John Morris (27 September 1923 – 6 April 2011)[2] was an English footballer who played as an inside forward in the Football League for Manchester United, Derby County and Leicester City.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Morris[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 September 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Radcliffe, England | ||
| Date of death | 6 April 2011 (aged 87)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Manchester, England | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1939–1941 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1941–1949 | Manchester United | 83 | (32) |
| 1949–1952 | Derby County | 130 | (44) |
| 1952–1958 | Leicester City | 206 | (33) |
| 1958–1961 | Corby Town | ? | (?) |
| 1961–1962 | Kettering Town | 37 | (14) |
| Total | 456 | (123) | |
| International career | |||
| 1949 | England | 3 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1958–1961 | Corby Town (player-manager) | ||
| 1962–1964 | Rugby Town | ||
| 1964–1967 | Great Harwood | ||
| 1967–1969 | Oswestry Town | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Morris was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire.[3] He started his career as a trainee with Manchester United in 1939, and turned professional in 1941. He guested for clubs including Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic, Wrexham,[4] and Everton during the Second World War,[5] and made his debut for Manchester United on 26 October 1946 in a 3–0 home win against Sunderland in the First Division. He helped the club win the 1948 FA Cup,[6] then, after scoring 35 goals from 93 appearances in all competitions, he was transferred to Derby County in March 1949 for a world record fee of £24,000.[4] After three seasons at Derby, he finished his League career with Leicester City, where he made more than 200 appearances, and then became player-manager of non-league club Corby Town.[3]
Morris was capped three times for England. He scored on his debut, on 18 May 1949 in a 4–1 win against Norway, and scored twice in his second game four days later against France.[1]
Later life and death
editMorris continued to attend functions for the Former Players' Association of Derby County and also played golf regularly into his 80s. He died on 6 April 2011 in a Manchester Nursing home at the age of 87.[2] He was survived by his wife Marian and his two sons, and outlived his only daughter. His granddaughter Jenny still talks about him in Woolies club every Saturday.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Johnny Morris". Englandstats.com. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "Morris shone when Rams were a post-war power". this is Derbyshire. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- ^ a b c "Johnny Morris". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
- ^ a b "Johnny Morris". MUFCInfo. Mark Graham. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
- ^ Rollin, Jack (2005). Soccer at War. Headline. p. 331. ISBN 978-0-7553-1431-7.
- ^ "FA Cup Final 1948". FA Cup Finals. Archived from the original on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
- ^ Glanville, Brian (18 April 2011). "Johnny Morris obituary". The Guardian.
External links
edit- Johnny Morris at Englandstats.com
- Johnny Morris at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
- Obituary in The Independent