, and I was impressed."

He was first stationed in Panama. His basic training was performed on the job in his unit, the U.S. Coast Artillery at Fort Sherman. He served as a crewmember of a 155 mm gun, under the command of Sergeant McCarthy, who described him as fine. Another person he looked up to was his first sergeant, an American Indian named "Chief" Williams.

Gavin spent his spare time reading books from the library, notably Great Captains and a biography of Hannibal. He had been forced to quit school in seventh grade in order to help support his family, and acutely felt his lack of education. In addition, he made excursions in the region, trying to satisfy his boundless curiosity about everything. First Sergeant Williams recognized Gavin's potential and made him his assistant; Gavin was promoted to corporal six months later.

He wished to advance in the army, and on Williams's advice, applied to a local army school, from which the best graduates got the chance to attend the USMA at West Point. Gavin passed the physical examinations and was assigned with a dozen other men to a school in Corozal, which was a small army depot in the Canal Zone. He started school on September 1, 1924. In order to prepare for the entrance exams into West Point, Gavin was tutored by another mentor, Lieutenant Percy Black, from 8 o'clock in the morning until noon on algebra, geometry, English, and history. He passed the exams and was allowed to apply to West Point. He wrote, "I have always been grateful to Lieutenant Black for his insistence and have felt that this was what enabled me to pass."

Gavin arrived at West Point in the summer of 1925, three months after his 18th birthday and 14 months after enlistment. On the application forms, he indicated his age as 21 (instead of 18) to hide the fact that he was not old enough to join the army when he did. Since Gavin missed the basic education which was needed to understand the lessons, he rose at 4:30 every morning and read his books in the bathroom, the only place with enough light to read. After four years of hard work, he graduated in June 1929, 185th out of a class of 299. In the 1929 edition of the West Point yearbook, Howitzer, he was mentioned as a boxer and as the cadet who had already been a soldier. After his graduation and his commissioning as a second lieutenant, he married Irma Baulsir on September 5, 1929.

Various postings
Gavin was posted to Camp Harry J. Jones near Douglas, Arizona, on the U.S.–Mexican border. This camp housed the 25th Infantry Regiment (one of the entirely African-American Buffalo Soldier regiments). He stayed in this posting for three years.

Afterward, Gavin attended the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. This school was managed by Colonel George C. Marshall, who had brought Joseph Stilwell with him to lead the Tactics department. Marshall and Stillwell, both of whom were distinguished veterans of World War I, taught their students not to rely on lengthy written orders, but rather to give rough guidelines for the commanders in the field to execute as they saw fit, and to let the field commanders do the actual tactical thinking; this was contrary to all other education in the U.S. Army thus far. Of Stilwell and his methods, Gavin wrote, "He was a superb officer in that position [head of tactics], hard and tough worker, and he demanded much, always insisting that anything you ask the troops to do, you must be able to do yourself."

The time spent at Fort Benning was a happy time for Gavin, but his marriage with Irma Baulsir was not going well. She had moved with him to Fort Benning, and lived in a town nearby. On December 23, 1932, they drove to Baulsir's parents in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Christmas together. Irma decided she was happier there and remained with her parents. In February 1933, Irma became pregnant. Their daughter, Gavin's first child, Barbara, was born while Gavin was away from Fort Sill on a hunting trip. "She was very unhappy with me, as was her mother", Gavin later wrote. Irma remained in Washington during most of their marriage, which ended in divorce upon his return from the war.

In 1933, Gavin, who had no desire to become an instructor for new recruits, was posted to the 28th and 29th Infantry Regiment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, under the command of General Lesley J. McNair. He spent most of his free time in, as he called it, the "excellent library" of this fort, while the other soldiers spent most of their time partying, shooting, and playing polo. One author in particular impressed Gavin: J. F. C. Fuller. Gavin said about him: "[He] saw clearly the implications of machines, weapons, gasoline, oil, tanks, and airplanes. I read with avidity all of his writings."

In 1936, Gavin was posted to the Philippines. While there, he became very concerned about the US's ability to counter possible Japanese plans for expansion. The 20,000 soldiers stationed there were badly equipped. In the book Paratrooper: The Life of Gen. James M. Gavin, he is quoted as saying, "Our weapons and equipment were no better than those used in World War I". After a year and a half in the Philippines, he returned to Washington with his family and served with the 3rd Infantry Division in the Vancouver Barracks. Gavin was promoted to captain and held his first command position as commanding officer of K Company of the 7th Infantry Regiment.

While stationed at Fort Ord, California, he received an injury to his right eye during a sports match. Gavin feared that this would end his military career, and he visited a physician in Monterey, California. The physician diagnosed a retinal detachment and recommended an eye patch for 90 days. Gavin decided to rely on his eye healing by itself to hide the injury.

West Point again
Gavin was ordered back to West Point, to work in the Tactics faculty there.

Constructing an airborne army
Gavin began training at the new Parachute School at Fort Benning in August 1941. After graduating in August, he served in an experimental unit. His first command was as a captain and the commanding officer of C Company of the newly established 503rd Parachute Infantry Battalion.

Gavin's friends William T. Ryder, commander of airborne training, and William P. Yarborough, communications officer of the Provisional Airborne Group, convinced Colonel William C. Lee to let Gavin develop the tactics and basic rules of airborne combat. Lee followed up on this recommendation and made Gavin his operations and training officer (S-3). On October 16, 1941, Gavin was promoted to major.

One of Gavin's first priorities was determining how airborne troops could be used most effectively. His first action was writing FM 31-30: Tactics and Technique of Air-Borne Troops. He used information about Soviet and German experiences with paratroopers and glider troops and also used his own experience in tactics and warfare. The manual contained information about tactics, but also about the organization of the paratroopers, what kind of operations they could execute, and what they would need to execute their task effectively. Later, when Gavin was asked what made his career take off so fast, he would answer, "I wrote the book".

In February 1942, shortly after the United States entered World War II, Gavin took a condensed course at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, which qualified him to serve on the staff of a division. He returned to the Provisional Airborne Group and was tasked with building up an airborne division. In the spring of 1942, Gavin and Lee went to Army Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss the order of battle for the first US airborne division. The 82nd Infantry Division, then stationed at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and commanded by Major General Omar Bradley, was selected to be converted into the first American airborne division and subsequently became the 82nd Airborne Division. Command of the 82nd went to Major General Matthew Ridgway. Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair's influence led to the division's initial composition of two glider infantry regiments and one parachute infantry regiment, with an organic parachute and glider artillery and other support units.

In August 1942, Gavin became the commanding officer of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) at Fort Benning which had been activated shortly before on July 6. He was, aged just 35, promoted to colonel shortly thereafter. Gavin built this regiment from the ground up. He led his troops on long marches and realistic training sessions, creating the training missions himself and leading the marches personally. He also placed great value on having his officers "the first out of the airplane door and the last in the chow line". This practice has continued to and with present-day US airborne units. After months of training, Gavin had the regiment tested one last time:

"As we neared our time to leave, on the way to war, I had an exercise that required them to leave our barracks area at 7:00 P.M. and march all night to an area near the town of Cottonwood, Alabama, a march about 23 miles. There we maneuvered all day and in effect, we seized and held an airhead. We broke up the exercise at about 8:00 P.M. and started the troopers back by another route through dense pine forest, by way of backwoods roads. About 11:00 P.M., we went into bivouac. After about one hour's sleep, the troopers were awakened to resume the march. In 36 hours the regiment had marched well over 50 miles, maneuvered and seized an airhead, and defended it from counterattack while carrying full combat loads and living off reserve rations."

Preparations for combat
In February 1943, the 82nd Airborne Division, commanded by Major General Matthew Ridgway and consisting of the 325th and 326th Glider Infantry Regiments and the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, along with various units in support, was selected to participate in the Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky. Not enough gliders were available to have both glider regiments take part in the landings, however, so the 326th Glider Infantry Regiment was relieved from assignment to the 82nd and replaced by Gavin's 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which arrived at Fort Bragg on February 12.

Gavin arranged a last regimental-sized jump for training and demonstration purposes before the division was shipped to North Africa. On April 10, 1943, Ridgway explained what their next mission would be: Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. Gavin's regiment would be the first ever in the history of the United States Army to make a regimental-sized airborne landing. He declared, "It is exciting and stimulating that the first regimental parachute operation in the history of our army is to be taken by the 505. It is going to be very tough to do well but if we fail it will not be through lack of effort. I know the regiment will fight to the last man. They will fight as American troops have never fought before." On April 29, 1943, Gavin left the harbor of New York on board the SS Monterey, arriving in Casablanca on May 10, 1943. Lieutenant General George Patton, the U.S. Seventh Army commander, suggested performing the invasion at night, but Ridgway and Gavin disagreed because they had not practiced night jumps. After mounting casualties during practice jumps because of the troopers landing on the hard and rocky ground of the Moroccan desert, Gavin canceled all practice jumps until the invasion.

The regiment was transported to Kairouan in Tunisia, and on July 9 at 10:00 am they entered the planes that would take them to Sicily. Their mission was to land 24 hours before the planned day/time of major combat initiation ("D-Day") to the north and east of Gela and take and hold the surrounding area to split the German line of supply and disrupt their communications.

Operation Husky
A soldier informed Gavin that the windspeed at the landing site was 56 km/h (about 34 miles per hour). During the planning phase, 24 km/h (about 14.5 miles per hour) had been assumed. After one hour of flying, the plane crew could see the bombardment of the invasion beaches. Gavin ordered his men to prepare for the jump, and a few minutes later was the first paratrooper to jump from the plane. Due to the higher-than-expected windspeed, he sprained his ankle while landing. After assembling a group of 20 men, his S-3, Major Benjamin H. Vandervoort, and his S-1, Captain Ireland, he realized that they had drifted off course and were miles from the intended landing areas. He could see signs of combat twenty miles onward; he gathered his men and headed towards the combat zone.

