Bill Foulkes facts for kids
Foulkes (back row, second right) with the Manchester United team in 1963
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Anthony Foulkes | ||
| Date of birth | 5 January 1932 | ||
| Place of birth | St. Helens, Lancashire, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 November 2013 (aged 81) | ||
| Place of death | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre-half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1950 | Whiston Boys Club | ||
| 1950–1951 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1951–1970 | Manchester United | 566 | (7) |
| National team | |||
| 1954 | England | 1 | (0) |
| 1955 | England U23 | 2 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 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 | ||
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Bill Foulkes (born January 5, 1932 – died November 25, 2013) was an English footballer. He played as a centre-half for Manchester United. He was part of the famous "Busby Babes" teams of the 1950s and also played in the 1960s. Bill Foulkes played 688 games for Manchester United. This makes him fourth on the club's all-time appearance list. He helped the team win four English First Division titles, one FA Cup, and one European Cup. He played only once for the England senior team in 1955. After he stopped playing, he worked as a coach and manager for over 20 years. He coached many clubs in England and other countries.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Bill Foulkes was born in St. Helens, Lancashire, England. He was the first of three children. His family had a strong sports background. His grandfather was a captain for the St. Helens rugby league team. He also played rugby for England. Bill's father played rugby league for St Helens too. He also played football for New Brighton.
Bill Foulkes played for the Whiston Boys Club when he was a teenager. He also worked as a miner at the Lea Green Colliery. He continued this job even after he started playing for Manchester United. He married Teresa Suffler in 1955. They had three children: Stephen, Geoff, and Amanda. They also had seven grandchildren.
Playing for Manchester United
Joining the Team (1950–1957)
Manchester United found Bill Foulkes when he was 18 years old. He was playing for the Whiston Boys club at the time. He joined Manchester United in March 1950. He played in the club's youth teams before becoming a professional player in August 1951. Bill made his first professional game on December 13, 1952. It was a First Division match against Liverpool. United won the game 2–1. He also played two games for the England Under-23 team. For a while, he kept working part-time at the coal mine. He didn't think he was good enough to play football full-time.
Bill scored his first goal for United on January 2, 1954. It was against Newcastle United. He scored from near the halfway line, which was amazing for a defender! United finished fifth that season. Foulkes played his only senior game for England on October 2, 1954. It was against Northern Ireland. After this, he finally stopped working at the mine.
In the 1955–56 season, Bill Foulkes won his first league title with United. He had to do National Service at the time. Because of this, manager Matt Busby sometimes played Ian Greaves instead of Bill. But Bill trained even harder. He was determined to get his place back. This hard work paid off. He played regularly for the team from then until the late 1960s.
United won the league again in the 1956–57 season. This meant they could play in the European Cup. United was the first English team to play in this competition. In one game, United beat Anderlecht 10–0. This is still United's biggest win in a European match. Bill helped United reach the semi-finals that season. They lost to Real Madrid. United also reached the FA Cup Final but lost to Aston Villa.
The Munich Air Disaster
In the 1957–58 season, United played in the European Cup again. This was the season of the terrible Munich air disaster. On February 6, 1958, the team's plane stopped in Munich to refuel. The plane tried to take off twice but failed. On the third try, the plane crashed.
Bill Foulkes was sitting in the middle of the plane. The plane broke right under his seat. A bottle of gin hit him on the back of his head. This was his only injury. After the crash, Bill quickly got out of his seatbelt. He ran away from the plane. Then he looked back and saw the wreckage.
Bill was one of 23 survivors. He was discharged from the hospital and stayed in a hotel. The next morning, he visited his teammates in the hospital. He saw Duncan Edwards, Johnny Berry, Jackie Blanchflower, and others. He then asked where the rest of the team was. The nurse told him that everyone else had died. That's when Bill truly understood the horror of what had happened. Seven of his teammates died at the crash site. Another 14 people, including three Manchester United officials, also died. Duncan Edwards died 15 days later. Bill Foulkes survived, along with manager Matt Busby and players like Bobby Charlton and Harry Gregg.
Over the years, Bill felt angry that the pilots tried to take off a third time.
Rebuilding the Team (1958–1966)
Right after the crash, Bill Foulkes became the team captain. The previous captain, Roger Byrne, had died in the crash. United reached the FA Cup Final that season. They lost 2–0 to Bolton Wanderers. However, the team struggled in the league. They finished ninth. In the European Cup semi-finals, United lost to A.C. Milan.
