Bill Foulkes
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | William Anthony Foulkes[1] | ||
Date of birth | [1][2] | 5 January 1932||
Place of birth | St. Helens, Lancashire, England[2] | ||
Date of death | 25 November 2013[1] | (aged 81)||
Place of death | Manchester, England[1] | ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Centre-half[2] | ||
Youth career | |||
1950 | Whiston Boys Club | ||
1950–1951 | Manchester United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1951–1970 | Manchester United | 566 | (7) |
International career | |||
1955 |
England U23 | 2 | (0) |
1954 | England | 1 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1975–1977 | Chicago Sting | ||
1978–1979 | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||
1979–1980 |
Witney Town | ||
1980 | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
1981 | IL Bryn | ||
Steinkjer | |||
1983–1984 | Lillestrøm | ||
1985 | Viking | ||
1988–1992 | Mazda | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
William Anthony Foulkes (
After retiring as a player, he spent more than 20 years as a coach and manager at numerous clubs in England and overseas.
Early life
Foulkes was born in St. Helens, Lancashire, the first of three children born to James Foulkes (1900–1970) and his wife Ruth (1909–1961).
His grandfather had captained St. Helens rugby league team and was also an England rugby international.[2][3] His father had also played rugby league for St Helens, and had also played football for New Brighton in the Third Division North. Foulkes himself played for the Whiston Boys Club in his teens, and also worked at the Lea Green Colliery as a miner,[4] a job which he continued into the mid-1950s by which time he was a regular member of the Manchester United first team and had made his solitary appearance for the full England side.[5]
He married Teresa Suffler (born 1936) at St Nicholas Church, Whiston, in spring of 1955.[6] They have three children; Stephen (born 1958), Geoff (born 1962) and Amanda (born 1963). They have seven grandchildren named Lewis (born 1992), Matthew (born 1993) and Adam (born 1996), Jessica, Edward, Harvey and Philippa.
Manchester United
1950–1957
Foulkes was discovered by Manchester United while he was playing for the Whiston Boys club as an 18-year-old. He joined the club in March 1950 and played in junior ranks of the club before he turned professional in August 1951. He made his professional debut in the
Foulkes scored his first of only nine goals for the club during the 1953–54 season against Newcastle United in a First Division match on 2 January 1954 at St James' Park. The goal was scored from near the halfway line,[4] an achievement especially for a defender. United finished the season in fifth place.
Foulkes won his first cap for England 22 months after making his United debut, playing at right-back against Northern Ireland on 2 October 1954. However, that was his only international appearance at the senior level throughout his whole career. It was only after he won the cap that he stopped working at the colliery.[7]
In the
United won the Championship in the 1955–56 season and thus became eligible to play in the European Cup in the following season,
Munich air disaster
As winners of
On the return journey to
On the third attempt to take off, the pilots managed to control the surging, but as the plane reached the
The plane was bouncing along and obviously not going fast enough and then suddenly there were three tremendous sickening thuds and everything was spinning around. A second later I was sitting in my seat with my feet in the snow.
— Bill Foulkes, [9]
The plane had broken right under the seat that Foulkes was sitting on. In the crash, the bottle of gin from the British Embassy, which Foulkes had placed on the overhead rack with his overcoat, hit Foulkes on the back of his head. The head injury was the only injury which he sustained in the crash. Immediately after the crash, Foulkes climbed out of his safety belt and ran 50 yards away from the plane. He then turned back and saw the wrecked plane. As Foulkes later said,
The back of the aircraft had just disappeared. I got out as quickly as I could and just ran and ran. Then I turned and realised that the plane wasn't going to explode, and I went back. In the distance I could see the tail part of the aircraft blazing and as I ran back I came across bodies. Roger Byrne still strapped to his seat, Bobby Charlton lying quite still in another seat, and Dennis Viollet. Then Harry Gregg appeared and we tried to see what we could do to help.
