Former football coach Hólmbert Friðjónsson dies at 85

Morgunblaðið reports that former football coach Hólmbert Friðjónsson has died at the age of 85. He died at Sólvangur in Hafnarfjörður on Saturday, September 12.

Friðjónsson was born in Keflavík on March 11, 1941, to Friðjón Sighvatsson and Svanhvít Sigurjónsdóttir. After completing his education, he trained as an electrician and worked in the trade for a time. He later worked for many years for the US military at Keflavík Airport, where he was head of the procurement department. Alongside that work, he played and coached football.

He married Dagmar Sæunn Maríusdóttir in 1968. They had three children: Friðjón Örn, born in 1969; Ásgerður María, born in 1971; and Maríus Garðar, born in 1979. Friðjónsson also had a daughter, Jonna Paulsen, born in 1964, in the Faroe Islands. He had three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and a fifth great-grandchild expected in January.

Friðjónsson began playing for Keflavík in Iceland’s top division at the age of 17. He was part of the club’s first Icelandic championship-winning team in 1964. He stopped playing in 1968 and was appointed Keflavík’s coach at the age of 28. The following year, he led the team to the Icelandic championship.

In 1979, Friðjónsson took over as coach of Fram and led the team for three years. During that period, Fram won the Icelandic Cup twice. He then coached KR for three years and later returned to coach Keflavík on two occasions. He also coached Njarðvík, Víðir in Garður and Ármann. Towards the end of his career, he coached Iceland’s men’s under-21 national team.