René GAULON

René Gaulon was a midfielder who was developed in Dakar as a player. He began his professional playing career in France in 1949 with Stade Français, who were linked with Red Star at the time. There he would play in the First Division to begin with, but he experienced the disappointment of relegation in his first season in the Paris region. In 1950, the two clubs went their separate ways, but René Gaulon chose to stay with Stade Français, for whom he would play for four years, winning the Second Division championship title in 1952. He then left to join Red Star, where he would play from 1954-1956 in the Second Division, before signing for Stade Rennais, freshly promoted to the top flight of French football, in 1956. One of the first-team regulars in midfield for five seasons, he would be a lynchpin of the system of play developed at the club at the time; making no fewer than 160 appearances for Rennes during his spell there. He even made an appearance for the French national team, albeit never recognised officially. He decided to hang up his boots in 1961 to go into football management. He notably took charge of Stella Maris in Douarnenez, AS Brest, Cholet and Montaigu as coach. He passed away on 19th April 2012 after a lenghty illness, aged 84.