Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß 27.2.1959 – 27.9.2026
Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß
(27.2.1959 – 27.9.2026)
With deep sorrow, we bid farewell to Prof. Dr. Bernd Strauß, who passed away on September 27, 2026. With his passing, the Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences loses an outstanding scholar, university teacher, and leader who profoundly shaped our Institute for more than 28 years and helped shape sport psychology far beyond the borders of Münster and Germany. But we also lose a dear friend, a scientific mentor, and a highly esteemed colleague.
Bernd Strauß studied psychology at Kiel University, where he earned his diploma in 1987 and his doctorate in 1992. In 1998, he completed his habilitation and was awarded the venia legendi in psychology. That same year, he moved to Münster: on September 21, 1998, he followed Prof. Dr. Willi Essing as Professor of Sport Psychology and assumed leadership of the Sport Psychology Unit. Of the now more than 50 years of sport psychology at the University of Münster, Bernd Strauß himself shaped and decisively influenced more than half.
His scholarly work was wide-ranging while at the same time characterized by clear areas of focus. At its center were expertise in sport, social psychological aspects of sport, and research methods. In particular, his work on social influence in sport, spectators, and home advantage received considerable national and international recognition. At the same time, Bernd Strauß never understood science solely as work on individual research questions. For him, it was about creating structures, developing new topics, and bringing people together. Among other things, he was involved in establishing the DFG-funded OpenLab and was one of the applicants for the interdisciplinary DFG Research Training Group “Trust and Communication in a Digitized World.” Under his leadership, the Sport Psychology Unit was able to secure numerous research projects and, over the years, substantial external funding.
Of particular importance to him was the connection between scientific excellence, high-quality teaching, the development of early-career scholars, and transfer into sport practice. Scientific findings, in his view, should not end at the boundaries of the university. Exchange with elite sport, sport organizations and clubs, schools, and other institutions was as natural to him as the conviction that questions arising from practice could, in turn, provide new impulses for science. He lived out this commitment over many years through collaborations with, among others, the BISp, the DOSB, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the City of Münster, and numerous partners in sport.
Bernd Strauß shaped not only his own unit, but also the Institute, the Faculty, and the University of Münster. As early as 2001, only a few years after his appointment, he took on the role of Dean of Faculty 7, “Psychology and Sport and Exercise Sciences,” for the first time. In total, he served for seven years as Dean and eight years as Vice Dean. In addition, he was involved in numerous Rectorate and Senate committees, served for five years as Chair of the Rectorate Commission for Strategic Planning and Quality Assurance, and was the founding Chair of the University of Münster’s Tenure Track Board.
Bernd Strauß had a particularly strong connection to elite sport at the university. Since 2009, he had been committed, in his role as the University of Münster’s Representative for Elite Sport, to promoting the compatibility of elite sport and university studies. This commitment was part of his understanding of the importance of connecting science, the university, and sport practice. In this role as well, he built structures and initiated developments that will endure beyond his own time in office.
His commitment extended far beyond the university. Over the course of decades, Bernd Strauß played a major role in shaping the development of sport science and, in particular, sport psychology in Germany. From 2003 to 2009, he served as President of the German Association of Sport Science (dvs), and from 2013 to 2021 as President of the German Association of Sport Psychology (asp), after having already served for many years on the executive boards of both organizations. In addition, he was Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Federal Institute of Sport Science and founding Chair of the PotAS Commission of the BMI and DOSB. In recognition of his service, he received the dvs Golden Badge of Honor in 2012, was named an honorary member of the dvs in 2019, and was awarded the asp Hermann Rieder Badge of Honor in 2023.
Bernd Strauß also helped shape the landscape of scientific publishing over many years. He was the founding editor of the Zeitschrift für Sportpsychologie and, together with Nikos Ntoumanis, served for more than eleven years as Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Numerous textbooks, handbooks, and international publications bear his name. His work was always directed, in part, toward giving sport psychology visibility and weight within both psychology and sport science.
We particularly remember his commitment to national and international scientific networking. Under his leadership, numerous conferences and symposia were held in Münster. A particular highlight was the international FEPSAC Congress in 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of European sport psychology. For organizing what was then the largest international sport psychology congress, the Münster team received the Congress Award of the City of Münster. This was complemented by several conferences of the asp and the dvs, as well as German-Japanese symposia. Scientific networking was a cause particularly close to Bernd Strauß’s heart.
Perhaps the most enduring expression of his work, however, can be seen in the people whom he supported and encouraged. Under his leadership, the Sport Psychology Unit developed into a place dedicated to the intensive development of early-career scholars. More than 25 doctorates and several habilitations were completed during this time; numerous former members of the Unit went on from Münster to pursue their paths in academia and practice. Bernd Strauß enabled, supported, and shaped scientific careers. For many of us, he was therefore far more than the head of a unit: he was an academic teacher, mentor, advisor, and intellectual counterpart, particularly and especially in scientific debate.
But Bernd was far more than the sum of his scientific achievements, publications, and offices. Those who worked with him know his great passion for science, his enthusiasm for research methods, and his deep connection to sport psychology. He could become just as enthusiastic about a methodological question as about a new research question, and he defended his positions with great persistence. He was a scholar who welcomed debate in the very best sense: for him, science also meant discussion, disagreement, and the joint pursuit of a better answer.
With his passing, we lose a person whose influence will extend far beyond his active years at the Institute. He leaves behind a Sport Psychology Unit that he built and shaped over decades, scientific structures whose development he played a decisive role in, and a large network of colleagues, companions, and students. Above all, however, there remain the people who worked with him, learned from him, debated with him, and shaped science together with him.
Our deepest sympathy goes to his family and to all those who were close to him.
We will deeply miss Bernd as a scientist and academic teacher, as a mentor and colleague, and above all as a person. His influence will remain visible in sport psychology far beyond his passing.
President of the University of Münster
Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessels
Director of the Institute of Sport Sciences, Münster
Prof. Dr. Heiko Wagner
Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt & Prof. Dr. Maike Tietjens, in Name of all colleagues of the Institute of Sport Science in Münster.