With a small band of between eight and twenty paratroopers of the 505th, Gavin began to march toward the sound of the guns. "He had no idea where his regiment was and only a vague idea as to exactly where he was. We walked all night," said Major Vandervoort. The paratroopers did not pose a real threat as a fighting force, but their guerrilla tactics were nevertheless very effective. They aggressively took on enemy forces, leaving the impression of a much larger force. At one point on the morning of July 10, Gavin's tiny band encountered a 35-man Italian anti-paratroop patrol. An intense firefight ensued, and the Italians were driven back. Several paratroopers were wounded before Gavin and his men were able to gradually disengage. Gavin was the last man to withdraw. "We were sweaty, tired, and distressed at having to leave [our] wounded behind," said Vandervoort. "The colonel looked over his paltry six-man command and said, 'This is a hell of a place for a regimental commander to be.'"

At about 8:30 a.m. on July 11, as Gavin was headed west along Route 115 in the direction of Gela, he began rounding up scattered groups of 505th paratroopers and infantrymen of the 45th Infantry Division and successfully attacked a ridge that overlooked a road junction at the east end of the Acate Valley. It was called Biazzo Ridge. Gavin established hasty defenses on the ridge, overlooking the road junction, Ponte Dirillo, and the Acate River valley. Although he had no tanks or artillery to support him, he immediately appreciated the importance of holding the ridge as the only Allied force between the Germans and their unhindered exploitation of the exposed left flank of the 45th Division and the thinly held right flank of the 1st Infantry Division. Against Gavin, that day was the entire eastern task force of the Hermann Göring Division: at least 700 infantry, an armored artillery battalion, and a company of Tiger tanks.

The German objective was nothing less than counterattacking and throwing the 1st and 45th Divisions back into the sea. Although the attacks of July 10 had failed, those launched the next day posed a dire threat to the still tenuous 45th Division beachhead. For some inexplicable reason, the Germans failed to act aggressively against Gavin's outgunned and outmatched force. Even so, that afternoon, a panzer force attacked Biazzo Ridge. Gavin made it clear to his men, "We're staying on this goddamned ridge – no matter what happens."

The defenders of Biazzo Ridge managed to capture two 75mm pack howitzers, which they turned into direct-fire weapons to defend the ridge. One managed to knock out one of the attacking Tiger tanks. By early evening, the situation had turned grim when six American M4 Sherman tanks suddenly appeared, eliciting cheers from the weary paratroopers, who had been joined by others, including some airborne engineers, infantry, clerks, cooks, and truck drivers. With this scratch force and the Shermans, Gavin counterattacked and in so doing deterred the Germans from pressing their considerable advantage. The battle ended with the Americans still in control of Biazzo Ridge. For his feats of valor that day, Colonel Gavin was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

On December 9, 1943, Gavin was promoted to brigadier general and became the assistant division commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. Being only 36 years old at the time, he was one of the youngest Army officers to become a general in World War II. The 82nd Airborne moved to England during the early months of 1944.

D-Day and Mission Boston
Gavin was part of Mission Boston on D-Day. This was a parachute combat assault conducted at night by the US 82nd Airborne Division on June 6, 1944, as part of the American airborne landings in Normandy. The intended objective was to secure an area of roughly 10 sqmi on either side of the Merderet River. They were to capture the town of Sainte-Mère-Église, a crucial communications crossroad behind Utah Beach, and to block the approaches into the area from the west and southwest. They were to seize causeways and bridges over the Merderet at La Fière and Chef-du-Pont, destroy the highway bridge over the Douve River at Pont l'Abbé (now Étienville), and secure the area west of Sainte-Mère-Église to establish a defensive line between Gourbesville and Renouf. Gavin was to describe the operation as having two interrelated challenges – it had to be 'planned and staged with one eye on deception and one on the assault'.

To complete its assignments, the 82nd Airborne Division was divided into three forces. Gavin commanded Force A (parachute): the three parachute infantry regiments and support detachments. The drops were scattered by bad weather and German antiaircraft fire over an area three to four times larger than planned; ironically, this gave the Germans the impression of a much larger force. Two regiments of the division were given the mission of blocking approaches west of the Merderet River, but most of their troops missed their drop zones entirely. The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment jumped accurately and captured its objective, the town of Sainte-Mère-Église, which proved essential to the success of the division. The 1st Battalion captured bridges over the Merderet at Manoir de la Fière and Chef-du-Pont. Gavin returned from Chef-du-Pont and withdrew all but a platoon to beef up the defense at Manoir de la Fière. About 2.2 miles west of Sainte-Mère-Église and 175 yards east of La Fière Bridge, on Route D15, a historical marker indicates the supposed location of Gavin's foxhole.

Operation Market Garden

Gavin became the youngest division commander since the Civil War when he assumed command of the 82nd Airborne Division on August 8, 1944, and was promoted to major general in October. For the first time, Gavin would lead the 82nd Airborne Division into combat. On Sunday, September 17, Operation Market Garden took off. Market Garden, devised by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, consisted of an airborne attack of three British and American airborne divisions. The 82nd was to take the bridge across the Maas River in Grave, seize at least one of four bridges across the Maas–Waal Canal, and the bridge across the Waal river in Nijmegen. The 82nd was also to take control of the high grounds in the vicinity of Groesbeek, a small Dutch town near the German border. The ultimate objective of the offensive was Arnhem.

In the drop into the Netherlands, Gavin landed on hard pavement instead of grass, injuring his back. He had it inspected by a doctor a few days later, who claimed that his back was fine, and so Gavin continued normally throughout the entirety of the war. Five years later, he had his back examined at Walter Reed Hospital, where he learned that he had, in fact, fractured two discs in the jump.

The failure of the 82nd to secure the Nijmegen Bridge on Day 1 of the operation delayed the XXX Corps relief column 36 hours and is considered one of several key reasons for the failure of the entire operation. As such, much controversy has swirled around the reasons for the delay and making the nearby Groesbeek Heights the priority. The contemporaneous reports of Lieutenant Colonel Norton (82nd G3) states that Gavin ordered Colonel Roy Lindquist (508th) to "attempt to seize the Nijmegen Bridge with a small force, not to exceed a battalion." With rumors of a large German armored formation nearby, Gavin initially made the decision to move most of his troops to the Groesbeek Heights rather than securing the Nijimegen Bridge. This decision left Lindquist confused about his orders, leading to the vital bridge being reinforced and in German hands for a further 36 hours. This seriously delayed XXX Corps relief of 1st Airborne Div at Arnhem and jeopardized the entire operation. The 504th took the bridge across the Waal river, but it was too late as the British paras of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, 1st Parachute Brigade of the British 1st Airborne Division, could not hold on any longer to their north side of the Arnhem Bridge and were defeated. The 82nd would stay in the Netherlands until November 13, when it was transferred to new billets in Sisonne et Suippes, France.

Battle of the Bulge and end of the war in Europe
Gavin also led the 82nd during its fighting in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945. The division was in SHAEF reserve in France at the start of the battle, and deployed as part of the Allied reaction to the German offensive. It operated in the northern sector of the battle, defending the towns of La Gleize and Stoumont against attacks by Kampfgruppe Peiper and elements of three Waffen-SS Panzer divisions. After the German offensive stalled, Gavin led the 82nd during the Allied counterattack in January 1945 that erased the German penetration.

After helping to secure the Ruhr, the 82nd Airborne Division ended the war at Ludwigslust past the Elbe River, accepting the surrender of over 150,000 men of Lieutenant General Kurt von Tippelskirch's 21st Army. When Gavin's 82nd crossed the river, in company with the British 6th Airborne Division, the 82nd Airborne Division moved 36 miles in one day and captured over 100,000 troops, causing great laughter in Bradley's 12th Army Group headquarters.

Following Germany's surrender, the 82nd Airborne Division entered Berlin for occupation duty, lasting from April until December 1945. In Berlin General George S. Patton was so impressed with the 82nd's honor guard he said, "In all my years in the Army and all the honor guards I have ever seen, the 82nd's honor guard is undoubtedly the best." Hence the "All-American" division also became known as "America's Guard of Honor". The war ended before their scheduled participation in the Allied invasion of Japan, Operation Downfall.

Post–World War II career
Gavin also played a central role in racially integrating the US military, beginning with his incorporation of the all-black 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion into the 82nd Airborne Division. The 555th's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Bradley Biggs, referred to Gavin as perhaps the most "color-blind" Army officer in the entire service. Biggs' unit distinguished itself as "smokejumpers" in 1945, combating forest fires and disarming Japanese balloon bombs.

After the war, Gavin went on to high postwar command. He was a key player in stimulating the discussions which led to the Pentomic Division. As Army Chief of Research and Development and public author, he called for the use of mechanized troops transported by air to become a modern form of cavalry. He proposed deploying troops and light armored fighting vehicles by glider (or specially designed air dropped pod), aircraft, or helicopter to perform reconnaissance, raids, and screening operations. This led to the Howze Board, which had a great influence on the Army's use of helicopters, first seen during the Vietnam War.

Citing what he described as the "deteriorating" condition of the army, Gavin announced his retirement as a lieutenant general in January 1958, nine years before mandatory retirement at the age of 60. During his four years as head of research and development, the army's budget had decreased from $12.6 billion to $8.6 billion; Gavin said that he would have to defend the military budget before Congress but "I don't believe in next year's budget". Stating that "I feel I can do more on the outside for national defense than on the inside", he refused Secretary of the Army Wilbur Brucker's offer of promotion to full general to not retire. He wrote a book, War and Peace in the Space Age, published in mid-1958, which, among other things, detailed his reasons for leaving the army.

