The Blackpool FC Hall of Fame was officially opened on 22 August 2006, with a plaque unveiled by Jimmy Armfield. It is located on the concourse in the North West Corner, between the Kop and the West Stand. (And something I pass at every home match.) Organised by BSA (Blackpool Supporters Association), Blackpool fans around the world voted on their all-time heroes. Five players from each decade were inducted, with pre-1950s being one section. So far it goes up to the 1990s. The years in brackets are when they played for Blackpool. The full list: Pre-1950s Jack Parkinson (1896 -1910) Harry Bedford (1921 - 1925) Jimmy Hampson (1927 - 1938) Jock Dodds (1939 - 1946) Georgie Mee (1920 - 1926) 1950s Stan Mortensen (1941 - 1955) Stanley Matthews (1947 - 1961) Bill Perry (1949 - 1962) Harry Johnston (1934 - 1955) Allan Brown (1950 - 1956) 1960s Jimmy Armfield (1954 - 1971) Alan Ball (1962 - 1966 & 1980-1981) Tony Green (1966 - 1971) Ray Charnley (1957 - 1967) Glyn James (1960 - 1975) 1970s Alan Suddick (1966 - 1976) Mickey Walsh (1973 - 1978) Tommy Hutchison (1967 - 1972) John Burridge (1971 - 1975) Mickey Burns (1969 - 1974) 1980s Paul Stewart (1981 - 1987) Alan Wright (1989 - 1991) Eamon O'Keefe (1985 - 1987) Andy Garner (1988 - 1992) Mike Davies (1984 - 1995) 1990s Trevor Sinclair (1989 - 1993) Dave Bamber (1979 - 1983 & 1990 - 1994) Tony Ellis (1994 - 1997) Andy Morrison (1994 - 1996 & 2000) Phil Clarkson (1997 - 2002) Over time I will post full details about each player, starting with Jack Parkinson right the way up to Phil Clarkson.
Jack Parkinson Jack Parkinson was the first Blackpool FC "superstar". He was a "SandGrownUn", born and bred in Blackpool in 1869. He played in the Seasiders first Football League game against Lincoln City on 5 September 1896 at the start of the 1896-97 season in which he was top scorer with 12 goals. He started his career as a centre-forward, but later switched to centre-half, until he retired at the end of the 1908-09 season. In 1910 he joined Barrow as manager. Parkinson died in 1911 at the age of 42, when attempting to rescue a colleague from a tank of boiling seawater at Cocker Street Baths in Blackpool where he was working as superintendent. The plank on which he was standing snapped, sending Parkinson into the water as well. He died shortly afterwards. Parkinson made a total of 405 appearances for his hometown club scoring 59 goals.
Harry Bedford Harry Bedford played for Blackpool from 1921 to 1925 and scored a remarkable 112 goals in 169 league games. He was also the Seasiders first England international. Born in the village of Calow, Derbyshire on 15 October 1899, he began his career with Nottingham Forest in 1919. Blackpool signed from him from Forest in March 1921 for a transfer fee of £900, and he scored seven goals in his first ten league games for the Seasiders. In the 1922-23 season he was the leading scorer in England with 32 goals, and played in all 42 league games. On 21 May 1923 he won the first of his two England caps, against Sweden in a 4-2 win. The following season he was again the top scorer in England with 34 goals. In 1924-25 he scored 24 goals in 40 league games and helped Blackpool reach the 4th round of the FA Cup for the first time. On 22 October 1925 he won his second and final England cap, scoring the second goal in a 3-1 win against Ireland. After scoring six goals in seven games at the start of the 1925-26 season, he was transferred to Derby County for a fee of £3,500. At Derby, Bedford continued his scoring form, netting 160 goals in 203 league games in five years with the Rams. He later played for Newcastle United (1930-1932), Sunderland (1932), Bradford Park Avenue (1932-1933) and finally Chesterfield (1933-1934). His career total was a very impressive 326 goals in 485 league games. He ended his career back in Derbyshire, playing non-league football with Heanor Town. After retiring, Bedford joined the coaching staff at Newcastle United then in 1938 became the club masseur at Derby County. After World War II he returned to Heanor Town as manager, remaining there until 1955. He died in Derby on 24 June 1976.
