Bill Foulkes

1.1. Birth and Family Background

William Anthony Foulkes was born on January 5, 1932, in St. Helens, Lancashire, England. He was the first of three children born to James Foulkes (1900-1970) and Ruth Foulkes (1909-1961). His family had a notable background in sports; his grandfather had captained the St. Helens rugby league team and was an England rugby international. Foulkes' father also played rugby league for St Helens and had played football for New Brighton in the Third Division North.

1.2. Early Work and Local Football

In his teenage years, Foulkes played football for the Whiston Boys Club. During this period, he also worked at the Lea Green Colliery as a miner. He continued this demanding job into the mid-1950s, even after he had become a regular member of the Manchester United first team and had made his solitary appearance for the full England national side. He initially felt he was not good enough to play full-time league football, which contributed to his decision to maintain his mining employment.

2.1. Joining Manchester United and Early Years (1950-1957)

Foulkes was discovered by Manchester United while playing as a defender for the Whiston Boys Club at the age of 18. He joined the club in March 1950 and progressed through its junior ranks before turning professional in August 1951. He made his professional debut in the 1952-53 season, playing at right-back in a First Division match against Liverpool on December 13, 1952, at the age of 20. United won the match 2-1. During this time, he also played two games for the England Under-23 team.

Foulkes scored his first of only nine goals for the club during the 1953-54 season against Newcastle United in a First Division match on January 2, 1954, at St James' Park. This goal, scored from near the halfway line, was a notable achievement for a defender. United finished that season in fifth place.

In the 1955-56 season, Foulkes won his first Championship title with United. Towards the end of that season, Foulkes faced National Service commitments, leading manager Matt Busby to favor Ian Greaves at right-back. Foulkes responded by training with increased intensity, determined to regain his place in the first team. This dedication proved effective, and he returned to playing regularly for the first team from the following season until the end of the 1960s.

Having won the Championship in the 1955-56 season, United became eligible to play in the European Cup in the 1956-57 season. Despite objections from the Football League, United became England's first representatives in the European Cup. In their second match of the competition, United achieved a record European victory, demolishing Anderlecht 10-0. Foulkes helped United reach the semi-finals of the European Cup that season, where they lost 5-3 on aggregate to Real Madrid, after a 3-1 loss at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. United also reached the FA Cup final, losing 2-1 to Aston Villa, but successfully defended their Championship title.

2.2. The Munich Air Disaster

As winners of the Football League in 1956-57, United once again represented England in the European Cup in the 1957-58 season. In the second leg of the quarter-finals against Red Star Belgrade in Yugoslavia, United drew 3-3, winning 5-4 on aggregate and securing their place in the semi-finals. After the match, the team attended a reception and then visited the British Embassy, where each player received a bottle of gin.

On the return journey to Manchester on February 6, 1958, the British European Airways aircraft carrying the team stopped at Munich to refuel. Due to boost surging, takeoff was aborted twice. The pilot returned to the terminal, and after a while, it was announced that one more attempt to take off would be made. At that time, Foulkes was playing cards with Kenny Morgans, David Pegg, Albert Scanlon, Roger Byrne, and Liam Whelan in the middle of the plane. Upon hearing the announcement, he grew concerned for his safety. In a 1998 interview, he remarked, "When they said that you didn't have to be a genius to know that this was going to be a bit dicey."

On the third takeoff attempt, the pilots managed to control the surging, but as the plane reached the V₁ speed, after which it is dangerous to abort takeoff, airspeed suddenly dropped. The plane left the runway and crashed into a fence and a house. Foulkes vividly recalled the moment: "The plane was bouncing along and obviously not going fast enough and then suddenly there were three tremendous sickening thuds and everything was spinning around. A second later I was sitting in my seat with my feet in the snow."

The plane had broken directly under the seat where Foulkes was sitting. In the crash, the bottle of gin from the British Embassy, which Foulkes had placed on the overhead rack with his overcoat, struck him on the back of his head. This head injury was the only physical injury he sustained in the crash. Immediately after the crash, Foulkes unbuckled his safety belt and ran approximately 50 yd away from the plane. He then turned back and witnessed the wrecked aircraft. As Foulkes later recounted, "The back of the aircraft had just disappeared. I got out as quickly as I could and just ran and ran. Then I turned and realised that the plane wasn't going to explode, and I went back. In the distance I could see the tail part of the aircraft blazing and as I ran back I came across bodies. Roger Byrne still strapped to his seat, Bobby Charlton lying quite still in another seat, and Dennis Viollet. Then Harry Gregg appeared and we tried to see what we could do to help."

The 23 survivors were admitted to the hospital, but Foulkes was discharged and spent the night in a hotel with Harry Gregg. The next morning, Foulkes visited his teammates in the hospital, including Duncan Edwards, Johnny Berry, Jackie Blanchflower, Dennis Viollet, Albert Scanlon, Bobby Charlton, and Ray Wood. He recalled, "I was just beginning to think it didn't look too bad when I asked where the rest were. The nurse simply shook her head and said: 'That's it, everybody else has died.'" It was only then that Foulkes fully grasped the horrific scale of the tragedy. Seven of his teammates-Mark Jones, David Pegg, Roger Byrne, Geoff Bent, Eddie Colman, Liam Whelan, and Tommy Taylor-had died at the scene of the crash, along with 14 other individuals, including three Manchester United officials. Duncan Edwards succumbed to his injuries 15 days later. Club secretary Walter Crickmer and coaches Tom Curry and Bert Whalley were also killed instantly. Johnny Berry and Jackie Blanchflower survived but were unable to play football again due to the severity of their injuries. Foulkes himself survived, along with Busby, Charlton, Gregg, Morgans, Scanlon, Viollet, and Wood.