Later years and death

Upon retiring from the US Army, Gavin was recruited by an industrial research and consulting firm, Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADL) He began as a vice president in 1958, became president of the company in 1960 and eventually served as both president and chairman of the board until his retirement in 1977. During his tenure at ADL, he grew a $10 million domestic company into a $70 million international company. Gavin remained as a consultant with ADL after his retirement. He served on the boards of several Boston organizations—the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Northeastern University—and some business boards as well.

In 1961, US President John F. Kennedy asked Gavin to take a leave of absence from ADL and serve as U.S. ambassador to France. Kennedy hoped Gavin would be able to improve deteriorating diplomatic relations with France, due to his experiences with the French during World War II, and his wartime relationship with France's President, General Charles de Gaulle. This proved to be a successful strategy and Gavin served as ambassador to France in 1961 and 1962. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter considered the 70-year-old Gavin for Director of the CIA before settling on Admiral Stansfield Turner.

Along with David Shoup and Matthew Ridgway, Gavin became one of the more visible former military critics of the Vietnam War. Due to this antiwar stance, Allard Lowenstein, leader of the Dump Johnson movement, asked him to oppose President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1968 Democratic primaries, but Gavin declined. In 1968, Gavin endorsed Nelson Rockefeller for the Republican presidential nomination.

Gavin was portrayed by Robert Ryan in The Longest Day, and by Ryan O'Neal in A Bridge Too Far. Gavin served as an advisor on both films.

James Gavin died on February 23, 1990, and is buried to the immediate east of the Old Chapel at the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery at West Point. He was survived by his widow, Jean, his five daughters, ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Private life
Gavin had a daughter named Barbara with his first wife. Barbara saved the letters her father sent to her during the war, and used them to write a 2007 book, The General and His Daughter: The War Time Letters of General James Gavin to his Daughter Barbara. Gavin had a reputation as a womanizer. Among his wartime lovers were the film star Marlene Dietrich and journalist Martha Gellhorn. Gavin and his wife Irma divorced after World War II in 1947. He married Jean Emert Duncan of Knoxville, Tennessee, in July 1948 and remained married to her until his death in 1990. He adopted Jean's daughter, Caroline Ann, by her first marriage. He and Jean had three daughters, Patricia Catherine, Marjorie Aileen, and Chloe Jean.

Military awards
Gavin's military decorations and awards include:

 * Badges
 * Decorations
 * Unit Award
 * Service Medals
 * Foreign Awards

Books
Gavin authored five books:

 * Airborne Warfare (1947), a discussion of the development and future of aircraft delivered forces
 * War and Peace in the Space Age (1958), a discussion of why he left the army, what he considered the perilously inadequate state of US military, scientific, and technological development at that time, his views of the reasons for it, and precise goals he thought the US needed to achieve for its national defense
 * France and the Civil War in America (co-authored with André Maurois; 1962)
 * Crisis Now (with Arthur Hadley; 1968) offered specific solutions to end the Vietnam War, observations on what he thought were America's domestic problems, and proposed solutions for them
 * On to Berlin: Battles of an Airborne Commander 1943–1946 (1976), an account of his experiences commanding the 82nd Airborne Division.

Memorials
The street that leads to the Waal Bridge in Nijmegen is now called General James Gavin Street. Near to the location of his parachute drop during Operation Market-Garden in Groesbeek a residential area is named in his honour.

A street in Thorpe Astley, a suburb of Leicester, England, was named Gavin Close in his honour. Thorpe Astley forms part of Braunstone Town in which Gavin was stationed at Braunstone Hall, prior to the D-Day landings.

There is also a small memorial in his native Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, where he grew up, commemorating his service. There are also two memorials in Osterville, Massachusetts, where he and his family spent summers for many years. In 1975, American Electric Power completed the 2,600-megawatt General James M. Gavin Power Plant on the Ohio River, near Cheshire, Ohio. The plant boasts dual stacks of 830 feet and dual cooling towers of 430 feet. It is the largest coal-fired power facility in Ohio, and one of the largest in the nation.

In 1986, the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment created the "Gavin Squad Competition". This competition was designed to identify the most proficient rifle squad in the regiment. The original competition was won by a squad from 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 3/505th PIR. Gavin was on hand to award the nine man squad their trophy. The competition is still held every year if the wartime deployment schedule allows it.

The Gavin Cup is an award recognizing the top Company/Troop/Battery-level organization in the 82nd Airborne Division. Awarded on a quarterly basis, the award criteria are centered on unit readiness and competition amongst all Company/Troop/Battery-sized units in the division and is two-phased. The first is submission of unit readiness-based metrics data. The top three scoring units send teams deliberately selected on short notice to compete in marksmanship, physical fitness, and combat preparation. The top scoring unit is awarded the Gavin Cup.

General and cited references

 * Fauntleroy, Barbara Gavin. The General and His Daughter: The Wartime Letters of General James M. Gavin to His Daughter Barbara. New York: Fordham University Press, 2007.
 * Gavin, James M. The James M. Gavin Papers. U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
 * LoFaro, Guy. The Sword of St. Michael: The 82nd Airborne Division in World War II. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo, 2011.
 * The General Gavin interview in Yank Magazine, April 1, 1945
 * Fauntleroy, Barbara Gavin. The General and His Daughter: The Wartime Letters of General James M. Gavin to His Daughter Barbara. New York: Fordham University Press, 2007.
 * Gavin, James M. The James M. Gavin Papers. U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
 * LoFaro, Guy. The Sword of St. Michael: The 82nd Airborne Division in World War II. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo, 2011.
 * The General Gavin interview in Yank Magazine, April 1, 1945

title: James M. Gavin


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Football in Poland

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Legia Warsaw

Legia Warszawa, commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning record 15 Ekstraklasa champions titles, a record 20 Polish Cup and 5 Polish Super Cup trophies. The club's home venue is the Polish Army Stadium (Stadion Wojska Polskiego). Legia is the only Polish club never to have been relegated from the top flight of Polish football since World War II (see: 1936 Legia Warsaw season).

Legia was formed between 5 and 15 March 1916 during military operations in World War I, as the main football club of the Polish Legions. After the war, the club was reactivated on 14 March 1920 in an officer casino in Warsaw as Wojskowy Klub Sportowy Warszawa, renamed Legia in 1923 after merger with another local club, Korona. It became the main official football club of the Polish Army – Wojskowy Klub Sportowy Legia Warszawa (lit. 'Military Sports Club Legia Warsaw'). From 1949 to 1957, Legia was known as CWKS Warszawa (lit. 'Central Military Sports Club Warsaw')

Before 8 April 2004, it was owned by Pol-Mot and from 8 April 2004 (sold for 3 million zlotys) until 9 January 2014, it was owned by media conglomerate ITI Group. The club is currently owned by Dariusz Mioduski who serves as the club's chairman.

Formation and beginnings
Legia was formed between 5 and 15 March 1916 during military operations in World War I on the Eastern Front in the village of Kostiuchnówka, within the region of Volhynia (Polish: Wołyń). It served as the main football club of the Polish Legions, who at the time fought for Austria-Hungary. The formation of the club in 1916 was greatly influenced by the outbreak of the First World War, because many Polish soldiers were involved in the formation of the Polish Legions before the war. Soldiers, often young men from the south of Poland (mainly from Kraków and Lwów) played football before the war, and therefore, after the formation of the team, they soon became successful. Football was a good way of spending free time, in the calm moments at the front, football matches were organized, which required the ball, making provisional goals, and finding a dozen or so players.

The first team training began in the spring of 1915 in Piotrków, between 5 and 15 March 1916 – at the request of then Master Sergeant Zygmunt Wasserab (pre-war player of Pogoń Stryj) – who was a part of the Polish Legion's Commanding Staff in Kostiuchnówka in Volhynia to create a football club. The president of the organization was Władysław Groele, and corporal Stanisław Mielech proposed the name "Sporting Team Legia", which was adopted (more commonly used term of the team later became Legionowa). Other names were: "Legion Command Squad" and "Styr". White-black colors and arms were also shown, showing the white letter "L" (symbol of the Legions) on the black dial. The players were dressed in white clothes with sloping black belts, which was a reference to Czarni Lwów.

In the spring of 1916, the team played a number of matches with other teams, most of which ended with Legia victorious. The oldest recorded matches are: 7–0 with the Divisional Sanitary Division, 3–3 with the 6th Infantry Regiment and two victories (6–4 and 3–1) with the 4th Infantry Regiment. In July 1916 – because of the Brusilov Offensive – the Legions began to retreat west and the club relocated to Warsaw. The first match in which Polonia Warsaw was the rival was held on 29 April 1917 at Agrykola Park and ended with a 1–1 draw. Of the nine games played in Warsaw, Legia won six and drew three. At the first away game the team won a 2–1 victory over the then Polish champion KS Cracovia in Kraków, so Legia became an unofficial champion of the country. In 1918 the war ended, but the team continued to play only amateur-friendly matched.

1920s and 1930s
The club was reactivated on 14 March 1920. In the officers' casinos in the Royal Castle, a group of former officers formed the Military Sports Club (WKS) -Wojskowy Klub Sportowy- Warsaw, establishing the white and red colors of the statute. Among them was Zygmunt Wasserab, one of the founders of the club.