Jimmy Hampson Jimmy Hampson spent eleven seasons with Blackpool between 1927 and his tragic death in 1938 at the young age of 31. To this day he remains the Seasiders record goal scorer with 252 goals in 373 games, including 45 in one season, and he is perhaps the greatest centre forwards to have played for the club. He won three England caps, scoring five goals. Born in the small village of Little Hulton, Lancashire on 23rd March 1906, Hampson began his career with Walkden Park. In 1925 he joined Football League Third Division side Nelson. During his first season with the East Lancashire club, he scored hat-tricks in three consecutive games. He went on to score a total of 42 goals in 64 league games. Then in October 1927 he joined Blackpool, then in the Second Division, for a fee of £1,000, scoring on his debut against Notts County on 15 October. He went on to score 31 goals in the remaining 32 games in the 1927-28 season, including two in his second game for the club against Manchester City. The following season, 1928-29, he scored 40 goals to become the Second Division's top scorer. In the first four games he scored five goals and on 10 November 1928 scored a club record five goals in a 7-0 win over Reading. In 1929-30 Hampson was the top goal scorer in England with 46 in 44 league and cup games. Blackpool won the Second Division championship and were promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history. At the end of the following season (1930-31) their debut season in the First Division, Blackpool drew their final game against Manchester City to escape relegation back to the Second Division. Although the Seasiders conceded a whopping 125 goals, Hampson still managed to score 31 goals in 41 games. Hampson also scored on his England debut in a 5-1 win over Ireland on 20 October 1930. He then scored twice against Wales on 22 November in a 4-0 win. The following season, 1931-32, Blackpool again struggled against relegation, with Hampson scoring 23 league goals in 42 games as the club finished one place above the relegation places. However, in 1932-33 the club were relegated, with Hampson scoring 18 goals in 34 league games. That season also saw his final appearance for England in December 1932, scoring twice against Austria. In 1933-34 he suffered an injury and after scoring 13 goals in 21 games, he didn't play again that season. He scored a hat-trick in the opening game of the 1934-35 season against Bury. However, following a spell in which he didn't score, he was dropped and Blackpool stated that they would be prepared to transfer him. He didn't play again until February 1935, ending the season on 21 goals from 25 starts. He missed the start of the 1935-36 season with an injury, and coupled with the club signing Scottish international striker, Bobby Finan, Hampson did not play until 9 October 1935, against Charlton Athletic, when he scored in a 1-1 draw. He was not a regular starter that season and finished on just six goals from 21 games, although he had to play at inside-left for much of them. Hampson and Finan scored 44 goals between them in the 1936-37 season, with Hampson scoring 16 of them as Blackpool finished as runners-up to Leicester City and were once again promoted to the First Division. Hampson started the 1937-38 season scoring four goals in 19 league games. On 8 January 1938, he played in an FA Cup match against Birmingham City, his last touch coming with a throw-in, from which Blackpool scored. Tragically, he died two days later. He went out fishing with some friends off the coast at Fleetwood and their yacht collided with a trawler. Hampson was knocked overboard and drowned. His body was never recovered. He was just 31 years old.
Jock Dodds The 4th of the pre-1950s legends is Scot Jock Dodds (full name Ephraim Dodds) who spent seven years at Bloomfield Road from 1939 to 1946. A centre forward, most of his appearances and goals came in the war years, when he was with the Royal Air Force, and was stationed in the town as a PT Instructor. In a career spanning 18 years he also played for five other clubs and scored nine goals in his eight wartime appearances for Scotland. Born in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth in East Scotland on 7 September 1915, in 1927 his family moved to Durham and four years later at the age of 16 he joined Huddersfield Town, who were then in the English top flight (the First Division). In 1934 he joined Second Division side Sheffield United, where for the next four seasons he was the Blades top scorer. He played in the 1936 FA Cup final, which United lost 1-0 to Arsenal. His 100th league goal came in his 154th appearance for the Blades in September 1938. In total he scored 130 goals in 230 games for the club. After putting in a transfer request, Dodds signed for First Division Blackpool for £10,500 in March 1939. He scored on his debut for the Seasiders on 11 March in a defeat to Charlton Athletic. He quickly became a favourite with the fans, scoring four goals in one game against Middlesbrough. He scored 10 goals in his first 12 games and helped save the Seasiders from relegation from the top flight in the 1938-39 season. World War II then intervened with football in England and the Football League programme was abandoned. Dodds joined the Royal Air Force and was stationed in Blackpool as a PT instructor. He continued to play for the club, becoming a wartime sensation. His goal scoring record was phenomenal. In 1941 he scored eight goals in one game against Stockport County and in February 1942 scored seven against Tranmere Rovers, including a hat-trick in under three minutes which became a Guiness Worl Record at the time! In the North Regional League he scored 65 goals in 1941-42 and then 47 goals the following season. He also helped Blackpool to win the League Cup North, beating Sheffield Wednesday over two legs. And then win the national final, beating League Cup South winners, Arsenal 4-2 at Hillsborough. In total Dodds scored a remarkable 250 goals in only 181 games for the Seasiders. His eight Scottish caps all came during the war years, scoring nine goals including a hat-trick in a 5-4 win over England at hampden Park. After the war Dodds initially joined Irish side Shamrock Rovers in August 1946, where he playd just five games, scoring four goals, before signing for Everton three months later for £7,750. In two years with the Toffees he played 55 league games scoring 36 goals. In October 1948 he joined Lincoln City, then in the Second Division, though he could not stop them being relegated at the end of the 1948-49 season to the Third Division North. After 39 goals in 60 league games, he retired as a player in 1950. Dodds then tried to recruit players to a new league outside of FIFA control in Bogotá, Colombia. And in July 1950 he was banned by the FA for "bringing the game into disrepute". However, he was later cleared. He decided against taking up positions in football management, and concentrated on business interests in Blackpool. His wife died in 2005 and he died in Blackpool two years later on 23 February 2007 at the age of 91, when he was thought to be the oldest surviving player to have played in a final at Wembley Stadium.