Manchester United finished second in the league in 1958–59. But then they had some tougher seasons. In the 1962–63 season, United finished 19th in the league. However, they won the FA Cup! They beat Leicester City 3–1 in the final on May 25, 1963. Bill Foulkes later said he struggled a lot after the crash. He lost weight and couldn't sleep. He felt like he wasn't playing well.
On October 10, 1960, manager Busby played Bill Foulkes at centre-half for the first time. This became his favorite position. Bill started to enjoy the game again in 1963. In the 1963–64 season, United finished second in the league. Then, in the 1964–65 season, they won the league title again! By this time, Bill Foulkes and Bobby Charlton were the only two players left from the Munich disaster. In 1966–67, Bill helped United win the league championship once more. This gave him four league medals, more than any other United player of his time.
European Cup Victory
By winning the league in 1966–67, United qualified for the European Cup again in 1967–68. They played against Real Madrid in the semi-finals. Bill didn't play in the first game, which United won 1–0. But he played in the second game in Madrid. Real Madrid was leading 3–1 at half-time. David Sadler scored in the second half. This made the score 3–3 overall. Near the end of the game, George Best sent the ball into the penalty area. Bill Foulkes kicked the ball into the net! This was one of the most important goals of his career. It sent United to the final.
The final was held at Wembley Stadium on May 29, 1968. United played against Benfica. Bill Foulkes played in central defence. The score was 1–1 at the end of normal time. Then, in extra time, Best, Brian Kidd, and Charlton each scored a goal. United won 4–1! They became the first English team to win the European Cup. Ten years after the Munich air disaster, Bill Foulkes finally won a European Cup medal. He was 36 years old. Bill later said that winning the Cup helped him "get over the crash." He and Bobby Charlton were the only players left from the time of the disaster.
Final Years as a Player
After winning the European Cup, Bill Foulkes wanted to retire. But manager Busby convinced him to stay for two more years. He played less often during this time. In the 1968–69 season, Wilf McGuinness became the new manager. Bill played only three games under McGuinness. His last game was on August 16, 1969, against Southampton. He was 37 years old and one of the oldest players in the league. He officially retired from playing on June 1, 1970, at age 38.
Bill Foulkes played 688 games for United and scored nine goals. He held the club's appearance record for a while. Later, Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs, and Paul Scholes played more games. Bill is still fourth on the list. He also started every game in the 1957–58, 1959–60, 1963–64, and 1964–65 seasons. He played for United for 18 seasons. After retiring, he stayed at Old Trafford as a youth team coach from 1970 to 1975. He left United after 25 years of continuous service.
After Manchester United
After coaching at United, Bill Foulkes managed several other teams. He first managed an English non-league club called Witney Town. In 1975, he went to the USA. There, he managed Chicago Sting (1975–77), Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–79), and San Jose Earthquakes (1980). He then moved to Norway from 1980 to 1988. He managed Steinkjer FK twice, and also IL Bryn, Lillestrøm SK, and Viking FK.
In 1988, he went to Japan. He managed F.C. Mazda in Hiroshima until 1991. After that, he stopped his involvement with football and returned to England in 1992.
In October 1992, Bill Foulkes sold some of his career items at an auction. He needed the money. Twenty items were sold, raising almost £35,000. All his medals were auctioned. His European Cup medal sold for £11,000. The jersey he wore in the European Cup final sold for £1,800. His European Cup medal was sold again in 2012 for £40,000.
Later Life and Death
Even in his late sixties, Bill Foulkes was still coaching for the Manchester FA. He often showed Japanese visitors around the stadium. This was because he had coached in Japan for four years and learned some Japanese. On May 21, 2008, he attended the European Cup final in Moscow. United beat Chelsea on penalties. Bill was there with the four other players who survived the Munich tragedy.
In April 2011, an actor named James Callàs Ball played Bill Foulkes in a BBC TV drama called United. The show was about the Munich air disaster. Bill Foulkes himself did not take part in the filming.
Bill Foulkes died in Manchester on November 25, 2013, at the age of 81. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease in his final years. His last public appearance was at the funeral of Albert Scanlon, another Munich crash survivor.
Honours
Club
- Manchester United
- First Division (4): 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67
- FA Cup (1): 1962–63
- European Cup (1): 1967–68
- FA Charity Shield (3): 1956, 1957, 1967* (* joint winners)
See also
In Spanish: Bill Foulkes para niños