Due to the Polish-Bolshevik war and the participation of many Warsaw players, WKS was not nominated for the premiership of the Polish championship league in 1920. In the 1921–1926 seasons, the team was not promoted beyond the A-class of the Warsaw district, but it was a very important period for the club. In 1922, a statute was passed allowing the team to play in civilian teams (as opposed to playing against only other soldiers). Zygmunt Wassarab and Jerzy Misiński worked together and the club's name was changed to the Military Sports Club "Legia" Warsaw. It was modeled on the document of Pogoń Lwów. At that time, a merger with the oldest Warsaw sports club, Korona, was created, which resulted in the acquisition of new, white-green club colors.

In the first international match played on 18 May 1922, Legia lost 2–9 at their own stadium with Czechoslovakian club FK Viktoria Žižkov. A year later, in the championship of Warsaw, the Army took 3rd place.

After the first-ever promotion beyond Class A in 1927, Legia qualified for the newly formed Polish Football League. Roman Górecki, the then president of the Warsaw team, became the first president of the Polish League. Their debut was on 8 May in Łódź – Klub Turystów Łódź was the opponent and the match ended in a 6–1 result. At the same time, Legia player Marian Łańko scored his first league goal free kick and recorded his first hat-trick in club history. In the same year, in a match against Pogonia Lwów, the club suffered the highest league loss, losing 2–11. At the end of the season, Legia finished fifth, despite five defeats at the start of the season. Legia striker Marian Łańko finished second scoring 31 goals. The Warsaw club also made their debut in the Polish Cup, winning the match with Pogoń Warsaw 7–0. For the next two seasons Legia occupied higher positions in the league than the other Warsaw clubs: Polonia and Warszawianka.

In 1930, after three years of construction, the Polish Army Stadium was opened at Łazienkowska Street. In the first match of the new stadium, Legia drew 1–1 with Barcelona. In the same year the legionaries defeated Ruch Hajduki Wielkie 7–1 in their 100th match in the league. Legia also had the biggest pre-war successes in the Polish championships in 1930 and 1931, where they were short three points and one point respectively. Moreover, in the first edition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs awards for the best results in international competition, the Army received a "traveling" trophy.

In the 1935 season, Legia remained in the league, gaining one point advantage over the relegated Cracovia, and then in 1936 – in the club's 20th anniversary – lost seven consecutive games and recorded the only decline of the league in its history. In 1937 the club's board decided to return to the military statute. As a result, almost all civilians departed from the first team, mainly to other Warsaw teams. In 1937 – in the A class of the Warsaw district – Legia took fourth place, and one year later, took first place, and played in the first division play-offs. Legia was third place in the play-offs and they were not able to advance. The board reacted by withdrawing the club from all competitions and decided to play only friendly matches. In 1938, most of the team's sections were dissolved, leaving only three: tennis, swimming and motocross.

1940s
After the end of World War II – in April 1945 – the club was reactivated under the name of I Wojskowy Klub Sportowy Warszawa (1st Military Sports Club Warsaw), and in June added a historical member of Legia. Among the people who contributed to the reconstruction of the club were: Julian Neuding – prewar player of Makabi Warszawa, Karol Rudolf – prewar player of Legia, Henryk Czarnik and Józef Ziemian – Legia players from the interwar period. The team initially played friendly matches with teams in the region, but later also with clubs from other countries, the likes of the Swedish IFK Norrköping and the Yugoslav FK Partizan.

In the first postwar Polish championships held in 1946, Legia took second place in the elimination group, falling out of competition. In 1948, after qualifying for the nine-year break of the highest tier, Legia qualified after a victory in the inter-regional eliminations of the northeastern region and after took second place in the nationwide qualification. Legia eventually took fourth place, drawing 3–3 with Ruch Chorzów. It was the 250th league game of the club. The first post-war match in the first tier took place on 14 March 1948, beating Polonia Bytom 3–1.

For the next two seasons, Legia only held on in the first division due to a better goal differential against the relegated teams, taking the 9th and 10th respectively. In November 1949, after the reforms introduced by the then Polish football association, the club once again changed its name to Centralny Wojskowy Klub Sportowy (Central Army Sports Club). Also, a new coat of arms (large letter C, and smaller letters in it: W, K, S). The official patron of the team was the Polish People's Army. Legia became a military club, so it was possible to get players of other clubs, players like Lucjan Brychczy, Ernest Pohl and Edmund Kowal all were brought to Legia.

1950s
In 1951, Legia took third place in the league, and in the cup competitions lost in the eighth-finals with Polonia Warszawa. A year later, Legia achieved its first success in the Polish Cup competition, reaching the finals (in which Polonia Warszawa won 1–0). The reserve team reached this stage of the competition, while the first team dropped out in the eighth-finals, losing to Lechia Gdańsk. In the league, the club ranked sixth, and in the Puchar Zlotu Młodych Przodowników (the premiere edition of the League Cup) was eliminated in the group stage. In 1953, Legia took 5th place in the first league, and in the next season – in addition to the 7th place – the team managed to reach the semi-final of the Polish Cup, in which Gwardia Warsaw won 2–1.

Legia won their first trophy on 29 September 1955, defeating Lechia Gdańsk 5–0 in the Polish Cup final. A month later – on 20 November after a 1–1 draw with Zagłębie in Sosnowiec – the club won their first Polish championship. The team trained by the Hungarian coach János Steiner won their first doublet in the history of Polish football. In the following season, Ryszard Koncewicz became the Legia coach. The club celebrated its 40th anniversary and repeated the achievements from the previous year. First he sealed the Polish championship after a 2–2 draw with ŁKS Lodz, and then he defeated in the cup final Górnik Zabrze in a 3–0 win. These successes were accomplished by strengthening the team by means of conscription to the army of players from such clubs as: Polonia Bytom, Ruch Chorzów, or Wawel Kraków. The latter, like most of the then Okręgowych Wojskowych Klubów Sportowych (District Military Sports Clubs, OWKS), was dissolved. Officially due to the "reorganization of the military division", in practice this meant strengthening CWKS Warszawa (Legia's name at the time). The team then won its highest victory in history, defeating Wisła Kraków 12–0 – the match took place on 19 August 1956 in Warsaw. In addition, the first three places in the goal classification at the end of the season were taken by legionnaires, and the title of the king of scorers was won by the Henryk Kempny who scored 21 goals.

In 1956, in addition to winning the national doublet, Legia made their debut in European competition, competing in the round of 16 of the European Champions Cup with Czechoslovak champions Slovan Bratislava. In the first away meeting, the team lost 0–4, and in the second leg at home they won 2–0 after goals from Kowal and Brychcz, but they were eliminated from further games. The meeting in Warsaw was watched by 40,000 fans.

At the meeting on 2 July 1957 – chaired by Colonel Edward Potorejko – the club's statute was approved and the first 31-member board of WKS Legia was elected, from which an 11-person presidium was then selected. The legal nature of the club has also changed. From the previous military unit, which was CWKS, a sports association was established with legal personality. The name of the club was also changed, as the historical name Legia was returned (Military Sports Club "Legia" Warsaw). In addition, new colors that are still used today were approved: white-red-green-black (later the order of the first two colors were changed) and the current coat of arms was adopted until today (with intervals).

Legia players (appearing as a Warsaw team) were invited to Spain to play the first match on the new FC Barcelona stadium, Camp Nou on 24 September. The match ended with a 4–2 result for the hosts. They struggled in the league that season, finishing in fourth place, and were knocked out of the Polish Cup at the eighth-finals, losing to Ruch Chorzow 1–2 (in that period, until 1961, the I liga season was played from March to August). In 1958, Legia took 6th place in the Polish championship, and in 1959 took 4th.

1960s
In the 1960s, Legia regularly held top positions in the league table. In 1960, artificial lighting was installed at the Polish Army Stadium, thanks to which the facility became the second in Poland where matches could be played after dark. The first meeting without natural light was played on 5 October with Danish club Aarhus Gymnastikforening as part of the qualification for the European Club Champions Cup. Legia won the match 1–0 after Helmut Nowak's goal. However, with a 0–3 defeat in the first match in Denmark, they dropped out of further games. In the same season, Tadeusz Błażejewski, in the 11th minute of a 2–2 draw against ŁKS Łódź, scored the thousandth league goal for Legia. The club celebrated another anniversary on 26 October 1960, playing the five-hundredth match in the premier league; Legia beat Zagłębie Sosnowiec 1–0. In the league table Legia took second place, winning the title of runner-up of Poland and losing to Ruch Chorzów by 1 point. The following season, the team won the bronze medal of the Polish championship for taking third place in the league.

In the following year, the league shifted from the spring-fall system to fall-spring, which meant that the league matches started in the spring of 1962. The league was divided into two groups, in which the teams from the same regions played with each other. Legia – which took third place in its group – won the competition for 5th place with Wisła Kraków, drew a 1–1 away match and won 4–1 at home. In the Polish Cup, the team dropped out in the eighth-finals, losing 0–3 with Odra Opole. In the 1962–1963 season with the new league system, the team took the 7th place, and the fight for the Polish Cup again ended at stage eighth-finals (losing to later winner, Zagłębie Sosnowiec, 0–2).

Legia ended the 1963–64 season in fourth place in the league, scoring the same number of goals as second place Zagłębie Sosnowiec and third place Odra Opole. The goal differential decided who took which place. The club achieved a much better result in the Polish Cup, where the team, led by the Romanian coach Virgil Popescu, reached the finals. In the match, played at the 10th-Anniversary Stadium, Legia won after extra time with Polonia Bytom 2–1. Henryk Apostel scored both goals for Legia. In the next season Legia again took 4th place in the league, and in the Polish Cup reached the semi-final, in which they lost after extra time 1–2 with Górnik Zabrze (who became the winner of the cup). The team also competed in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In the first round, Legia eliminated the Austrian FC Admira Wacker Mödling. In the second they defeated the Turkish Galatasaray SK. After two matches there was a draw and third (the decisive step in the advancement) meeting in Bucharest. Legia won 1–0 and were the first Polish team to advance to the quarterfinals of any European club competition. At this stage of the tournament the team lost to German TSV 1860 Munich and was eliminated from the competition.

