Former Bundesliga player and official Assauer dies at age 74

Rudi Assauer, a former Bundesliga player and general manager, has died, his family confirmed to dpa on Wednesday. He was 74.

Assauer played 307 top flight games as a defender for Borussia Dortmund (1964-1970) and Werder Bremen (1970-1976), winning the 1965 German Cup and the 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup with Dortmund.

He also had brief stints as coach at both clubs but in his later years is best remembered as general manager at Schalke 1981-1986 and 1993-2006, during which Schalke won two German cups and the 1997 UEFA Cup.

But he shed tears of disappointment in 2001, when Schalke famously missed a first-ever Bundesliga title because Bayern Munich scored a goal with the last kick of the season.

Assauer revealed in 2012 he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

He was married twice, and made headlines in-between with a nine-year relationship with German actress Sophia Thomalla. He leaves behind two daughters.