Georgie Mee At 5ft 6in tall and 11st 8lb, Mee wasshort in stature but of sturdy build and so was nicknamed "the Mighty Atom". He was at Blackpool for six years from 1920 to 1926, playing 216 league games and scoring 21 goals from midfield. Between the 1921-22 and 1924-25 seasons he was an ever present, with over 200 consecutive games - a club record that still stands and is probably very unlikely to be broken. He was described as being one of the pluckiest players ever to wear the tangerine shirt, and a goal creator rather than scorer. He was a fan's favourite at Bloomfield Road. Mee was born in the market town of Bulwell, Nottinghamshire on 12 April 1900. He was the elder brother of Bertie Mee, a legendary manager at Arsenal where he was most famous for managing the club to their first Double (*)win in 1971. Georgie started his career with Notts County before signing for Blackpool on a free transfer in July 1920. He made his debut on 18 September, playing at outside-left in a 2-0 away win over Coventry City. He made a total of 28 appearances that season, scoring two goals. And it was from the following season (1921-22) onward that he began his club record consecutive appearances over the next four years. His final game for the Seasiders came on 19 December 1925 in a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Bloomfield Road. In February 1926 he moved to Derby County where he made 148 league appearances, scoring 15 goals over the next six years. In 1932 he joined Burnley, then moved to Mansfield Town the following year, before signing for Great Harwood Town in 1934. In 1935 he was on the move again, this time to Accrington Stanley, where he made 106 league appearances, scoring eight goals in three years. In 1938 he briefly moved to Rochdale, but soon returned to Accrington, where he ended his playing career. After retiring he bought a pub in Blackpool. He died in July 1978, aged 78. (*) Crowned English champions and won the FA Cup in the same season.
Of course the Hall of Legends is restricted to just five players from each era. Clearly though, there have been numerous other players who have contributed to the history of the club. So, for each era I will add some more. So, with the first five players now having been posted - starting with the pre-1950s: Harry Stirzaker Born in Fleetwood in 1869, Harry Stirzaker, a defender, spent his entire professional career with Blackpool. He joined the Seasiders in 1894 from local junior side Fleetwood Rangers. He wore the number 5 shirt in Blackpool's first ever game in the Football League - a 3-1 defeat away to Lincoln City on 5 September 1896. Along with Bob Birkett and Jack Scott he became an integral part of Blackpool's fledgling Football League side in the early part of the 20th century. His final game came on 13 April 1903, a 2-1 final day of the 1902-03 season win over Chesterfield at Bloomfield Road. Between 1894 and 1903 he made a total of 154 league appearances for the Seasiders, scoring 14 goals.