The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the club's existence took place in 1966. In the league the team took 6th place, while a better result was achieved in the twelfth edition of the Polish Cup. In the game played on 15 August at the Warta Poznań stadium, Legia won after extra time in the final, beating Górnik Zabrze 2–1, with Bernard Blaut scoring in the last minute. Winning the Polish Cup allowed the club to compete in the Cup Winners' Cup in the 1966–67 season. In the round of 16, Legia was knocked out by FC Sachsen Leipzig after losing 0–3 away and drawing 2–2 at home. The team came fourth in the league table, and in the Polish Cup was eliminated after a 1–3 defeat in the eighth-finals with Wisła Kraków. That season, Kazimierz Deyna made his debut in the Legia team.

In the 1967–68 season, for the second time in its history, the club was the vice-champion of Poland and was promoted as the first Polish team to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In the Polish Cup Legia was knocked out by GKS Katowice in the eighth-finals. In the same year, the team made their debut in the Intertoto Cup. Legia won their group, but did not advance to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup because the matches of the Intertoto Cup were not official UEFA competitions. Legia, led by Czechoslovakian trainer Jaroslav Vejvoda, finished the 1968–69 season in first place in the table, thus winning the third Polish championship. The team reached the final of the Polish Cup, in which they lost to Górnik Zabrze 0–2. The club also made its debut at the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In the first round Legia won twice, 6–0 and 3–2 against TSV 1860 Munich. In the next round they won 0–1 and 2–0 against Belgian team Waregem, and the third opponent was Újpest FC. In the next round, the Hungarian team's players were better and Legia were defeated 0–1 away. A 2–2 draw in Warsaw saw their rivals promoted to the next stage. In 1969 there was still one more success – the Legia juniors won the first championship in the history of the club.

For the next season, former player Edmund Zientara was brought in as the new first team coach. His team won the title of Polish champion for the second time in a row. In the struggle for the Polish Cup, Legia was eliminated in the semi-final with Ruch Chorzów. The performances of the club in the European Champion Clubs' Cup was a great success – Legia reached the semi-finals of the competition. In the round of 16, they defeated Romanian club FC UTA Arad 2–1 and 8–0, French club Saint-Étienne in the eighth-finals 2–1 and 1–0, and Turkish club Galatasaray in the quarter-finals 2–1 and 1–0. In the semi-final, they played against Feyenoord. The first match in Warsaw ended in a 0–0 draw, while away the home team triumphed 2–0.

1970s
The 1970s were known as Poland's golden age of football. In 1971, Legia were runner's up of Poland for the third time in their history, and ended their Polish Cup campaign in the quarter-finals. For the second year in a row the club competed in the European Club Champions Cup, where it reached the quarter-finals, dropping out against Atlético Madrid (2–1 and 0–1). They previously eliminated IFK Gothenburg (4–0, 2–1) and Standard Liège (0–1, 2–0). From December 1971 to February 1972, Legia went on a tour of Spain and the countries of South America, including Ecuador, Costa Rica and Colombia – this was the first time the team had visited this part of the world. In the 1971–72 season, the team finished third in the league table and lost in the Polish Cup final with Górnik Zabrze 2–5. In September 1972, the Warsaw club defeated Víkingur Reykjavík in the round of 16 European Cup Winners' Cup 9–0, which is the highest Polish team win in European competition. In the next round Legia was matched up against A.C. Milan. The first game was played at the 10th Anniversary Stadium and ended in a 1–1 draw. At the San Siro, after the regular time, the draw was also maintained – Milan scored the winning goal two minutes before the end of extra time to win the game 2–1. In that season, Legia took 8th place in the league and won its fifth Polish Cup – after eliminating Szombinrek in the semi-finals (3–1 and 1–1). In the final match against Polonia, on 17 June 1973 in Poznań, a goalless result was maintained for 90 minutes of regular time of the game, as well as for the entire extra time. The legionaries finally won in penalties, 4–2.

The season of 1973–74 began with a defeat in the round of 16 of the European Club Champions Cup in aggregate with PAOK FC (1–1 in Warsaw, 0–1 in Thessaloniki). In early 1974, the club went to Spain and France to face Barcelona (1–1 at Camp Nou) and RC Lens (0–2). The team finished the league competition in 4th place, and in the Polish Cup they were knocked out in the quarterfinals, losing 1–2 to Stal Rzeszów. Right after the end of the league, the legionnaires went to an international tournament that took place in the Canary Islands – they drew with Cádiz CF, won with CD Tenerife and Hércules CF. Another foreign trip took place at the end of January 1975. Legia flew to Australia and became the first Polish team to visit all continents (except Antarctica). Legia took 6th place in the league, and lost in the round of 16 in the Polish Cup. After the season, the first transfer of Polish player to the West took place, which was allowed by PZPN and the Ministry of Sport. Robert Gadocha was bought by FC Nantes, later French champions.

Legia in the 1975–76 season finished the league in the middle of the table (8th place), and in the Polish Cup reached the eighth-finals, where they lost to GKS Jastrzębie after penalties. In the autumn of 1976, the club's 60th anniversary was celebrated. On the anniversary, 12 October, two matches were played at the Polish Army stadium: a meeting with Legia and Warsaw Polonia (a 2–0 home win) and a match between Legia and Dukla, which ended 4–2 for the legionaries. In February 1977 the team made the next trip, this time to Indonesia. Six games were played at that time (four wins, two draws) and a total of 15 goals were scored – without Deyna, who was at a training camp in Yugoslavia and Greece. Legia also performed for the second time in the Intertoto Cup. Legia's opponents were: Landskrona BoIS (1–0 and 2–1), SK Slavia Prague (1–1 and 2–2) and BSC Young Boys (4–1 and 1–1). Legia took second place in the group and once again was not rewarded with a promotion to the UEFA Cup. The team – finishing in 8th position – repeated the result from the previous league season, while in the Polish Cup they were knocked out in the semi-final, losing to Polonia Bytom 1–2.

During the second half of the 1970s, the legionaries did not make it to the top 3 positions to get into European competitions, and 5th place in the 1977–78 season was their highest position. In addition, the team repeated the result obtained a year earlier in the Polish Cup – Legia reached the semi-final, in which they were knocked out by Zagłębie Sosnowiec after penalties. The next season (1978–79) was the last in which Kazimierz Deyna represented the club. In addition, the club played their 1000th game in the highest football tier – the match took place on 25 April against Lech in Poznań (a 1–2 defeat). The season ended with a 6th-place finish in the league and at the eighth-final stage of the Polish Cup (where they lost against Zagłębie II Lubin 1–2). On 18 September 1979, a farewell to Kazimierz Deyna took place – a friendly with English club Manchester City, who had agreed to his transfer for £100,000. The game ended 2–1 to Legia. Deyna played the whole match and scored two goals – one for Legia (in the first half) and the second for his new club (in the second). The match was very popular and many fans had to watch it from behind the stadium gates.

1980s
Legia started the decade by winning the Polish Cup, beating Lech Poznań 5–0 in the final on 9 May 1980. In the league, the legionaries took third place. A year later, the Warsaw club defended the Polish Cup with a 1–0 victory over Pogoń Szczecin on 24 June, but struggled in the league, finishing fifth place. The following season, the team played a match in the quarter-finals of the European Club Champions Cup with Dinamo Tbilisi. During the first meeting in Warsaw, fans, due to the very large number of policemen at the stadium, began to chant the slogans: "Down with communism" and "MO – Gestapo". After being defeated 0–1, the fans organized an anti-communist parade (this situation was repeated several times in the 1980s). The away match also ended 0–1, which was watched by 90 thousand fans in Tbilisi. In the 1981–82 season Legia finished fourth, and in the Polish Cup they were knocked out in the eighth-finals, losing to Arka Gdynia 1–2.

The 1982–83 season began with a change of part of the team. Legia also gained a new coach, with Kazimierz Górski being replaced by Jerzy Kopa in the middle of the season. Legia finished eighth place in the league table, while in the Polish Cup they fell in the quarterfinals after losing 0–1 against Lech Poznań in Warsaw. A year later, Legia finished fifth in the fight for the title, and in the Polish Cup reached the 5th round, where they lost against Górnik Zabrze 2–3 after extra time.

At the turn of 1984 and 1985, after the autumn round, Legia took first place in the table. They finished runners-up of Poland, which meant the club would participate in the UEFA Cup. In addition, the team reached the quarter-finals of the Polish Cup (a defeat in aggregate with Górnik Zabrze). The following season, 1985–86, the league success was repeated and the quarterfinals of the home cup were again obtained. Both titles went to Górnik Zabrze. In the same years, the legionaries made it to the round of 16 and eighth-finals of the UEFA Cup, losing twice with Inter Milan. In the first match, Milan drew 0–0 at home, which was considered a great success for the Warsaw club. The return match at Łazienkowska ended with the score 0–1 and the Italian team advanced to the next round. The next year in 1986 Legia faced Inter Milan again with a 3–2 win at Łazienkowska and a 0–1 defeat in Italy, which eliminated the Polish club on away goals.

At the beginning of the 1986–87 season, the Warsaw team traveled to China and won the Great Wall Cup, defeating the hosts 2–0. The team played in Beijing and other cities for a week, at the turn of July and August. Following this, apart from other successful performance in Europe, Legia took 5th place in the league and reached the 5th round of knockout (losing against Wisła Kraków after penalties). At the end of 1987, at the Legia stadium, the speedway track was removed and the football field was widened.

