Stan Mortensen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stan Mortensen

Personal information
Full name	Stanley Harding Mortensen
Date of birth	(1921-05-26)26 May 1921
Place of birth	South Shields, County Durham, England
Date of death	22 May 1991(1991-05-22) (aged 69)
Playing position	Centre forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1941–1955	Blackpool	317	(197)
1955–1957	Hull City	42	(18)
1957–1958	Southport	36	(10)
1958–1959	Bath City	45	(27)
1960–1962	Lancaster City
Total		440	(252)
National team
1947–1953	England	25	(23)
Teams managed
1967–1969	Blackpool
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Stanley Harding Mortensen (born May 26, 1921 – died May 22, 1991) was a famous English footballer. He is best known for his amazing performance in the 1953 FA Cup final. In that game, he became the only player ever to score three goals, called a hat-trick, in an FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Stan Mortensen was also the first player to score for England in a FIFA World Cup qualifying game and in the World Cup tournament itself.

Early Life and Wartime Football

Stan Mortensen was born in South Shields, England. When World War II started in 1939, he was a teenager. He joined the RAF as a wireless operator. During the war, he was in a plane crash but was the only survivor.

Playing During World War II

Even during the war, Stan played football. He signed with Blackpool in 1941. While serving in Scotland, he scored 13 goals in 12 unofficial games for Aberdeen. He also played as a guest for Arsenal, scoring 25 goals in 19 games.

He made a very unusual piece of history in 1943. During a game between England and Wales, a Welsh player got injured. Stan, who was an England reserve, switched teams and played for Wales! Wales lost the game 8-3. Many people in the crowd and even some players didn't realize he had changed sides until later.

Amazing Club Career

Stan Mortensen spent most of his playing career with Blackpool. He scored an incredible 197 goals in 317 league games for the club. This makes him Blackpool's second-highest goal scorer ever.

Scoring Records and FA Cup Finals

Stan holds a record for scoring in the most league matches in a row, with 15 consecutive games. He also scored in 12 straight rounds of the FA Cup. This included the 1948 FA Cup Final, which Blackpool lost.

In the 1948 FA Cup semi-final, Blackpool was losing 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. With only four minutes left, Stan scored to tie the game. He then scored two more goals in extra time, helping Blackpool reach the FA Cup final for the first time. He had scored in every round of the competition that season.

Blackpool reached the FA Cup final again in 1951, but they lost 2-0 to Newcastle United. Stan scored five goals in that competition but couldn't score in the final.

The Famous 1953 FA Cup Final

The third time was the charm for Stan and Blackpool in the 1952–53 season. They made it to their third final in five years. This final is often called the "Matthews Final" because of Stanley Matthews' amazing play, but Stan Mortensen made history too.

Blackpool played against Bolton Wanderers. Bolton took an early lead. Stan scored Blackpool's first goal, which was deflected in. Bolton then went ahead 3-1. Stan scored again to make it 3-2. With just two minutes left, he scored a fantastic free kick from 20 yards out, tying the game at 3-3. This made him the first player ever to score a hat-trick in an FA Cup final at Wembley. In injury time, Blackpool scored again to win 4-3!

Later Club Years

Stan was Blackpool's top scorer every season he played for them. After ten seasons, he moved to Hull City in the Second Division. He later played for Southport. Stan announced his retirement in 1958 due to a knee injury. However, he still played for non-league clubs like Bath City and Lancaster City.

Playing for England

Stan Mortensen played his first international game for England against Portugal on May 25, 1947. He scored four goals in that game, and England won 10-0! He scored another hat-trick against Sweden later that year.

First World Cup Goal

On June 25, 1950, Stan made history by scoring England's first-ever goal at a World Cup tournament. England beat Chile 2-0 in Brazil.

His last game for England was on November 25, 1953, against Hungary. This game was called the Match of the Century. England lost 6-3, but Stan scored one of England's goals.

Stan scored 23 goals in 25 games for England. He was also able to play for Norway because his grandfather was from there.

Life After Playing Football

After he stopped playing, Stan Mortensen became the manager of Blackpool from 1967 to 1969. He even sold some of his football medals to help the club when they were having financial problems.

Honored and Remembered

In 1983, Stan was voted vice-president by the Blackpool supporters. In 1989, he led the Blackpool team onto the pitch for an FA Cup game.

Stan Mortensen passed away on May 22, 1991, at the age of 69. This was the same day Blackpool reached Wembley Stadium for the first time since his famous 1953 FA Cup win. A minute of silence was held for him before their final game.

The month of May was very important in his life. He was born in May, signed professionally in May, made his England debut in May, won the FA Cup in May, and sadly, passed away in May.

In 2003, Stan Mortensen was added to the English Football Hall of Fame. This honored his amazing talent and achievements in football.

On August 23, 2005, a statue of Stan Mortensen was revealed outside Blackpool's stadium, Bloomfield Road. The North Stand at the stadium is also named after him. His wife, Jean, said he would have been incredibly proud of this honor.

Statue of Stan Mortensen outside Bloomfield Road stadium.

Blackpool F.C. Hall of Fame

Stan Mortensen was one of the first players inducted into the Blackpool F.C. Hall of Fame. This happened in April 2006. Fans voted for their favorite players from each decade, and Stan was chosen for the 1950s.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mortensen goal.

Stats taken from England national football team results (1930–59).

List of international goals scored by Stan Mortensen

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Cap	Score	Result	Competition
1	25 May 1947	Estádio Nacional, Lisbon, Portugal	Portugal	1	2–0	10–0	Friendly
2					6–0
3					8–0
4					9–0
5	21 September 1947	Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	Belgium	2	2–0	5–2	Friendly
6	18 October 1947	Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales	Wales	3	2–0	3–0	1948 British Home Championship
7	9 November 1947	Highbury, London, England	Sweden	5	1–0	4–2	Friendly
8					3–1
9					4–2
10	10 April 1948	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Scotland	6	2–0	2–0	1948 British Home Championship
11	16 May 1948	Stadio Comunale, Turin, Italy	Italy	7	1–0	4–0	Friendly
12	9 October 1948	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	Ireland	8	2–1	6–2	1949 British Home Championship
13					4–1
14					5–1
15	15 October 1949	Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales	Wales	13	1–0	4–1	1950 British Home Championship 1950 FIFA World Cup qualification - Group 1
16	6 November 1949	Maine Road, Manchester, England	Ireland	14	4–0	9–2	1950 British Home Championship 1950 FIFA World Cup qualification - Group 1
17					6–0
18	14 May 1950	National Stadium, Lisbon, Portugal	Portugal	17	2–0	5–3	Friendly
19	18 May 1950	Heysel Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	Belgium	18	2–1	4–1	Friendly
20	25 June 1950	Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Chile	19	1–0	2–0	1950 FIFA World Cup - Group 2
21	9 May 1951	Wembley Stadium, London, England	Argentina	23	1–1	2–1	Friendly
22	21 November 1953	Wembley Stadium, London, England	The Rest of Europe	24	1–1	4–4	Friendly
23	25 November 1953	Wembley Stadium, London, England	Hungary	25	2–4	3–6	Friendly

Managerial statistics

Honours

Blackpool

• FA Cup: 1952–53; runner-up: 1947–48, 1950–51