| Dumitru Pavlovici | |
| Birth Date: | 26 April 1912 |
| Birth Place: | Timișoara, Romania |
| Position: | Goalkeeper |
| Years1: | 1931–1933 |
| Clubs1: | Dacia Timișoara |
| Years2: | 1933–1941 |
| Caps2: | 124 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 1941–1946 |
| Caps3: | 0 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 1946–1951 |
| Caps4: | 52 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Totalcaps: | 176 |
| Totalgoals: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 1936–1942 |
| Nationalteam1: | Romania |
| Nationalcaps1: | 18 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
Dumitru Pavlovici (26 April 1912 – 28 September 1993) was a Romanian football goalkeeper who played for Romania in the 1938 FIFA World Cup.[1]
Dumitru Pavlovici, nicknamed Pantera neagră (English: The Black Panther) was born on 26 April 1912 in Timișoara, Romania, growing up and starting to play football as a child in the Mehala neighborhood.[2] He started playing organized football as a forward at local club, Dacia.[2] He first played as a goalkeeper while he was still at Dacia in a game with AMEF.[2]
In 1933, Pavlovici went at Ripensia Timișoara where he had to compete to be first-choice goalkeeper with Vilmos Zombori who was six years older than him.[2] In his first season spent at the club, he won the Cupa României but did not play in the final as Zombori was preferred.[2] [3] In the 1934–35 season he won the title, coaches Josef Uridil and Rudolf Wetzer using him in 15 matches.[2] [4] [5] [6] Next season, Pavlovici helped Ripensia win The Double, being given 14 appearances by coaches Wetzer and Jenő Konrád, also playing in the 5–1 win over Unirea Tricolor București from the Cupa României final.[2] [4] [5] [6] [7] In the 1937–38 season, Pavlovici played 19 games under the guidance of coach Sepp Pojar, helping Ripensia win another title.[2] [4] [5]
In 1941, Pavlovici signed with CFR Turnu Severin, winning the 1942–43 Cupa României, keeping a clean sheet in the 4–0 win over Sportul Studențesc București from the final against Sportul Studențesc București, which helped the club win the first trophy in the its history.[2] [8] Afterwards in 1946, Pavlovici went at CFR Timișoara for the last five years of his career, the highlights of this period being a runner-up position in the 1947–48 season and the reaching of a Cupa României final in the same season which was lost with 3–2 loss in front of ITA Arad in which he did not play, Aurel Boroș being preferred instead.[2] [9]
Dumitru Pavlovici played 18 games at international level for Romania, making his debut under coach Constantin Rădulescu on 17 May 1936 in a 5–2 win over Greece at the 1936 Balkan Cup, also appearing in the 4–1 win with Bulgaria as the team won the cup.[10] [11] [12] [13] He was selected by coaches Săvulescu and Rădulescu to be part of the squad that participated at the 1938 World Cup.[10] [14] He played in the first game against Cuba which ended 3–3, his teammate Robert Sadowski playing in the replay which ended with a surprisingly 2–1 loss.[10] [14] [15] [16] Pavlovici captained the national team in his last two appearances from 1942 which were friendlies, a 1–0 loss with Slovakia and a 2–2 with Croatia.[10]
Dumitru Pavlovici died on 28 September 1993 at age 81.[2] [10]
Ripensia Timișoara
1933–34, 1935–36[3] [7] CFR Turnu Severin