Legia finished the next year in the league in third place and reached the Polish Cup final. In Łódź, the legionaries drew 1–1 with Lech and the victory was decided by penalty kicks, which the Poznań team won 3–2. A year later, the Warsaw team took fourth place in the league and won the Polish Cup at the stadium in Olsztyn, beating Jagiellonia Białystok 5–2. Two weeks after the success, they also won the Polish Super Cup for the first time, defeating Ruch Chorzów 3–0 in Zamość.

The trophy gained in Zamość was the first piece of silverware after the reorganization of the club – on 25 April 1989, the club's board decided to separate the football section from the multi-sport section CWKS and establish the Autonomous Football Section (ASPN CWKS "Legia" Warsaw).

On 1 September, long-time footballer and Legia captain, Kazimierz Deyna, died in a car accident in San Diego.

At the end of the decade, on 13 September, Legia competed against FC Barcelona in the first round of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The match in Barcelona ended with a 1–1 draw, after an unrecognized goal for the legionnaires and a penalty kick for the opponents in the 85th minute of the match. In the rematch at Łazienkowska Legia lost 0–1, with 25 thousand fans in the stands. Michael Laudrup scored the only goal.

1990s
The beginning of the nineties was not successful for the club, especially in the Polish league. In the 1989–90 season, the team finished in seventh place, and the next season in ninth. The 1991–92 season ended in a 10th-place finish – for the first time since World War II, Legia was fighting relegation to the second league. The team avoided relegation after winning 3–0 in an away match against Motor Lublin in the penultimate game of the season. The club achieved better results in the Polish Cup. In 1990, Legia defeated GKS Katowice in the final and won their ninth trophy. A year later, the Warsaw club again faced GKS Katowice in the final of the Polish Cup, but this time the rivals who won the match 1–0 turned out to be better. The next season, 1989–90, Legia won their ninth Polish Cup, meaning they were able to play in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1990–91. The Warsaw team, managed by Władysław Stachurski reached the semi-finals of the tournament, eliminating the likes of Sampdoria and Aberdeen. They lost in the semi-finals to Manchester United (1–3 in Warsaw and 1–1 in Manchester).

In autumn 1992, the first private sponsor, businessman Janusz Romanowski, invested in the club. A two-year sponsorship deal was signed with FSO (worth PLN 2.4 billion at that time) as well as with Adidas. After the fourth round of the 1992–93 season, Janusz Wójcik became the Legia coach. The high budget from the sponsorship deals allowed players such as Maciej Śliwowski and Radosław Michalski to be brought in. This, in turn, translated into better results and joining the competition for the national championship. On 20 June 1993, after an away victory of 6–0 against Wisła Kraków, the team won the Polish championship. However, on the next day the president of the PZPN board, with a 5–4 vote, decided to take the title from Legia and award it to the third team in the table – Lech Poznań (after disallowing the last matches of Legia and ŁKS, the team from Poznań took first place in the table). The decision was due to the allegations of bribery in the last league match. In addition, Legia was forced to pay a fine of 500 million zlotys, and the UEFA authorities excluded the team from European competition. Twice (December 2004, January 2007),the club unsuccessfully requested that the unfavorable decision should be repealed and that the title should be restored. In the same season, the anti-doping committee decided that Legia player Roman Zub had played after doping before the match against Widzew Łódź. The player's urine sample was also tested in a laboratory in Moscow, where it was considered that increased testosterone levels were not the result of doping. The match was initially verified as a walkover for the Łódź team, but the decision of the PZPN games department was revoked by the president of the board.

In the next season, Legia won the first triple crown in the history of Polish football. On 15 June 1994, thanks to a 1–1 draw in the last round with Górnik Zabrze in Warsaw, the legionaries maintained a one-point advantage over second place GKS Katowice and won their fifth Polish title, despite the fact that the season began with three negative points due to the events of the last round in the last season. After the match the press published accusations of corruption with referee Sławomir Redzinski, who, when the score was 1–0 to Górnik, sent off three of the Górnik players. These allegations have not been proven. On 18 June, in the Polish Cup final held at the Legia stadium, the Legia defeated ŁKS Łódź 2–0 and won the tenth trophy in their history. In the match for the Super Cup (24 July), Legia also faced ŁKS Łódź and won 6–4 at the stadium in Płock. The club's first experience of the Champions League ended in defeat in the qualifying stage – the team fell to Croatian side Hajduk Split (0–1 at home, 0–4 away).

The next season began with the signing of a contract with Canal+ for broadcasting matches (the first match of the Polish league broadcast was the match of Legia against GKS Katowice, which took place on 1 April 1995). On 31 May 1995, Legia won their sixth Polish championship after a 3–0 victory against Raków Częstochowa in Warsaw, and also won the Polish Cup (2–0 in the final with GKS Katowice). At that time, one of the first protest actions took place at the stadium. The reason was high ticket prices and the ban on hanging flags and banners on the fence – the conflict ended after three matches in Warsaw thanks to an agreement with activists. After winning the championship in the 1994–95 season, Legia Warszawa qualified for the Champions League – in the last qualifying round it defeated the Swedish team IFK Göteborg (1–0 in Warsaw and 2–1 in Gothenburg). In the group stage, Legia drew with Rosenborg BK, Spartak Moscow and Blackburn Rovers. Legia finished the group in second place (with seven points) and in the quarterfinals they faced Panathinaikos Athens. The first match in Warsaw ended in a goalless draw, and in the rematch at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, the Greeks won 3–0. The club did not defend the national championship in the 1995–96 competition and took second place in the league table (behind Widzew Łódź).

In 1997, the club was transformed into Sportowa Spółka Akcyjna (SSA) Legia Warsaw and a new sponsor was acquired, South Korean company Daewoo. This season, the legionaries took second place in the league, one reason being a 2–3 loss to Widzew Łódź in the decisive phase of the games (Legia led up until the 85th minute of the match 2–0). The same year Legia went on to win the Polish Cup and the Super Cup. A big change in that period was the addition of Daewoo as a member to the club's name (CWKS "Legia-Daewoo" Warsaw) – the new name did not please fans of Legia and was received coldly by them.

The 1997–98 season saw the club's last appearance in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. After passing Glenavon in the qualifying round (with a 1–1 draw in Northern Ireland and a 4–0 win in Warsaw), the team fell to Italian team Vicenza Calcio in the first round of the tournament (losing away 0–2 and drawing at home 1–1). In the league the team took 5th place in the table, and in the Polish Cup reached the 1/8 finals, losing to Amica Wronki 0–3. The next season, 1998–99, ended with a bronze medal in the league. In the national cup the team for the second time in a row was eliminated at stage 1/8 of the tournament; This time, GKS Bełchatów was the one to beat the Warsaw team, who after a goalless result in the regular time of the game won 3–2 in the penalty shootout.

The club played its 100th match in European competitions – the meeting with Macedonian team Vardar Skopje as part of the 1/64 UEFA Cup final ended with Legia's away victory 5–0 on 12 August 1999. In the 1999–2000 season, Legia took fourth place in the league and did not get to play in the European competitions. In the Polish Cup, the team fell in the quarterfinals to Amica Wronki after a series of penalty kicks (ended with a 3–1 result), while in the League Cup reached the final, in which they lost at home with Polonia Warsaw 1–2.

2000–2010
In March 2001, the main shareholder of the club, Daewoo, withdrew from the club's financing, and on 1 July the name of the former sponsor was removed from the club's name and it was reverted to ASPN CWKS "Legia" Warszawa SSA. In the 2000–01 season, the team finished third in the Polish league, and in the Polish Cup lost in the quarterfinals, losing on aggregate 1–4 with Zagłębie Lubin. The same result was achieved by the team in the League Cup – in the quarterfinals of the tournament the team lost to Wisla Kraków, a draw in Warsaw 1–1 and a loss in Kraków 1–3. In the UEFA Cup qualifying round, Legia won against Etzella Ettelbruck (4–0 away, 2–1 in Warsaw), and in the next match they defeated IF Elfsborg (4–1 at home, 6–1 in Sweden). The rival of Legia in the second round was Valencia CF. In the first match at the Polish Army stadium there was a 1–1 draw, but in the rematch the Spaniards won 6–1.

The 2001–02 season, which was led by Dragomir Okuki, ended in Legia's seventh championship title (after a 0–0 draw with Odra Wodzisław in Warsaw), as well as a triumph in the Polish League Cup (3–0 and 1–2 in the final with Wisła Kraków). In competing for the Polish Cup, the team reached the quarter-finals, where it lost to Ruch Chorzów (2–4 in Warsaw, 1–0 in Chorzów). Legia played in the Champions League qualifiers in the summer, but in the third round they fell against FC Barcelona – in the first match at Camp Nou, the Catalans won 3–0, in the second they beat Legia 1–0. After defeat against the Spaniards, the Warsaw team competed in the UEFA Cup. In the first round Legia beat FC Utrecht (4–1 at home and 3–1 away), in the second round they were eliminated by Schalke – 2–3 in Warsaw, 0–0 in Gelsenkirchen.

The legionaries finished the 2002–03 season in 4th place, in the Polish Cup they fell in the 3rd round. On 13 June 2003, the name of the club changed to KP "Legia" Warszawa SSA and on the same day the team was greeted by a new coach, Dariusz Kubicki.

The club was purchased by ITI Group on 8 April 2004. The team took second place in the league and played in the Polish Cup final, in which it lost to Lech Poznań. The next season, 2004–05, the Warsaw team came third in the league table, and in the national cup they lost in the semi-final, falling to Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski – 1–1, 1–1, 1–4 on aggregate penalties.

