Busby Babes

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Manchester United's "Busby Babes", pictured in 1958, before their last match. Busby babes last match.jpg
Manchester United's "Busby Babes", pictured in 1958, before their last match.

The "Busby Babes" were the group of footballers, recruited and trained by Manchester United chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under the management of the eponymous Matt Busby from the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. The squad most associated with the name "babes" was that of the 1957–58 season, many of whom died in the 1958 Munich air disaster, and who, with an average age of 22, had been touted to dominate European football for the next few years.

Contents

History

Manchester United F.C. in 1957 - from the left, standing: Liam Whelan, Jackie Blanchflower, Ian Greaves, Ray Wood, Wilf McGuinness, Mark Jones, Tommy Taylor, Matt Busby (manager); front row: Johnny Berry, David Pegg, Albert Scanlon, Roger Byrne, Jeff Whitefoot, Dennis Viollet and Eddie Colman. Manchester United FC 1957.jpg
Manchester United F.C. in 1957 – from the left, standing: Liam Whelan, Jackie Blanchflower, Ian Greaves, Ray Wood, Wilf McGuinness, Mark Jones, Tommy Taylor, Matt Busby (manager); front row: Johnny Berry, David Pegg, Albert Scanlon, Roger Byrne, Jeff Whitefoot, Dennis Viollet and Eddie Colman.

The Busby Babes were notable not only for being young and gifted, but for being developed by the club itself, rather than bought from other clubs, which was customary then. The term, coined by Manchester Evening News journalist Tom Jackson [1] [2] in 1951, [3] usually refers to the players who won the league championship in seasons 1955–56 and 1956–57, with an average age of 21 and 22 respectively.

Eight of the players – Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), Duncan Edwards (21), Liam Whelan (22), Tommy Taylor (26), David Pegg (22) and Geoff Bent (25) – died in or as a result of the Munich air disaster in February 1958. Jackie Blanchflower, 24 at the time of the crash, and senior player Johnny Berry, 31 at the time of the crash, were injured to such an extent that they never played again. Berry was the senior player in the team by the time of the crash, having been signed from Birmingham City in 1951, by which time he was 25.

A few of the players in the team at this time had been bought from other clubs. One of them, goalkeeper Ray Wood, was just 18 when he joined United from Darlington in 1949. Wood's successor in the first team, Harry Gregg, signed in December 1957 from Doncaster Rovers, as the world's most expensive goalkeeper at the time, for £23,500. Tommy Taylor had been one of the most expensive players in English football when United paid £29,999 for him as a 21-year-old from Barnsley in 1953. Johnny Berry had already been at the club for two years when Taylor arrived.

Other notable "Busby Babes" include full-back Bill Foulkes, wingers Kenny Morgans and Albert Scanlon, forward Dennis Viollet, wing-half Wilf McGuinness, who later became manager of Manchester United, and forwards John Doherty, Colin Webster and Eddie Lewis. [4] McGuinness and Webster were not on the plane when it crashed at Munich. Doherty had just been sold to Leicester City.

Bobby Charlton, 20 at the time of the crash, retired from playing in 1975. He had left Manchester United two years earlier, and had continued playing as a player-manager of Preston North End. As a player, he set the all-time goalscoring record for Manchester United and England. It was later broken by another United player Wayne Rooney. Charlton's appearance record was unbroken for 35 years after his last game for United. His England record was not broken until 2015, when Rooney scored his 50th England goal.

Bill Foulkes, who retired in 1970, was at the club when the European Cup was won in 1968.

Harry Gregg left the club in the 1966–67 season, signing for Stoke City, who had signed Dennis Viollet from United five seasons earlier. Kenny Morgans moved to Swansea City in 1961, having rarely played for United after the end of the 1957–58 season. Albert Scanlon was sold to Newcastle United in November 1960. Ray Wood was sold to Huddersfield Town within a year of the Munich crash, having been unable to win back his place in the team from Harry Gregg, leaving Old Trafford around the same time as Colin Webster, who was sold to Swansea Town.

Wilf McGuinness suffered a broken leg in a reserve match during the 1959–60 season and never returned to the first team. He stayed with the club as a member of the coaching staff, and spent 18 months as United's manager after the retirement of Sir Matt Busby in May 1969. Injury ended the career of John Doherty, who played his last game for Leicester City less than a year after United sold him to the East Midlands club.

