Ron Springett facts for kids
Springett in 1962
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ronald Deryk George Springett | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 July 1935 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fulham, London, England | |||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 12 September 2015 (aged 80) | |||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Kingston upon Thames, England | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Victoria United | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1953–1958 | Queens Park Rangers | 88 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1958–1967 | Sheffield Wednesday | 345 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1967–1969 | Queens Park Rangers | 45 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 478 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1966 | England | 33 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1963 | England (representative) | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1960–1966 | The Football League XI | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Ronald Deryk George Springett (born 22 July 1935 – died 12 September 2015) was an English professional football player. He was a goalkeeper.
Ron started his football journey with QPR in 1953. He played 147 games for them over two different periods. He then spent nine years with Sheffield Wednesday from 1958 to 1967. During this time, he played 384 matches. After that, he went back to QPR to finish his career.
He played 33 times for the England national team between 1959 and 1966. He was also part of the team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Ron Springett began his career at QPR in 1953. In 1957, while at QPR, he was chosen to play for the Third Division South representative team. This team was made up of the best players from the southern football league.
In 1958, he moved to Sheffield Wednesday for £10,000. This was a lot of money back then! He played 384 games for Wednesday. In May 1967, he returned to QPR. As part of this deal, his brother, Peter Springett, who was also a goalkeeper, moved from QPR to Sheffield Wednesday.
Ron Springett was the goalkeeper for Sheffield Wednesday when they played against Everton in the 1966 FA Cup Final. The match was held at Wembley, and Everton won 3–2.
Playing for England
Ron Springett played 33 official matches for England. He also played one special match that wasn't officially counted. All these games happened while he was playing for Sheffield Wednesday. For 26 years, he held the record for the most international appearances by a Sheffield Wednesday player. Later, Nigel Worthington broke his record.
Ron made his first England appearance in 1959 against Northern Ireland at Wembley. He saved a penalty kick just before half-time, helping England win 2–1. He also saved another penalty in a match against Peru in May 1962. He was the main goalkeeper for England during the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile. His last game for England was against Norway in 1966, shortly before the World Cup finals.
Ron also played 9 times for the Football League team. This team was made up of players from different clubs in the Football League.
He was part of the England squad that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. England beat West Germany 4 goals to 2 in the final. At first, only the 11 players who played in the final match received winners' medals. However, later, the Football Association worked to get medals for all squad members from past World Cups.
On 26 November 2007, FIFA announced that all non-playing squad members from 1930 to 1974 would also get a medal. Ron Springett was on this list. So, on 10 June 2009, Ron received his World Cup medal. The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, presented it to him at 10 Downing Street.
Special Game for Ron
Sheffield Wednesday held a special game for Ron Springett on 25 September 1967. This type of game is called a testimonial, and it's played to honor a player's career. The game took place at Hillsborough Stadium. A team made of players from Sheffield United played against a Sheffield Wednesday team. Sheffield United won 3–2. About 23,070 fans came to watch the game.
After Ron Springett passed away, Sheffield Wednesday honored him again. They put his picture on the cover of their matchday program. Before their home game against Fulham on 19 September 2015, fans gave a minute of applause to remember him. Wednesday won that game 3–2. Their coach, Carlos Carvalhal, said he dedicated the win to Ron Springett.
How He Played
Ron Springett was known as a very smart and consistent goalkeeper. People described him as brave and agile. He had a great sense of where to be on the field. Even though he wasn't very tall or big, he was good at stopping shots right at the feet of attackers. He knew when to dive in to block the ball, even if it meant getting hurt sometimes.
He was quick on his feet and very good with his hands. He also knew exactly when to leave his goal line to challenge players. He was an exciting player to watch. Despite his amazing acrobatics, his height sometimes made it harder for him to stop sudden long-distance shots. Many people consider him one of England's best goalkeepers ever. He was very determined and athletic. He even kept a notebook where he wrote down how his opponents usually took penalty kicks! This helped him prepare for games.
His Family
Ron Springett had a daughter named Terri Springett. She also played professional football, following in her father's footsteps.
His Passing
Ron Springett passed away on 12 September 2015.
Awards and Achievements
Sheffield Wednesday
- Football League Division Two: 1958–59 (Winners)
- FA Cup: 1965–66 (Runners-up)
England
See also
In Spanish: Ron Springett para niños