The 2005–06 season was exceptional in the club's history – Legia celebrated its 90th anniversary. First, the team dropped out of the UEFA Cup in the second qualifying round (0–1 in Warsaw and 2–4 in Zurich with FC Zürich) and had a weak start in the league. In addition, they only reached the quarter-finals of the Polish Cup, losing on the aggregate with Korona Kielce. Nevertheless, the legionaries won the eighth Polish championship after winning 1–0 in a match against Górnik Zabrze. After the arrival of the new coach Dariusz Wdowczyk, they managed to make up for seven points when they were behind Wisła Kraków and reach for the title; The Warsaw City Council decided at that time to finance the modernization of the Legia stadium through the construction of three new grandstands and the extension of the covered grandstand. After four years, the legionnaires again stood a chance of winning promotion to the group stage of the Champions League. In the second round of qualifying they beat Hafnarfjarðar – 1–0 away, 2–0 at home. Shakhtar Donetsk turned out to be the next rival in the decisive third stage. Both meetings ended with the defeat of Legia – 0–1 in Donetsk and 2–3 in Warsaw. They attempted to make up for the failure playing against Austria Vienna in the first round of the UEFA Cup. However, Legia did not manage to defeat the Austrian opponent; in the first match in Warsaw the team drew 1–1, and in the return the hosts won 1–0.

In following competitions, Legia dropped out of the fight for the Polish Cup in the 1/16 finals, falling to fourth-division team Stal Sanok, and in the league they won third place. In addition, as part of the Ekstraklasa Cup, the team reached the quarterfinals and lost on aggregate with Górnik Łęczna. The year 2007 brought a change of the coat of arms. The club did not agree with CWKS, which had the rights to the previous logo. The club's board registered their logotype, boycotted by the fans, because it did not resemble the old mark (despite similar colors and the letter "L" had a different outline and arrangement of colors). Eventually, it was not implemented and it was established that the official sign will be modified with the white letter "L" on the black shield. However, the shape differed from the historical one and resembled a triangle, not like the original coat of arms.

At the beginning of the 2007–08 season in Vilnius there were riots caused by Legia fans, which had their apogee at the stadium of FK Vėtra during the match of the second round of the Intertoto Cup. Hooligans, among others devastated the stadium and attacked the police, as a result of which the match was stopped at 2–0 for the Lithuanian club. A few days later, the UEFA Disciplinary Commission verified the result of the meeting with Vėtra for a 3–0 win for the hosts and banned Legia from the current European Cup and qualifying for European competition (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, Intertoto Cup) for the next five years. UEFA also forced the Warsaw club to cover all losses caused by rioters at the host stadium. After submitting the appeal, the penalty was temporarily suspended, taking into account the changes made to enhance safety at Legia's matches.

At the halfway point of the league games Legia took second place, even though it scored more points than in the championship season 2005–06. The legionaries were ten points behind first place Wisła Kraków. Eventually, the team reached the Polish Cup and Polish Super Cup after winning against Wisla Kraków twice (0–0, 4–3 pen. and 2–1), and also won the runner-up title. The legionaries secured their UEFA Cup performance in the next season. In addition, the team played in the Ekstraklasa Cup final. The meeting played in Grodzisk Wielkopolski was won by the local Dyskobolia, which after the 4–1 victory won the trophy. In the spring round of the competition, the club joined the campaign Let's Kick Racism from the Stadium, organized by the Never Again Association – Nigdy Więcej – the players ran out on 22 March in a match against Widzew Łódź in shirts with the campaign's name.

In the 2008–09 season Legia started by defeating the Belarusian club FC Gomel (0–0 and 4–1) in the first round of the UEFA Cup qualifying round. In the second the legionaries went to the Russian FC Moscow. Both matches ended with the defeat of legionnaires: in Warsaw 1–2, and in Moscow 0–2. The only goal scored for Legia was by Roger Guerreiro. In the league, the team repeated the previous year's achievement, finishing second at the end of the season. The team also reached the semi-finals of the Polish Cup, in which they lost to Ruch Chorzow. In the competition for the Ekstraklasa Cup, Legia appeared in the quarterfinals and was eliminated by GKS Bełchatów.

2011–2020
Legia won its 10th title with another league championship at the end of the 2013–14 Ekstraklasa season. Legia qualified for the 2016–17 Champions League group stages for the first time in 21 years after defeating Dundalk on 23 August 2016. The Legionnaires found themselves in group F with the likes of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Sporting Lisbon. They finished third place after winning 1–0 against Sporting Lisbon on the last match day in the group stages, sending them to the round of 32 in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. Legia was drawn against Ajax where the first match fell goalless in Warsaw.

Legia won its 12th League title in the 2016–17 Ekstraklasa season. They finished with a 0–0 draw against Lechia Gdańsk. Legia needed a draw in the match between Jagiellonia Białystok and Lech Poznań which finished 2–2 and gave Legia the title.

Legia's third consecutive Eksrtaklasa title was won in dramatic circumstances. Needing to win away to Lech Poznan to guarantee the title, a 3–0 victory was awarded to Legia after the game was abandoned. Lech fans threw flares and invaded the pitch after Legia scored to make it 2–0 in the 77th minute, after which the referee called the game off. The result meant Legia won the league, finishing three points above second placed Jagiellonia Białystok.

2021–present
On 28 April 2021, three rounds before the end of the 2020–21 Ekstraklasa season, the players from Łazienkowska won the fifteenth Polish championship, thanks to a goalless draw between Jagiellonia Białystok and Raków Częstochowa. Thus, Legia took the independent lead in the all-time classification in terms of the number of domestic titles.

On 26 August 2021, Legia defeated Slavia Prague, and for the first time in five years qualified to the group stages of a European cup. In the UEFA Europa League they were drawn to play in a group stage against Leicester City, Napoli and Spartak Moscow. After the first two matches won, away with Spartak and at home with Leicester 1–0 each, Legia lost four consecutive matches and ended up at the bottom of the group.

In 2023, Legia won two major trophies: the Polish Cup and the Polish Super Cup, both winning over Raków Częstochowa after a penalty shoot-out series. In the 2023–24 season, Legia Warsaw took part in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage for the first time in its history, where they were drawn into Group E alongside Aston Villa, AZ and Zrinjski Mostar. Following their opening 3–2 victory over Aston Villa, Legia earned a total of 12 points and advanced to the knockout round play-offs out of second place.

Stadium & facilities
Legia plays its games at Legia Warsaw Municipal Stadium of Marshal Józef Piłsudski (Polish: Stadion Miejski Legii Warszawa im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego), traditionally also referred to as the Polish Army Stadium (Polish: Stadion Wojska Polskiego), which is an all-seater football-specific stadium in Warsaw, Poland. Legia has been playing there since 9 August 1930. With space for 31,103 spectators it is the 5th biggest football stadium in the Ekstraklasa. The stadium underwent significant reconstruction between 2008 and 2011, during which all of the stands were demolished and replaced with bigger and more modern ones which increased the stadium's capacity from 13,500 to 31,103 seats. The Polish Army Stadium is currently owned by the City of Warsaw. Additionally to the main stadium and its surrounding infrastructure, the club has a newly built Legia Training Center completed in June 2020. Facility is located in Książenice in Gmina Grodzisk Mazowiecki. Legia Training Center has been designated for the Legia Warsaw first team and their reserves and youth teams, as U18, U17, U16 and U15. The center facilities are, among others, eight pitches; six with natural turf and two with artificial turf, hotel part and dormitory for players aged 13–18.

Supporters and rivalries
As one of the most successful clubs in Poland, Legia Warsaw is also one of its most popular clubs. Legia has gained devotion from generations of fans from Warsaw as well as around the country, mainly in Masovian Voivodeship. Legia supporters are considered very spontaneous, dedicated and fanatical. Accordingly, in terms of quality of football support, they are also often described as the best supporters in Poland. Groups of fans follow Legia for practically all away matches, both domestic and international. Supporters of Legia occasionally attract also some negative attention, in particular after events such as riots in Lithuania during a match against Vėtra Vilnius on 10 July 2007.

The beginning of Legia Warsaw's organized fan movement is associated with matches in European cups, in the 1970s, when Legia fans came into contact with Western fan culture. Above all, for Legia fans, the April 1, 1970 match against Feyenoord was a breakthrough. Impressed by the way the clubs' colors and symbols were worn and displayed by the Dutch fans, a large group of Legia fans began to imitate them.

Traditionally, the most devoted and spontaneous fans occupy the Żyleta stand in their stadium. Before the stadium renovation (2008–2011), the "old" Żyleta referred only to the center section within the eastern stand of the stadium (occasionally, it would also refer to eastern stand as a whole). There is a special exhibition dedicated to the "old" Żyleta in the Legia Warsaw Museum. Today, after the stadium's renovation, the "new" Żyleta means the whole northern stand of stadium (located behind the goal).

As regards their political sentiments, the supporters of Legia tend to be more right wing. During communist times, in particular during the 1980s, Legia fans showed their patriotic, nationalist and strongly anti-communistic views. Today, the fans actively participate in annual commemorations of the Warsaw Uprising and Polish Independence Day. Legia fans are also vocal with their views on domestic issues, e.g. their conflict with former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, as well as on international politics, e.g. by way of displaying banners reading "Kosovo is Serbian" at the stadium. On 22 October 2014, when Legia played with the Ukrainian Metalists they displayed a banner with the names Lwów (Lviv) and Wilno (Vilnius) along with the flag and a prewar coat of arms of Poland on background, what led to negative reactions. On 19 August 2015, in Lviv and Kyiv, where Legia played with Zorya, clashes between Ukrainian and Polish fans occurred. On 9 April 2022, during an away match against Lech Poznań, Legia fans displayed a banner with an image of Putin hanging from a noose in a Spartak Moscow shirt.

