The events of the Centennial of Hercules, at least the most massive, come to an end. The commission in charge of carrying out all the activities in the year that the club reached its century of life paid homage in the CAM Culture Classroom, in the capital, to illustrious Herculaneans from the entire blue and white spectrum. A simple, exciting and dynamic act presented by the journalist Neus Pachón and introduced on stage by Ramón Pérez, historian, chronicler and active member of the group chaired by Manuel Palomar to commemorate the ten decades of existence of the Alicante team.
between the fence half a thousand people that filled the audience of the venue was not found no representative of the board of directors of the team, unlike what happened in the first of the identical events that was organized in the ADDA in autumn. This tribute completes the battery of activities dedicated to highlighting the importance beyond sports of an entity that is part of the identity trace from Alicante.
Workers, former leaders, past presidents, players, youth coaches or very significant captains were the ones who received the well-earned recognition, a small chest containing three badges that represented the current coat of arms of the Hercules CFthe one created on the occasion of the Centenary and the founding one with the colors red and white.
Many of the ambassadors Distinguished over the last 12 months were the ones who delivered the boxes with the emblems to the protagonists (or their relatives and friends) together with the members of the commission itself, who, in many cases, were covering them on stage.
The program closed with the projection of the short film “100 years of fidelity”, a docu-fiction made by the school of arts kinetic, from Mutxamel. The film stars the Alicante actors Adrián Pérez, Andrea Vera, Melisa Gosálvez, Álvaro Peñarrubia, Mª Luisa Cantón and Rubén Vera. In addition, it has important cameos by former blue and white players such as Paquito, Manolo Alfaro, Samuel Llorca, Palomino, Paco Luna, Miguelo and Reces.
Production also includes more than 50 extra with recognized herculana root. Directed by Marco Gosalvez and edited by andres romerolasts about 20 minutes and, shortly, it will be able to be seen on the club’s audiovisual media and also on Youtube, on the channel of the production company itself. The Centenary ceremonial will lower the curtain with the presentation (no date yet) of the official commemorative anthem commissioned to the multi-award winning composer from Alicante Luis Ivars.
THE LIST OF HONOREDEES
PLAYERS
► Ernesto Llobregat Mas (1924-2007) and Ernesto Llobregat Pérez
Members of a prestigious saga in Hercules, father and son played with Hercules in Primera. The first, indisputable in the forties and fifties. The second, in the seventies and eighties. Two legends.
► Humberto de la Cruz Núñez (1945-2004)
Saint and sign of herculanism. Paraguayan goalkeeper who arrived in the Third Division and managed to reach the First Division with Hercules. His two exits from El Sadar on his knees are iconic. It was everything in the blue and white club. Player, grassroots football coach and coach of the first team during different stages.
► Francisco Cortes
Alicante. He came from Betis Florida. He arrived in the 1955/56 season and played in the First Division. During the eighties he belonged as vice president to the board of directors first of Rico Pérez and then of José Torregrosa.
►Dubo Pavlicic (1967-2012)
Croatian international central defender who joined Hercules in 1994 from Rijeka. He was only three seasons with us, including the unforgettable promotion to Primera in 1996, but from the first moment he touched the soul of the people of Alicante.
►José Lloret “Calsita” (1922-2004)
The villain was a born scorer. Nothing less than 64 goals in 78 games with the elastic blue and white. He held the all-time record for the Herculean goalscorer until the arrival of Eduardo Rodríguez.
► Rafael Gallar
Former soccer player from Alicante for the club in the 1960s and later president of the Hercules Veterans Association from 2011 to 2015. Humble and effective. One of those figures that is always needed in any club, company and in any circle of friends.
► Juan Antonio Escribano
Herculaneum defense during the late 1960s. He was president of the Hercules Veterans Association from 2015 to 2019. An essential in Herculanism, always willing to help, always with a good word ahead.
► Domingo Ramón Menargues
Crevillentino athlete, based in San Vicente, of international prestige. Member of the athletics section of Hercules, during the presidency of Rico Pérez. Domingo Ramón was an Olympian in Moscow 80 and Los Angeles 84, finishing fourth and sixth in the 3,000 obstacle course. In addition, he kept the Spanish record for this modality for 19 years.
DIRECTORS
►Emilio Orgilés Pérez
He took the reins of Hércules in 1988, after the Herculean relegation to Segunda B. He spent two seasons at the helm of the club. He is well remembered for his enormous activity to bring the club closer to the children of the province, with caravans of schoolchildren from the different towns and regions of Alicante.
► René Bardin Delille (1858-1940) and Renato Bardin Mas (1897-1984)
To the initiative of the Bardin family we owe the construction of a beautiful stadium, inaugurated in 1932, and in which Hércules experienced its first promotion to the First Division and one of its best times. Renato Bardin Mas was an enthusiastic Herculean manager and architect, to a large extent, of the reconstruction of the club after the war.
► Paco Yagues
Eight years as a delegate of the Hércules first team, starring in one of the happiest times of recent Herculanism in the mid-nineties. In addition, he was also a counselor with Aniceto Benito.
► Juan José Alameda Pastor
He did tireless work as secretary on the boards of José Rico Pérez and José Torregrosa, as well as on the board of Aniceto Benito.