Bob Birkett Born in Weeton (on the Fylde) in 1879, Birkett spent his entire ten year career with Blackpool, intially as a forward, before moving to play as a defender later in his career. He made his debut on 14 November 1896 in a 3-1 win over Lincoln City at Raikes Hall Gardens (which was the club's ground before they moved to Bloomfield Road), scoring Blackpool's first goal. In 1898-99 he was the club's top scorer with 15 goals in 24 appearances. He was top scorer again in 1900-01. However, midway through the 1901-02 season he was moved to right-back, where he played for the rest of his career. His last game was on 22 September 1906. He made a total of 215 league appearances, scoring 44 goals. Jack Scott Another one-club man, John "Jack" Scott spent 11 years at Blackpool from 1898 to 1909, playing as a defender. Scott signed just prior to Blackpool's second season in the Football League, 1898-99, making his debut in the opening game of the season, a 4-1 away defeat to Glossop North End on 3 September 1898. He was an ever-present that season, playing in all 34 league games, scoring for goals. He was also an ever-present in 1901-02, 34 games and one goal. He continued to be a mainstay of the side, missing just two games in 1902-03 and just one game in 1903-04, continuing on through the following seasons. His final game was on 13 March 1909, a 2-2 away draw with Chesterfield. In eleven years he made 309 league appearances, scoring 15 goals.
Edward Threlfall Another defender who spent 11 years at Blackpool, from 1900 to 1911. Threlfall made his debut in the opening league game of the 1900-01 season, a 0-0 draw with New Brighton Tower. He went on to play in 29 of the club's 34 league games that season. His first goal came on 1 February 1902 in a 1-1 home draw with Glossop North End. In 11 years, he made a total of 320 league games, scoring 10 goals. Jimmy Connor James "Jimmy" Connor was a Scottish defender who spent nine years at Blackpool from 1905 to 1914. Born in the village of Slamannan, Strilingshire in 1881, Connor made his debut in the opening game of the 1905-06 season, scoring both goals in their 2–0 victory over Burton United at Bloomfield Road. Connor was a regular in the Blackpool side over the next few seasons, and in the latter part of his career, in 1911-12 was an ever-present in both the league and the FA Cup, scoring two goals. His final appearance came on 24 October 1914, a 2-1 home defeat to Leicester Fosse. He made a total of 282 league appearances for Blackpool, scoring 13 goals.
John Charles In 12 years at Blackpool Charles made over 200 appearances, scoring 30 goals from midfield between 1912 and 1924. After making his debut in the opening game of the 1912-13 season, a 1-1 draw at Grimsby Town, Charles went on to be an ever-present that season in 38 league and two FA Cup games. After World War I, Blackpool appointed their first full-time manager, Bill Norman, and Charles was used on both the left and right wings. His 200th appearance came in 1922-23. The following season, Frank Buckley was appointed as manager, and Charles found his opportunities limited, playing just six times in 1923-24. His 241st and final game was a 3-1 FA Cup second round defeat to Southampton on 2 February 1924. Billy Benton William "Billy" Benton spent 11 years at Blackpool from 1920 to 1931, playing in midfield. He made his debut on 30 August 1920, a 2-1 home defeat to Bristol City. He went on to play in 39 of the club's 42 league games scoring six goals, including a hat-trick in only his third appearance - a 4-0 home win over Coventry City. Benton was a regular in the Blackpool team in all but his final three seasons. His final game came on 7 February 1931, a 6-0 defeat to Leicester City. He made a total of 353 league appearances, scoring 24 goals.
Albert Watson Albert Watson made just under 400 appearances for Blackpool, scoring 22 goals in 13 years with the club between 1923 and 1936. Born in Felling, Durham on 19 August 1903, Watson was a midfielder. He joined Blackpool in 1923, making his debut on 20 October. He became a regular over the followinug seasons and in 1929-30 was part of the side that won the Second Division championship. The following season, in the First Division, his equalising goal against Manchester City seven minutes from the end of the final game of the season was described as a "£10,000 goal" as it secured safety for the Seasiders from relegation. Watson continued to be a regular in the side but in 1933-34 suffered an injury that limited his league appearances to just three games. He missed the entire 1934-35 season before returning the following season, his final one with the club. His final game was a defeat to Southampton on 13 April 1936. He then moved to Halifax Town where he played 29 league games in the 1936-37 season scoring two goals, before ending his career with Gateshead in 1937-38 scoring 24 goals in 67 games. After he retired Watson became a scout with Blackpool.
