Torino FC

Torino FC, with the nickname "Toro", was during the first half of the century one of the most admirable clubs in Italian football. But one tragic event would cause a turning point: the plane crash that killed the entire team in 1949.

History

Torino FC was founded in 1906, by merging Football Club Torinese and a dissatisfied group of Juventus dissidents.

In the 1920, many Italian football clubs was enforced by South Americans of Italian ancestry who had travelled over the ocean to their old country. The first of these so-called oriundo was Julio Libonatti who was transferred to Torino. Together with Adolfo Baloncieri and Gino Rossetti he would form the Trio delle Meraviglie ("The Wonder Trio") that helped the club to win its first Scudetto in 1927.

Although, the trophy was taken away due to an alleged fraud during the Turin derby. That title would remain unassigned, but it did not stop Torino from continuing with excellent performances and winning the Scudetto again the following year. The 30s were less kind to the club, but they still managed to win the first Coppa Italia tournament ever held, in 1936.

"Il Grande Torino"

Fernando Novo's appointment as president in 1940 signaled the beginning of the most successful era in Torino's history. Thanks to Novo's financial backing and shrewd administrator skills, the club managed to form a team which dominated the Italian football during the 40s and would forever be known as "Il Grande Torino." This team, led by captain Valentino Mazzola, won five successive Scudettos and a single Coppa Italia trophy between 1942 and 1949. During this period, Torino FC supplied the Italian national team with ten players of its starting eleven.

Their dominance was cut short in the most catastrophic way possible, with a plane crash that took the lives of the entire team. The tragedy was a catalyst for the club's slow demise, and for the first time in its history, Torino would find itself in the second division in 1960.

Return to Serie A

Torino would, however, return to Serie A and would remain successful in Coppa Italia. During the 1960s the team would perform great in Coppa Italia, winning the tournament once and reach the final in tow additional season.

The arrival of Luigi Meroni in 1964 would give additional breath of new life for the club, which managed to place 3rd in Serie A the very same year. Only three years later, however, tragedy struck again and Meroni was killed in a car accident.

Still, the club stayed on its feet. After winning two Coppa Italia titles in 1968 and 1971, Torino followed them up with its seventh Scudetto in 1976.

In later decades, Torino has for the most time existed in the shadow of the other club in town, Juventus, and they would have to wait another 17 years for their next and final trophy, the 1993 Coppa Italia. Financial troubles and further relegation  led to Torino declaring bankruptcy in 2005. It was resurrected only a year later, however, and the club soon managed to return to the Serie A.

By Martin Wahl

References:
http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/02/24/the-rise-fall-and-rise-of-torino-fc/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torino_F.C.
https://www.fifa.com/news/y=2012/m=6/news=torino-the-glory-and-tragedy-1654345.html
Jonathan Wilson, Angels with Dirty Faces (2016)