— Bill Foulkes, [10]
The 23 survivors were admitted to hospital, but Foulkes was discharged and spent the night in a hotel with Gregg. The next morning, Foulkes visited his teammates in the hospital. He visited Duncan Edwards, Johnny Berry, Jackie Blanchflower, Viollet, Scanlon, Charlton and Ray Wood. Then, he recalls, "I was just beginning to think it didn't look too bad when I asked where the rest were. The nurse simply shook her head and said: 'That's it, everybody else has died.'"[9]
It was only then that Foulkes realised the full horror of the tragedy. Seven of his teammates –
Duncan Edwards died 15 days later as a result of his injuries. Club secretary Walter Crickmer and coaches Tom Curry and Bert Whalley were also killed instantly. Berry and Blanchflower survived but never played again due to the extent of their injuries. Foulkes himself survived, along with Busby, Charlton, Gregg, Morgans, Scanlon, Viollet and Wood.
Over the years since the disaster, Foulkes felt anger about the fact that the pilots had tried to take off a third time, despite the obvious dangers.
It was obvious that we would struggle to take off and they took the chance. They should never have done that. I don't feel guilty about being a survivor. I was just damned lucky. But I do harbour this feeling that it wasn't necessary, that angers me. It cost the club, it cost the country so much.[9]
1958–1966
Immediately after the crash, Foulkes took over captaincy of the club in place of Byrne, who was killed in the crash. After matches against
Manchester United finish runners-up in the league in the first post Munich season in 1958–59, but then finished seventh the 1959–60 and 1960–61 seasons before finishing 15th in 1961–62 – at the time this was the club's lowest postwar finish. In the FA Cup, the club exited the competition in the 3rd round, 5th round, 4th round and semi-finals respectively in the four post Munich seasons.
In the 1962–63 season, United did badly in the league, finishing in 19th place, but won the FA Cup after winning the final 3–1 against Leicester City on 25 May 1963. Throughout this time, Foulkes struggled a lot from the crash. He later said, "I lost so much weight, I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, I was losing fitness and form and I'd really had enough."[9]
On 10 October 1960, Busby played Foulkes at centre-half for the first time, having experimented with a string of players to fill the position after the crash had claimed the life of
European Cup triumph
By winning the league title in 1966–67, United once again qualified for the European Cup for
The final was held at
Last years
After winning the European Cup, Foulkes felt he had achieved all he could and wished to retire. However, Busby managed to convince him to stay for two more years, although he played less regularly during this time.
By the end of his lengthy career, Foulkes had made 688 appearances for United, and scored nine goals. He had previously held the club's appearance record until Charlton (758 appearances) overtook him a while later and, later, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, although he is still in fourth place for appearances for United.[12] He had also made 3 appearances as a substitute in the 1968–69 season in the First Division. He also started in every single game United had played in the seasons 1957–58, 1959–60, 1963–64 and 1964–65. He served United in the First Division for 18 seasons, most of them as a regular player, and was the longest-serving player at the club at the time of his final game. He scored a total of nine goals for United, the first in a 2–1 league win at Newcastle United on 2 January 1954,[13] and the last on 15 May 1968 in the victorious European Cup semi-final second leg tie in Madrid.[14]
After retirement, he stayed at Old Trafford as a youth team coach from 1970 to 1975, when he finally left United after 25 years of unbroken service.[15]
Post-Manchester United
After his coaching stint at United, Foulkes managed several teams. First, he was manager of English
In 1988, he went to Japan and managed F.C. Mazda in Hiroshima until 1991. Then, he finished his involvement with the game and returned to England in 1992.
