Dumitru Marcu, a former Romanian football forward and manager closely associated with Universitatea Craiova, died on Aug. 13, 2026, at age 76. Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal, Romania’s professional football league, announced his death.
He moved from Steaua București to Universitatea Craiova in spring 1972. On Oct. 14, 1973, he scored twice for Romania in a 9–0 World Cup qualifying win over Finland, the national team’s biggest victory.
In the 1973–74 season, Universitatea Craiova won its first Romanian top-flight league title, with Marcu playing 25 league matches and scoring seven goals. Craiova won its first Romanian Cup, the country’s domestic cup competition, in 1977, and Marcu appeared in the final against Steaua București. The club retained the Cup in 1978; Marcu played in the final and scored in a 3–1 victory over Olimpia Satu Mare. He won his second Romanian league title with Craiova in 1980.
