Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.

First black pro footballer

2»

Comments

  • Tull had quite a distinguished military career.  Apart from being awarded his commission he was cited for bravery too.  Sadly he was killed towards the end of WWI.
    I recall seeing the BBC programme about him. It didn't really touch on the football side of his life apart from the odd reference. It was all about the last 2 yrs of his life. Must have been one hell of a struggle for him.
    Walter's War.  It was on BBC Four tonight (19th).  Very good.  Available on iPlayer for a week.
  • But surely to get the message across to these (grits teeth as he uses the word) people, then surely a current black player would get it done better than pointing out to them that "one of them" was playing our game a hundred and twenty years ago? I understand the reason for Remembering him as he was a landmark player but but for the purpose of fighting racism, can't see it doing too much.
    Well it helps refute the idea that "they" only arrived in the 50s and 60s, when actually there have been black britons for a hell of a lot longer than that.
  • First one I vaguely remember was Albert Johanson of Leeds in the sixties.
  • What about our BEST black player.



    RUFUS!

  • image

    image



    Casualty Details




    Name:
    TULL, WALTER DANIEL JOHN

    Initials:
    W D J

    Nationality:
    United Kingdom

    Rank:
    Second Lieutenant

    Regiment/Service:
    Middlesex Regiment

    Unit Text:
    5th Bn. attd. 23rd Bn.

    Secondary Unit Text:
    (formerly 17th Bn.)

    Age:
    29

    Date of Death:
    25/03/1918

    Additional information:
    Son of the late Daniel Tull; brother of Edward
    Tull-Warnock, of 419, St. Vincent St., Glasgow. Former professional
    footballer with Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town. He played more
    than a hundred first team games for Northampton Town before the First
    World War intervened.

    Casualty Type:
    Commonwealth War Dead

    Grave/Memorial Reference:
    Bay 7.

    Memorial:
    ARRAS MEMORIAL







  • Walter Tull



    Some firsts for Walter Tull! He was the first British-born
    black army officer and the first black officer to lead white British
    troops into battle. As a footballer, he played for Spurs and Northampton
    Town. He wasn’t the first black professional football though, he was
    the second! (Arthur Wharton signed for Preston North End in 1886)

    He made a great impression as a talented footballer and as a
    soldier, quickly promoted to sergeant. Towards the end of the war he was
    leading his troops in an attack on German trenches when he was killed
    instantaneously with a bullet through his head. In the carnage of the
    battle, his body was never recovered.





    Walter Tull - link to larger image
    Walter Tull - link to larger image
    Walter Tull - link to larger image
  • i was at the game where Steve Stacey scored i think we lost to Huddersfield 2  v 1  and Frank Worthington got at least one of their goals. Was a long time ago and might not be corect. Not sure why Stacey only played one game for us tho.

    There was a yng blk kid about that time-- big in the England kids games-- was gona be huge but there was an issue re his age as he didnt have a birth certificate (would happen now a thing like that !!)  and he just disappeared  would have been about 1968/69
  • Interesting history of Black players in the English game from Leicester University Centre for Sociology in Sport

    http://www.le.ac.uk/snccfr/resources/factsheets/fs4.html


  • edited September 2011
    i was at the game where Steve Stacey scored i think we lost to Huddersfield 2  v 1  and Frank Worthington got at least one of their goals. Was a long time ago and might not be corect. Not sure why Stacey only played one game for us tho.

    There was a yng blk kid about that time-- big in the England kids games-- was gona be huge but there was an issue re his age as he didnt have a birth certificate (would happen now a thing like that !!)  and he just disappeared  would have been about 1968/69
    Albert Johanneson, Leeds Utd?
    Though he played for 9 years. Died age 41 in a Leeds Tower block.

  • Weird choice of name, I don't think anything is as divisive as football.

  • Sponsored links:


  • Shameful stuff
    London-born Jack Leslie, a prolific striker
    for Plymouth Argyle between 1920 & 1935, scored over 400 goals.  Leslie had been
    informed by his manager Bob Jack that he had been selected to play for
    England.  He later received communication cancelling his call up to the
    England team stating that they didn't realise he was ‘a man of colour’.


  • There was a yng blk kid about that time-- big in the England kids games-- was gona be huge but there was an issue re his age as he didnt have a birth certificate (would happen now a thing like that !!)  and he just disappeared  would have been about 1968/69


    Benjie Odeje, I think?
  • That would be about the time a young Ade Coker was getting rave headlines at West Ham in the top flight, if I remember right.
  • Arthur Wharton was as the article quite rightly states the AAA 10 metres champion and at the time the worlds quickest man.

    The big mystery is why on earth did Darlington, Sheffield United,Rotherham and others play him in goal?

  • Wharton's story has been around for years. I am sure that the BBC have made a documentary about him. There are far better uses for a £117,000 grant in a rather deprived area such as Sheffield
  • Arthur Wharton was as the article quite rightly states the AAA 10 metres champion and at the time the worlds quickest man.

    The big mystery is why on earth did Darlington, Sheffield United,Rotherham and others play him in goal?


    As the goal is 8 yds width and he was 10m aaa champion, he would have been quick between the sticks.

  • Last October, when I showed many youngsters the photograph of John Barnes backheeling away a banana, many of the youngsters simply didn't believe it could have really happened, and insisted the photograph had been doctored.
  • I believe Steve Stacey played one game on loan from Ipwich on 7.2.70 scoring in a 2 1 defeat against Huddersfield.
    From memory Phil Walker signed from Millwall for 120k on 9.7.79 and scored on his league debut against Newcastle on 25.8.79.
    Off the top of my head, Leroy Ambrose signed professional on 17.3.79.
    Both Walker and Ambrose made their senior Charlton debuts in the same match against Peterborough in the League cup on 11.8.79, Walker scoring in a 3 1 defeat.
  • Phil Walker was a very decent player for us.
  • Has anybody seen this peition to get Walter Tull awarded the Military Cross?

    http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/41209
  • Sponsored links:


  • first black player l saw at the valley was the doncaster rovers centre half,this was christmas day 1957. l think we won 2-0 but lost the return fixture on boxing day..His name was charlie williams of the comedians/golden shot fame. also portsmouth had a black winger in the 1950's named lindy delaphina
Sign In or Register to comment.

Roland Out Forever!