In October 1992, he auctioned mementoes of his career at Christie's as he needed the money. Twenty items were auctioned, raising almost £35,000. All his medals were auctioned, and his European Cup medal raised £11,000, while the jersey he wore in the European Cup final raised £1,800.[4][17] Foulkes' European Cup medal was resold at an auction at Sotheby's in London in November 2012 as part of a collection of sporting memorabilia; this time, it sold for almost four times as much, going for £40,000.[18]
Later life and death
Even in his late sixties, Foulkes was still coaching for the Manchester FA, and was frequently requested to show Japanese visitors around the stadium, because of his four-year coaching spell in Japan during which he learnt the Japanese language. He was in attendance along with the four remaining players who survived the Munich tragedy on 21 May 2008, when United beat
In April 2011, he was portrayed by actor James Callàs Ball in the
Foulkes died at the age of 81 in Manchester on 25 November 2013.[21][22][23] He had reportedly been suffering from Alzheimer's disease during the final few years of his life.[24] His last appearance in public was almost four years earlier at the funeral of Albert Scanlon, another United player who survived the Munich crash. He is not believed to have attended the funeral of Kenny Morgans, another survivor of the crash, in November 2012.
Career statistics
Season | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup †
|
Charity Shield | Europe | Intercontinental Cup | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goal | Apps | Goal | Apps | Goal | Apps | Goal | Apps | Goal | Apps | Goal | Apps | Goals | |
1952–53 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
1953–54 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
1954–55 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 0 | ||
1955–56 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
1956–57 | 39 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 0 | ||
1957–58 | 42 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 0 | ||
1958–59 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
1959–60 | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | ||
1960–61 | 40 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 |
1961–62 | 40 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
1962–63 | 41 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
1963–64 | 41 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 1 |
1964–65 | 42 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 |
1965–66 | 33 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 1 |
1966–67 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 4 |
1967–68 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
1968–69 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
1969–70 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Total | 566 | 7 | 61 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 688 | 9 |
†The League Cup began in 1960–61.
Honours
Club
- Manchester United
- First Division (4): 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67
- 1962–63
- 1967–68
- FA Charity Shield (3): 1956, 1957, 1967* (* joint winners)
References
- ^ a b c d "Bill Foulkes". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Bill Foulkes Player Biography". Manchester United Football Club. Archived from the original on 17 April 2001. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "Tom Foulkes". Saints Heritage Society. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d "A Who's Who of Manchester United F.C. – Foulkes, William Anthony". Red11. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2006.
- ^ "Bill Foulkes, Manchester United player". About Man Utd. Archived from the original on 10 October 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ "Lancashire Births Marriages & Deaths". Archived from the original on 17 January 2003. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
- ^ a b c "Manchester United Legends – Bill Foulkes". Manutd Zone. Archived from the original on 22 October 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2006.
- ^ a b "Bill Foulkes (1952–1970)". RedCafe. Archived from the original on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Anger Still Boils After 40 Years". Munich58. Archived from the original on 14 December 2006. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
- ^ "The Tragedy of Munich Airport". The Busby Babes. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
- ^ "Foulkes, William Foulkes - Manchester United Player Profile & Stats". www.mufcinfo.com. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Manchester United all-time appearanaces". manutd.com. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
- ^ "Manchester United vs Newcastle United – 2 Jan 1954". About Man Utd. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ "Manchester United vs Real Madrid – 15 May 1968". About Man Utd. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ Legends. Bill Foulkes Manchester United website Archived 31 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 June 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Culley, Jon (23 March 1993). "Where are they now: Bill Foulkes". independent.co.uk. London: Independent Print. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ "Manchester United's Bill Foulkes medal sells for £40,000". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ Hinson, Paul. "A United Legend". Red11.org. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
- ^ United (I) (2011) Full Cast & Crew IMDb.com
- ^ Martin, Douglas (27 November 2013). "Bill Foulkes Dies at 81; Soccer Star Survived Team's Plane Crash". The New York Times.
- ^ Busby Babe Bill Foulkes dies, aged 81 BBC Sport, 25 November 2013; Retrieved 25 November 2013
- ^ "Bill Foulkes dies aged 81 a Manchester United legend". The Telegraph. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ Bill Foulkes: Sir Bobby Charlton pays tribute The Scotsman, 12 December 2013
External links
- Bill Foulkes at IMDb
- Short biography on the official Manchester United website