In the years following the disaster, Foulkes harbored anger about the pilots' decision to attempt a third takeoff despite the clear dangers. He stated, "It was obvious that we would struggle to take off and they took the chance. They should never have done that. I don't feel guilty about being a survivor. I was just damned lucky. But I do harbour this feeling that it wasn't necessary, that angers me. It cost the club, it cost the country so much."

2.3. Rebuilding and Success (1958-1966)

Immediately after the Munich air disaster, Foulkes took over the captaincy of Manchester United, replacing Roger Byrne who was killed in the crash. The team, although devastated, continued to compete. After victories against Sheffield Wednesday, West Bromwich Albion, and Fulham, United reached the FA Cup final, where they lost 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers. However, the team struggled in the league, winning only one match against Sunderland, drawing five, and losing eight, ultimately finishing in ninth place. In the semi-finals of the European Cup, United won the first leg 2-1 against Milan, but suffered a 4-0 defeat in the second leg at the San Siro, losing 5-2 on aggregate.

Manchester United finished as runners-up in the league in the first post-Munich season (1958-59), but then finished seventh in the 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons before a particularly low finish of 15th in 1961-62, which was the club's lowest postwar league position at the time. In the FA Cup, the club exited the competition in the 3rd, 5th, 4th rounds, and semi-finals respectively in the four seasons following Munich.

In the 1962-63 season, United performed poorly in the league, finishing in 19th place, but achieved success in the FA Cup, winning the final 3-1 against Leicester City on May 25, 1963. Throughout this period, Foulkes struggled significantly with the psychological aftermath of the crash. He later admitted, "I lost so much weight, I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, I was losing fitness and form and I'd really had enough."

On October 10, 1960, manager Matt Busby played Foulkes at centre-half for the first time. Busby had been experimenting with various players to fill this position after the crash claimed the life of Mark Jones and ended the playing career of Jackie Blanchflower over two years prior. Centre-half would prove to be Foulkes' favored position for the remainder of his playing career, though he did not fully begin to enjoy the game again until 1963. In the 1963-64 season, United finished second in the league, and finally won the Championship in the 1964-65 season, following a strong run of 13 wins in 15 games. By then, Foulkes and Bobby Charlton were the only two Munich survivors remaining in the team. On November 11, 1964, in a European Cup game against Borussia Dortmund, Foulkes played in his 511th United match, becoming the club's record appearance-maker and surpassing Joe Spence, who had held the title for over 36 years. In the 1966-67 season, Foulkes helped United win the Championship again, completing his collection of four Championship medals, a feat unmatched by any other United player of his era for the next 32 years.

2.4. European Cup Triumph (1967-1968)

By winning the league title in 1966-67, United once again qualified for the European Cup for the 1967-68 season. After defeating Hibernians, Sarajevo, and Górnik Zabrze, United faced Real Madrid in the semi-finals. Foulkes did not play in the first leg at Old Trafford, which United won by a narrow 1-0 margin. However, he played in the crucial second leg at the Bernabéu on May 15, 1968. Real Madrid was leading 3-1 at half-time, but David Sadler scored in the second half to level the aggregate score at 3-3. Near the end of the match, George Best sent a cross into the penalty area. Foulkes sidefooted the ball into the net, scoring one of the most important goals of his career and sending United into the final.

The final was held at Wembley Stadium on May 29, 1968, against Benfica. Foulkes started the match in central defence. As the match entered extra time, the score was 1-1, with United's goal coming from Bobby Charlton. Then, Best, Brian Kidd, and Charlton each scored a goal, and United triumphed 4-1, becoming the first English team to win the European Cup. Ten years after the Munich air disaster, Foulkes had finally won a European Cup winners' medal at the age of 36. Foulkes later stated that winning the Cup helped him to "get over the crash." He and Charlton were the only players remaining at the club from the time of the disaster. Indeed, all other survivors, except Harry Gregg (who remained at Old Trafford until 1966), had left the club within four years of the tragedy.

2.5. Later Playing Career and Retirement

After winning the European Cup, Foulkes felt he had achieved all he could and wished to retire. However, manager Matt Busby managed to convince him to stay for two more years, although he played less regularly during this period. The next season, United finished 11th in the league. In the 1968-69 season, Wilf McGuinness (who had played alongside Foulkes in the late 1950s) replaced the retiring Busby as manager of United. Foulkes played only three games under McGuinness, with his last appearance coming early in the 1969-70 season in a 1-4 loss against Southampton at Old Trafford on August 16, 1969. By this stage, he was the oldest player in the team at the age of 37, and indeed one of the oldest still active in the Football League. He officially retired from playing on June 1, 1970, at the age of 38.

By the end of his lengthy career, Foulkes had made 688 appearances for United and scored nine goals. He had previously held the club's appearance record until Bobby Charlton (758 appearances) surpassed him, and later, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Foulkes remains in fourth place for all-time appearances for United. He also made three appearances as a substitute in the 1968-69 season in the First Division. He started in every single game United played in the 1957-58, 1959-60, 1963-64, and 1964-65 seasons. He served United in the First Division for 18 seasons, most of them as a regular player, and was the longest-serving player at the club at the time of his final game. His first goal for United was in a 2-1 league win at Newcastle United on January 2, 1954, and his last was on May 15, 1968, in the victorious European Cup semi-final second leg tie in Madrid.