Ron Davies (footballer, born 1942) facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Tudor Davies | ||
| Date of birth | 25 May 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Holywell, Flintshire, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 24 May 2013 (aged 70) | ||
| Place of death | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1959–1962 | Chester | 94 | (45) |
| 1962–1963 | Luton Town | 32 | (21) |
| 1963–1965 | Norwich City | 113 | (58) |
| 1966–1973 | Southampton | 240 | (134) |
| 1973–1974 | Portsmouth | 59 | (18) |
| 1974–1975 | Manchester United | 8 | (0) |
| 1975 | → Millwall (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1976–1977 | Dorchester Town | 17 | (7) |
| 1976–1978 | Los Angeles Aztecs | 69 | (15) |
| 1978 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 4 | (0) |
| 1979 | Seattle Sounders | 22 | (1) |
| Total | 661 | (299) | |
| National team | |||
| 1964–1974 | Wales | 29 | (9) |
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Ronald Tudor Davies (born May 25, 1942 – died May 24, 2013) was a famous Welsh football player. He played as a centre forward, which is a player who scores goals. Ron spent most of his career playing for Southampton in England's top football league, the First Division. He also proudly played for the Welsh national team.
Ron was born in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales. He went to the same school as Mike England, another famous football player. They even played together for Wales! Ron was known for being amazing at heading the ball. He was the top goal scorer in the First Division for two seasons, from 1966 to 1968. In his very first season with Southampton, he scored 12 goals in 10 games in a row!
Ron's younger brother, Paul, also played football. Paul was a youth player for Arsenal and later played for Charlton Athletic.
Contents
Ron's Early Football Journey
Ron Davies first tried out for Blackburn Rovers, but it didn't work out. In July 1959, he signed his first professional contract with Chester. He later said that special training, where he had to jump over hurdles wearing heavy army boots, helped him become so strong when heading the ball.
He played his first game in March 1960. Even though Chester finished at the bottom of the league for two seasons, Ron scored many goals and was a regular player. At one point, he was put on the transfer list, meaning the club was willing to sell him. His response was to score four goals in one game!
Ron then moved to Luton Town for £12,200. When Luton Town was moved down to a lower league, he moved again to Norwich City.
Time at Norwich City
Ron joined Norwich City in September 1963 for £35,000. He was a fantastic scorer for them, getting a goal in each of his first four matches! That season, he scored 30 goals, even though his team finished 17th in their division. Over the next two seasons, he scored 15 and then 21 goals.
His great performance led to him being sold to Southampton for £55,000. Ron also made his first international appearance for Wales when he was 21. This was on April 15, 1964, in a game against Northern Ireland.
Becoming a Star at Southampton
Southampton paid a club record of £55,000 to get Ron Davies. They were getting ready for their first season ever in the top football division. Ron was already a well-known player for Wales.
He quickly showed his talent, scoring 12 goals in 10 league games in a row! He finished that season with an amazing 37 goals in 41 games, more than any other player in the division. His goals helped Southampton stay in the top league. His first goal for Southampton was on August 27, 1966, against Blackpool. He famously lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper's head from far away.
In the next season (1967–68), Ron was the joint top goal scorer in the division, sharing the title with the legendary George Best. On August 16, 1969, he scored four goals, all with his head, in a game against Manchester United. After that game, Manchester United's manager, Matt Busby, said that Ron Davies was the best header of the ball in Europe!
As the 1970s began, other teams started to learn how to stop Ron's powerful heading. He also had some injuries, which made it harder for him to score as much. By 1973, he wasn't playing in the first team as often.
Later Football Years
In April 1973, Ron left Southampton and joined Portsmouth. He scored 18 goals for them in 59 games. Then, in November 1974, Manchester United signed him. However, he didn't get to play much there. He left a year later, after playing only eight games, all as a substitute. He then played three games for Millwall.
Ron's last game for Wales was on May 11, 1974, against England. He played a total of 29 games for Wales and scored 9 goals.
After his time in England, Ron moved to Los Angeles to play for the Los Angeles Aztecs. He even played alongside George Best again! During the off-season in America, he returned to the UK and played for Dorchester Town for five months. He then played two more seasons with the Aztecs before moving to the Tulsa Roughnecks in 1978 and the Seattle Sounders in 1979. He also coached football at schools in Los Angeles and Florida.
Ron later moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He worked in construction and lived in a motorhome. He lost touch with many of his old teammates. In 2006, fans of Southampton helped raise money for him to have two hip replacement surgeries, which he needed because of his football career. This support helped him greatly.
Ron was also known for drawing funny pictures (caricatures) of his teammates, which sometimes appeared in local newspapers!
Death
Ron Davies passed away in Albuquerque on May 24, 2013.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chester City | 1959–60 | Fourth Division | 8 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| 1960–61 | Fourth Division | 39 | 23 | — | 39 | 23 | ||||
| 1961–62 | Fourth Division | 38 | 14 | — | 38 | 14 | ||||
| 1962–63 | Fourth Division | 9 | 7 | — | 9 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 94 | 45 | — | 94 | 45 | |||||
| Luton Town | 1962–63 | Second Division | 29 | 21 | — | 29 | 21 | |||
| 1963–64 | Third Division | 3 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 21 | — | 32 | 21 | |||||
| Norwich City | 1963–64 | Second Division | 38 | 26 | — | 38 | 26 | |||
| 1964–65 | Second Division | 35 | 14 | — | 35 | 14 | ||||
| 1965–66 | Second Division | 40 | 18 | — | 40 | 18 | ||||
| Total | 113 | 58 | — | 113 | 58 | |||||
| Southampton | 1966–67 | First Division | 41 | 37 | — | 41 | 37 | |||
| 1967–68 | First Division | 40 | 28 | — | 40 | 28 | ||||
| 1968–69 | First Division | 38 | 20 | — | 38 | 20 | ||||
| 1969–70 | First Division | 29 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 16 | |||
| 1970–71 | First Division | 40 | 17 | — | 40 | 17 | ||||
| 1971–72 | First Division | 27 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 11 | |||
| 1972–73 | First Division | 25 | 9 | — | 25 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 240 | 134 | 8 | 4 | 248 | 138 | ||||
| Portsmouth | 1973–74 | Second Division | 42 | 13 | — | 42 | 13 | |||
| 1974–75 | Second Division | 17 | 5 | — | 17 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 59 | 18 | — | 59 | 18 | |||||
| Manchester United | 1974–75 | Second Division | 8 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Millwall (loan) | 1975–76 | Third Division | 3 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Los Angeles Aztecs | 1976 | NASL | 24 | 6 | — | 24 | 6 | |||
| 1977 | NASL | 25 | 6 | — | 25 | 6 | ||||
| 1978 | NASL | 20 | 3 | — | 20 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 69 | 15 | — | 69 | 15 | |||||
| Dorchester Town | 1976–77 | Southern Football League | 17 | 7 | — | 17 | 7 | |||
| Tulsa Roughnecks | 1978 | NASL | 4 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Seattle Sounders | 1979 | NASL | 22 | 1 | — | 22 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 661 | 299 | 8 | 4 | 669 | 303 | ||||