► Casimiro de la Viña (1900-1965)
Sportsman, journalist and businessman. In 1919 he founded the Club Natación Alicante, of which he became president. In addition to allowing Hércules to compete in the La Florida field (later called La Viña), owned by his family, he was honorary president of the Herculean club, as well as a manager.
WORKERS
► Juan Antonio López Dols
Youth academy player, one of the classics in Alicante regional football. He trained at different stages in the Hércules grassroots football, as well as being the first president of the Veterans Association in 1995 until 2002.
► Vicente Baeza Quereda and José Ramón Aznar Riera
They don’t stop balls or score goals, but within the structure of a football club there are essential workers to make everything work better. This is the case of Vicente and José Ramón, two goalkeepers who were there from the inauguration of Rico Pérez until well into the 21st century.
► Vicente Martí Company “Pitiki”
Youth player in the seventies. Arsenio gave him up to Hellín and became a footballer. He played in the First Division with Recreativo de Huelva and then returned to Alicante, where he coached a multitude of teams, including several teams from the Hércules base, with whose children he became regional champion.
► Fernando Wall
Physical trainer of the Hércules first team in its penultimate stage in the First Division. In that overwhelming 95-96 season, in which the club returned to the elite through the front door.
► Jose Antonio Navarro
Physical trainer of the quarry for more than two decades. Another history of the physical preparation of the youngest along with others already honored such as Pepe Moreno or Joaquín Ferrández.
► Joaquin Irles
Club player at the end of the 60s and, above all, the designer of a vintage Hercules. He was the sports director in the year of promotion to the Second Division in 1993 and to the First Division in 1996. He signed players like Eduardo Rodríguez, Paco López, Falagán or Paquito.
► Joaquin Carbonell
Youth player in the seventies, then he was coach of the club’s lower categories and led the team in 2000-01. In addition, he is one of the visible heads of the Hercules Veterans Association in recent years.
► Isidro Rubio Silvestre
Eternal delegate of the Herculaneum youth. Many generations of blue and white youth footballers remember him fondly.
► Hilary
Endearing person for all herculanism whether they are players, coaches, managers or fans. He was always willing to help from the bowels of Rico Pérez. Everyone loved him and remembers him fondly.
► Pepe Buades Perez
Partner of the Hercules throughout his life. He dedicated more than 30 years to Herculean grassroots football, as a masseuse and prop man. He left the club at the age of 85, when he was the oldest kit man in Spain.
► Vincent Russo
Player of the Hércules youth system and later a history of football from Alicante. Second coach of the first team on two occasions, he also led the club’s youth academy at different times, with a golden period in the youth teams, with which he was champion of the Division of Honor in 98-99.
HOBBIES AND OTHERS
► Alfredo Ros
Hotelier. Herculanism radiated from his restaurant. Many blue and white promotions and victories were celebrated there. He accompanied the team on countless trips.
► Jose Gomez Gordillo
A hotelier, he has been running the Gordillo brewery in the La Florida neighborhood for more than 30 years. Herculaneum to the core, protagonist of innumerable anecdotes around the shield of the black head. He rose to fame in the early 1990s by giving a T-bone steak to Hercules’ weekly scorer.
► Alfredo Paris Overcases
Alma mater from the informative magazine of the Hercules that every fortnight has an unavoidable appointment with the fans to tell them the data of the rival, current comments or snippets of our centenary history.
► Rafael Rodríguez de Gea
President of the Association of sports journalists of Alicante. His whole life linked to Hercules, whom he is always willing to help selflessly. He was a member of the club’s 90th Anniversary Commission.
► Maite Llopis
Herculana to the core, who never missed a game at Rico Pérez and was a regular on the team’s trips. Hugely loved by the blue and white fans.
► Peña Los Gorillas
In 1930 a group of young Alicante fans of Hercules created the Peña Los Gorilas in which love for two unequivocally Alicante symbols such as the Fogueres and the Herculaneum club is combined. It is the dean of the blue and white clubs. They have been present at all the milestones of the club since its creation. Since 1975 they have awarded a trophy to the most outstanding Herculean player of the season.
► Pena Las Banderas
Founded in 1977. It had its natural habitat in the Rico Pérez Fondo Norte from where the cries of encouragement for the blue and white team were born, even in the most difficult moments with the score against them. They also cheered from all the stadiums in Spain, either in the First Division or in Second B.
► María José Espinós Navarro
Fireproof fan, ambassador of “Hercules, I give you everything”. Paquito Escudero, and other players from the nineties, remember that she did not fail a training session. “Even when it rained heavily, she stopped going, we remember her with her umbrella in hand,” they recall. Wherever I am, I will continue to support the team.
► Herculigans
The Hercúligans supporters club was the loudspeaker of Rico Pérez’s northern club for more than 15 years. This large group of young people gave color not only to the stands of the stadium, but also in the numerous trips they made accompanying the team. As its motto read: “The seua força had no rival”.
► Peña El Bombo
Founded in 1974. Its rhythmic tam-tam is still remembered from the cheese between Preferente and Fondo Norte. It was one of the first clubs in Spain to cheer with a bass drum.
Injection of Herculanism in the last great act of the Centenary