Sammy McIlroy was born in Belfast and moved to Manchester United in 1969, making him Matt Busby's final signing, and "the last of the Busby Babes".[ citation needed ] Jeff Whitefoot has also been called "the last of the Busby Babes". [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Munich air disaster occurred on Thursday, 6 February 1958 when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. The aircraft was carrying the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes", along with supporters and journalists. There were 44 people on board, 20 of whom died at the scene. The injured, some unconscious, were taken to Munich's Rechts der Isar Hospital, where three more died, resulting in 23 fatalities, with 21 survivors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Busby</span> Scottish footballer, manager (1909–1994)

Sir Alexander Matthew Busby was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of an English team to win the European Cup and is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoff Bent</span> English footballer (1932–1958)

Geoffrey Bent was an English footballer who played as a left back for Manchester United from 1948 until 1958. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid-1950s. Bent only made twelve first-team appearances for Manchester United, who already had an international-quality left back in Roger Byrne. Modern writers speculate that at most other teams Bent would have been a regular starter, and he was the subject of interest from fellow First Division clubs, but Busby refused to let him leave. He was one of eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster, when their aircraft crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport after a European Cup match in Belgrade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Foulkes</span> England international footballer (1932–2013)

William Anthony Foulkes was an English footballer who played for Manchester United in the Busby Babes teams of the 1950s, and also in the 1960s. His favoured position was centre-half. For Manchester United, he played 688 games which places him at number 4 on the all-time list of appearances behind Ryan Giggs, Bobby Charlton and Paul Scholes. He made 3 appearances as a substitute. He also started in every single United game in the 1957–58, 1959–60 and 1964–65 seasons. He scored a total of 9 goals in his 18 seasons at United and helped the club win four First Division titles, one FA Cup and one European Cup. He was capped three times for England in 1954–55.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Viollet</span> English footballer (1933–1999)

Dennis Sydney Viollet was an English footballer who played for Manchester United and Stoke City as well as the England national team. He was famous as one of the Busby Babes and survived the Munich air disaster. After his retirement as player, he became a coach and spent most of his managerial career in the United States for various professional and school teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Scanlon</span> English footballer

Albert Joseph Scanlon was an English footballer. He began his career with Manchester United and was one of the "Busby Babes" who survived the Munich air disaster of 1958. Although he sustained severe injuries, he recovered and continued to play league football for Newcastle United, Lincoln City and Mansfield Town. He then went on to play non-league football until his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Berry</span> English footballer

Reginald John Berry, also listed as John James Berry, was an English footballer. Berry joined Manchester United from Birmingham City in 1951. Despite his diminutive stature, he was a natural right winger with technique and pace. One of the Busby Babes, the February 1958 Munich air disaster brought his career to an end.

Henry Gregg was a Northern Irish professional footballer and manager. A goalkeeper, he played for Manchester United during the reign of Sir Matt Busby, with a total of 247 appearances for the club. He was a survivor of the Munich air disaster in 1958. Gregg also played for Doncaster Rovers and Stoke City, as well as making 25 appearances for the Northern Ireland national team between 1954 and 1963, including at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He later went into management with Carlisle United, Crewe Alexandra, Shrewsbury Town and Swansea City.

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Kenneth Godfrey Morgans was a Welsh footballer. Born in Swansea, he signed for Manchester United on leaving school in the summer of 1955 and played on the youth team's outside-right position. He turned professional in 1956 but continued to play for the youth team until the following year, and was captain of the FA Youth Cup winning team in 1957.

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<i>United</i> (2011 film) British TV series or programme

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Rachel Viollet is a former professional British tennis player, documentary director, and film producer. She played collegiate tennis for the Miami Hurricanes at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

References

  1. Manchester United history " Busby's babes (1950s) Archived 29 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 'Busby Babes' writer has died, aged 80
  3. "About Man Utd | Busby's babes (1950s)". Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  4. "'Busby Babe' Eddie Lewis dies". Sky Sports. 3 May 2011.
  5. Harby, Chris (28 January 2023). "Manchester United's oldest surviving player Jeff Whitefoot recalls his days with the Busby Babes, the Munich Air Disaster and winning the FA Cup with Nottingham Forest". Stamford Mercury. Retrieved 28 January 2023.