Bobby Finan Bobby Finan was a Scottish striker who was with Blackpool from 1934 to 1947 and who would surely have made it into the Hall of Fame, had there been more decades from before the 1950s. Born on 1 March in Od Kilpatrick, West Dunbartonshire, Finan started his career with Scottish junior side Yoker Athetic, before joining Blackpool in 1933. He made his debut on 28 April 1934 in a 7-0 defeat to Grimsby Town. He scored his first professional goal in the opening game of the following season, a 5-1 victory over Bury at Gigg Lane on 25 August 1934. In 1935-36, with Jimmy Hampson injured, Finan played as centre-forward and ended the season as the Second Division joint top scorer with 34 goals. He scored two hat-tricks that season in a 6-2 win over Charlton Athletic and in a 6-0 demolition of Newcastle United. The following season, Finan and Hampson scored 44 league goals between them, with Finan bagging 28 and Hampson 16. Their goals helped Blackpool to the runners-up spot in the Second Division and promotion back up to the First Division. Later on in his career Finan was moved to play at outside-left, where he would lay on goals for other players, becoming a goal-creator. He scored a total of 85 goals in 173 league games for Blackpool before joining Crewe Alexandra in 1947 where he scored 14 goals in 59 league games. In 1949 he moved into non-league football with Wigan Athletic, scoring 14 goals in 31 games for the Latics, finishing his career with them in 1950. After he retired from playing Finan returned to Blackpool as Chief Scout. He died in 1983.
Eric Hayward Eric Hayward spent 15 years with Blackpool from 1937 to 1952. He played during a time in the late 1940s when Blackpool were starting to become one of the top sides in England. He played in two FA Cup finals, making a total of just under 300 appearances for the Seasiders A defender, he was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, a market town in Staffordshire on 2 August 1917. He began his career as an amateur with Port Vale in July 1934, signing professionally two years later. After 35 league appearances, he joined Blackpool in May 1937. He made his Seasiders debut on 27 November 1937 in a home defeat to Liverpool. In the 1938-39 season he missed just one game. During World War II he was stationed with the army to India, and during the times he was back in England he guested for Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wrexham, Walsall, Birmingham City and Luton Town. He also played for Blackpool in the 1943 League War Cup final victory over Arsenal. When the Football League resumed Hayward returned to Blackpool for the 1945-46 season. After playing 20 games in 1946-47, he again missed just one game in 1947-48 as Blackpool finished in the top ten in the First Division for the second consecutive season. He also played in the 1948 FA Cup final, the Seasiders first ever appearance at the Wembley showpiece. Blackpool lost 4-2 to Manchester United. In the 1948-49 season, Hayward was ever-present. The following season an injury ruled him out of the final 15 games. In 1950-51 he made 37 appearances as Blackpool finished 3rd, their highest ever league appearance at that point. He also played in Blackpools second appearance in the FA Cup final, which they lost 2-0 to Newcastle United. Hayward retired at the end of the 1951-52 season, missing out by 12 months on Blackpool's 3rd and finally successful FA Cup final appearance.
Harry Johnston One of the greatest footballers to ever play in a tangerine shirt. A one-club man, he was at Blackpool for 21 years from 1934 to 1955, and played in all three of the Seasiders FA Cup Final appearances, captaining the team in 1951 and in the most famous of all, 1953. He played ten times for England. He played mostly as a defender, but was also used at centre forward a number of times. Henry "Harry" Johnston was born in Manchester on 26th September 1919. He signed for Blackpool when he was 15 years old as an apprentice, in 1934. His debut came three years later on 20 November 1937, aged just 18, in a 2-0 loss away to PKE. In the final game of the season Johnston was moved up to the forward line, and scored the 3rd goal in a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion. During World War II Johnston served in the Middle East. And after the war he became an integral part of the successful Blackpool side of the late 1940s to 1950s. His England debut came on 27 November 1946 against the Netherlands. In 1948 he led Blackpool out as captain in their first ever FA Cup Final appearance, losing 4-2 to Manchester United. He also captained the side in 1951, losing 2-0 to Newcastle United. That season he was also named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year - the annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football. In 1953, he got an FA Cup winners medal at the third attempt, becoming the first and so far only Blackpool player to pick up the trophy. Widely known as "The Matthews Final", Blackpool beat Bolton Wanderers 4-3, with one of the enduring images of that day being of Johnston and Stanley Matthews holding the cup aloft. Despite offers from other clubs, Johnston remained loyal to Blackpool and played his last game on 25 April 1955 at Newcastle United. He had made 398 league appearances, scoring 11 goals. His England appearances were limited in his career though due to the performances of Billy Wright. In 7 years he made 10 appearances, including the 6-3 victory over the United States on 8 June 1953 at Yankee Stadium. His final England game came on 25 November in a 6-3 loss to Hungary at Wembley. After retiring from playing, Johnston became manager of Reading, spending the next seven seasons with the Royals. In the late 1960s he returned to Bloomfield Road as Chief Scout. Harry Johnston died in his hometown of Manchester on 12 October 1973, aged just 54.