Domestically, Legia Warsaw supporters maintain friendly relations with fans of Radomiak Radom, Zagłębie Sosnowiec and Olimpia Elbląg. Internationally, Legia supporters maintain friendly relations with fans of ADO Den Haag and Juventus. Their domestic rivals include almost all the other Polish teams that play at the domestic top-tier league level. Warsaw clubs, Polonia Warsaw, KS Warszawianka and Gwardia Warsaw, were Legia's main league rivals, but since 2013 none of them competes in Ekstraklasa.

Warsaw derby
The Warsaw derby is a match between Legia and Polonia Warsaw Other local rivalries

Between Legia and Gwardia Warsaw Between Legia and KS Warszawianka

Domestic

 * As of the 2022–23 season.

{{legend|#318CE7|Record}}

Europe

 * European Cup/Champions League:
 * Semi-finals: 1969–70
 * Quarter-finals: 1970–71, 1995–96
 * Group stage: 2016–17
 * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:
 * Semi-finals: 1990–91
 * Quarter-finals: 1964–65, 1981–82
 * UEFA Europa League:
 * Round of 32: 2011–12, 2014–15, 2016–17
 * Group stage: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2021–22

UEFA Team ranking
As of 27 February 2024.

Club records

 * Number of seasons in Ekstraklasa: 73 (from 1927 to 1936 and from 1948–present)
 * Biggest win in the league: 19 August 1956 Legia Warsaw – Wisła Kraków 12–0 (5–0)
 * Biggest defeat in the league: 3 September 1927 Pogoń Lwów – Legia Warsaw 11–2 (6–1)
 * Longest series of victories in the league: 9 (in 1931 and 1932)
 * Longest series of defeats in the league: 7 (1936 and 2021)
 * Oldest goalscorer: Lucjan Brychczy – 37 years, 2 months, 25 days
 * Youngest goalscorer: Ariel Borysiuk – 16 years, 8 months, 5 days

Most appearances
As of 26 June 2019 the players with the most appearances for Legia are:

 * Bold – still active

Top goalscorers
As of 26 June 2019 the ten players with the most goals for Legia are:

 * Bold – still active

Hall of Fame
This is a list of former players and coaches who have been inducted into the Legia Warsaw Hall of Fame.

 * Adam Topolski
 * Andrzej Sikorski
 * Andrzej Strejlau
 * Antoni Trzaskowski
 * Bernard Blaut
 * Dariusz Dziekanowski
 * Edmund Zientara
 * Henryk Grzybowski
 * Jan Pieszko
 * Janusz Żmijewski
 * Jerzy Podbrożny
 * Kazimierz Buda
 * Kazimierz Deyna
 * Kazimierz Górski
 * Krzysztof Adamczyk
 * Lesław Ćmikiewicz
 * Leszek Pisz
 * Lucjan Brychczy
 * Maciej Śliwowski
 * Paweł Janas
 * Radostin Stanev
 * Roman Kosecki
 * Ryszard Milewski
 * Stefan Białas
 * Tadeusz Nowak
 * Władysław Dąbrowski
 * Władysław Stachurski

Coaches

 * 🇭🇺 József Ferenczi (December 1922 – May 1923)
 * 🇦🇹 Karl Fischer (May 1927 – October 1927)
 * 🇭🇺 Elemér Kovács (March 1928 – November 1929)
 * 🇵🇱 Józef Kałuża (May 1930 – July 1930)
 * 🇵🇱 Stanisław Mielech (July 1933 – September 1933)
 * 🇦🇹 Gustav Wieser (October 1933 – October 1934)
 * 🇵🇱 Karol Hanke (March 1936 – November 1936)
 * 🇵🇱 Stanisław Grządziel (1945–46)
 * 🇨🇿 František Dembický (March 1947 – November 1947)
 * 🇵🇱 Edward Drabiński (Feb 1948 – September 1948)
 * 🇵🇱 Marian Schaller (March 1949 – June 1949)
 * 🇵🇱 Wacław Kuchar (July 1949 – December 1953)
 * 🇭🇺 János Steiner (February 1953 – December 1955)
 * 🇵🇱 Ryszard Koncewicz (1 July 1955 – 30 June 1958)
 * 🇵🇱 Kazimierz Górski (January 1959 – April 1959)
 * Stjepan Bobek (April 1959 – Dec 1959)
 * 🇵🇱 Kazimierz Górski (1 January 1960 – 3 December 1962)
 * 🇵🇱 Longin Janeczek (December 1962 – December 1963)
 * 🇷🇴 Virgil Popescu (January 1964 – June 1965)
 * 🇵🇱 Longin Janeczek (July 1965 – June 1966)
 * 🇨🇿 Jaroslav Vejvoda (July 1966 – June 1969)
 * 🇵🇱 Edmund Zientara (July 1969 – July 1971)
 * 🇵🇱 Tadeusz Chruściński (July 1971 – May 1972)
 * 🇵🇱 Lucjan Brychczy (26 March 1972 – 30 June 1973)
 * 🇨🇿 Jaroslav Vejvoda (1973–1975)
 * 🇵🇱 Andrzej Strejlau (1 July 1975 – 30 June 1979)
 * 🇵🇱 Lucjan Brychczy (1 July 1979 – 15 October 1980)
 * 🇵🇱 Ignacy Ordon (10 October 1980 – June 1981)
 * 🇵🇱 Kazimierz Górski (1 July 1981 – 1 December 1982)
 * 🇵🇱 Jerzy Kopa (December 1982 – June 1985)
 * 🇵🇱 Jerzy Engel (1 July 1985 – 15 August 1987)
 * 🇵🇱 Lucjan Brychczy (27 August 1987 – 30 November 1987)
 * 🇵🇱 Andrzej Strejlau (1 December 1987 – 30 June 1989)
 * 🇵🇱 Rudolf Kapera (July 1989 – April 1990)
 * 🇵🇱 Lucjan Brychczy (15 April 1990 – 30 June 1990)
 * 🇵🇱 Władysław Stachurski (1 July 1990 – 20 August 1991)
 * 🇵🇱 Krzysztof Etmanowicz (August 1991 – August 1992)
 * 🇵🇱 Janusz Wójcik (1 September 1992 – 31 December 1993)
 * 🇵🇱 Paweł Janas (1 Jan 1994 – 30 June 1996)
 * 🇵🇱 Mirosław Jabłoński (1996)
 * 🇵🇱 Władysław Stachurski (1 July 1996 – 10 April 1997)
 * 🇵🇱 Mirosław Jabłoński (15 April 1997 – 15 April 1998)
 * 🇵🇱 Stefan Białas / 🇵🇱 Jerzy Kopa (April 1998 – 1997)
 * 🇵🇱 Jerzy Kopa (1998 – January 1999)
 * 🇵🇱 Stefan Białas (15 December 1998 – 30 June 1999)
 * 🇵🇱 Dariusz Kubicki (1 July 1999 – 15 October 1999)
 * 🇵🇱 Franciszek Smuda (24 September 1999 – 8 March 2001)
 * 🇵🇱 Krzysztof Gawara (March 2001)
 * 🇷🇸 Dragomir Okuka (10 March 2001 – 12 June 2003)
 * 🇵🇱 Dariusz Kubicki (13 June 2003 – 1 October 2004)
 * 🇵🇱 L. Brychczy / 🇵🇱 K. Gawara / 🇵🇱 J. Zieliński (2 October 2004 – December 2004)
 * 🇵🇱 Jacek Zieliński (January 2005 – 1 September 2005)
 * 🇵🇱 Dariusz Wdowczyk (2 September 2005 – 13 April 2007)
 * 🇵🇱 Jacek Zieliński (14 April 2007 – 2 June 2007)
 * 🇵🇱 Jan Urban (3 June 2007 – 14 March 2010)
 * 🇵🇱 Stefan Białas (14 March 2010 – 25 May 2010)
 * 🇵🇱 Maciej Skorża (1 June 2010 – 30 May 2012)
 * 🇵🇱 Jan Urban (30 May 2012 – 19 Dec 2013)
 * 🇳🇴 Henning Berg (19 December 2013 – 4 October 2015)
 * 🇷🇺 Stanislav Cherchesov (6 October 2015 – 1 June 2016)
 * 🇦🇱 Besnik Hasi (3 June 2016 – 20 September 2016)
 * 🇷🇸 Aleksandar Vuković (interim)
 * 🇵🇱 Jacek Magiera (24 September 2016 – 13 September 2017)
 * Romeo Jozak (13 September 2017 – 14 April 2018)
 * Dean Klafurić (16 April 2018 – 4 June 2018) (caretaker)
 * Dean Klafurić (4 June 2018 – 1 August 2018)
 * 🇷🇸 Aleksandar Vuković (1 August 2018 – 13 August 2018) (interim)
 * Ricardo Sá Pinto (13 August 2018 – 31 March 2019)
 * 🇷🇸 Aleksandar Vuković (2 April 2019 – 21 September 2020)
 * 🇵🇱 Czesław Michniewicz (21 September 2020 – 25 October 2021)
 * 🇵🇱 Marek Gołębiewski (25 October 2021 – 12 December 2021)
 * Aleksandar Vuković (13 December 2021 – 23 May 2022)
 * 🇩🇪 Kosta Runjaić (23 May 2022 – 9 April 2024)
 * Gonçalo Feio (10 April 2024 – present)

title: Legia Warsaw