John O'Rourke (footballer) facts for kids
John O'Rourke (born 11 February 1945 – died 7 July 2016) was a professional English footballer. He played as a Centre Forward, which is a player whose main job is to score goals. John O'Rourke had a long career, playing for many different clubs across England.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John O'Rourke | ||
| Date of birth | 11 February 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Northampton, England | ||
| Date of death | 7 July 2016 (aged 71) | ||
| Place of death | England | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Arsenal | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1962–1963 | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
| 1963–1966 | Luton Town | 84 | (64) |
| 1966–1968 | Middlesbrough | 64 | (38) |
| 1968–1969 | Ipswich Town | 69 | (30) |
| 1969–1971 | Coventry City | 54 | (17) |
| 1971–1974 | Q.P.R. | 34 | (12) |
| 1974–1976 | AFC Bournemouth | 22 | (4) |
| 1975 | → Poole Town (loan) | ||
| 1976 | Rangers Johannesburg | ||
| 1976–1977 | Weymouth | ||
| 1977 | Poole Town | ||
| 1977–1980 | Dorchester Town | ||
| 1980–1981 | Poole Town | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Contents
John O'Rourke's Football Journey
John O'Rourke was born in Northampton, England, in 1945. He became known as a powerful forward who scored many goals. His career took him to several well-known football clubs.
Starting Out in Football
John O'Rourke began his football journey in the youth team at Arsenal. He then joined Chelsea in 1962, but he didn't play any first-team games there.
His professional career really took off when he moved to Luton Town in 1963. He quickly became a star player for them. In 84 games for Luton, he scored an amazing 64 goals. This showed everyone how good he was at finding the back of the net.
Making a Name as a Striker
After his successful time at Luton, John O'Rourke joined Middlesbrough in 1966. He continued his goal-scoring form there, netting 38 goals in 64 matches. His ability to score helped his teams a lot.
In 1968, he moved to Ipswich Town. He played 69 games for them and scored 30 goals. He then went to Coventry City in 1969, where he scored 17 goals in 54 appearances.
Playing for Many Clubs
John O'Rourke continued his career at Queens Park Rangers (Q.P.R.) from 1971 to 1974. He scored 12 goals in 34 games for Q.P.R.
Later, he played for AFC Bournemouth from 1974 to 1976. During this time, he also had a loan spell at Poole Town. He then moved to Rangers Johannesburg in South Africa for a short period in 1976.
Later Career and Retirement
After his time in South Africa, John O'Rourke returned to England. He played for several non-league clubs, which are teams not in the top professional leagues. These included Weymouth, Poole Town again, and Dorchester Town. He finished his playing career back at Poole Town in 1981.
John O'Rourke passed away on 7 July 2016, at the age of 71. He is remembered as a talented forward who scored many goals throughout his football career.
