Pat Rice
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2012) |
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Patrick James Rice | ||
Date of birth | 17 March 1949 | ||
Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
Position(s) | Right back | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1967–1980 | Arsenal | 397 | (12) |
1980–1984 | Watford | 112 | (1) |
Total | 509 | (13) | |
International career | |||
1968–1979 | Northern Ireland | 49 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1984–1996 | Arsenal (Youth team coach) | ||
1996 | Arsenal (Caretaker manager) | ||
1996–2012 | Arsenal (Assistant manager) | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Patrick James Rice,
Playing career
Arsenal
Born in
Playing in particular as a
Rice remained first-choice right back for the club as he played in theRice continued to play for Northern Ireland in this time, amassing 49 caps in an eleven-year career, which ended with his final international game against England on 17 October 1979, which ended in a 5–1 defeat. Rice finally left Arsenal in 1980 at the age of 31, by which time he had played 528 games in total for the club.[2][3]
Watford
He moved to Graham Taylor's Watford where he helped the club as captain gain promotion to the First Division in 1981–82. Rice scored in Watford's first game in the top flight in 1982–83 against Everton before retiring from playing in 1984. In his final season he helped Watford reach the 1984 FA Cup final. After Wilf Rostron was suspended for the game Rice was considered to replace him but was ultimately left out of the squad.[4] In all the defender played a total of 137 times for the Hornets.[5]
Coaching career
Rice rejoined Arsenal in 1984 as youth team coach, a post he held for the next 12 years, winning the
Upon the arrival of
On 5 May 2012, it was announced that Rice would be stepping down after an accumulative 44 years with club, since joining as an apprentice, with the home game against Norwich being his final home game as Arsenal No.2. Wenger stated, "Pat is a true Arsenal legend and has committed almost his whole life to Arsenal Football Club, which shows huge loyalty and devotion to this club...I will always be indebted to him for his expert insight into Arsenal and football as a whole. On the training pitches and on matchdays, Pat has always been a passionate, loyal and insightful colleague, who we will all miss." His replacement was former Arsenal player Steve Bould.[1]
Rice was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to sport.[6][7]
Personal life
Pat Rice started training at Arsenal at age 14 and would spend all his spare time developing his fitness and football skills. Jon Sammels memory of Rice as a schoolboy who once requested Sammels autograph, "He [Pat] used to live down the road and his brother, Alf used to have the hairdressers at the bottom of Avenell Road where a lot of the lads used to get their hair cut. Pat was always outside kicking a ball around".[8] Getty images pictured Rice, with his wife Betty holding son Stephen as a child, taken at their Cockfosters home in 1975.[9] In the 1970s Rice co-wrote a regular football column with Steve Stammers for The Evening News.[10]
In November 2013 it was announced that Rice had been admitted to hospital for cancer treatment.
After making a recovery in March 2014, he returned to
After retiring from full time coaching Rice became an Arsenal scout.Honours
Player
- Arsenal Youth
- Arsenal
- Watford
- Football League Second Division runner–up: 1981–82[5]
Youth Team Manager
- Arsenal
Assistant Manager
- Arsenal
Individual
References
- ^ a b "Arsenal coach Pat Rice retires". BBC News. 10 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Pat Rice". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Defining Moments: Pat Rice". Arsenal.com.
- ^ "Watford: Wilf Rostron, Pat Rice and Les Taylor reflect on the 1984 FA Cup Final". watfordobserver.co.uk. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Pat Rice at watfordlegends.com". Watford Legends.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016.
- ^ "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 22.
- ^ "Pat Rice receives MBE in Honours List". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- ^ Lawrence, Gary (23 August 2019). "Arsenal for life: local lad and Highbury Legend – the one and only Pat Rice". Gunners Town. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "circa 1975, Arsenal's Pat Rice at home with his wife Betty and son..." Getty Images. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ Stammers, Steve (4 December 2013). "Pat Rice will fight cancer all the way – and his record shows that he can pull through". mirror. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Former Arsenal full-back Pat Rice admitted to hospital with cancer". The Guardian.
- ^ "Pat Rice returned to Arsenal at half-time of Everton win and made a joke about Spurs". 101Great Goals.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e "Guide to the Game". Reading FC.co.uk.
- ^ a b "Pat Rice MBE: Tribute to an Arsenal legend". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016.
- ^ "Pat Rice". Trading Card DB.com.
- Harris, Jeff & Hogg, Tony (ed.) (1995). Arsenal Who's Who. Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.)
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