Jack Rowley
Encyclopedia
John Frederick "Jack" Rowley (7 October 1920 – 28 June 1998) was an English football striker
from the 1930s to the 1950s, mainly remembered for playing for Manchester United
. He was nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his prolific and explosive goalscoring, achieving scoring statistics with United of 208 goals in 422 appearances . His younger brother, Arthur
, still holds the record for the most number of goals scored in the Football League
during a career with 434.
, although he never found a place in the first team. In 1937, he moved to Bournemouth & Boscombe
, scoring 10 goals in his first 11 games. His talent soon brought him to the attention of larger clubs and Rowley was purchased 8 months later by Manchester United
for £3,000. Still only 17, his debut for the club came on 23 October 1937 against Sheffield Wednesday
. In his second game, he scored 4 goals against Swansea Town.
Initially bought as a left sided winger, he was to develop into a highly effective centre forward in Matt Busby
's first United team. He helped United to the 1948 FA Cup
(scoring two goals in the final) and their 1952 championship. Rowley is one of only three players in the history of Manchester United to score over 200 goals for the club, the other two being Bobby Charlton
and Denis Law
. He left the club in 1955 to become player/manager of Plymouth Argyle
.
He later went on to manage Oldham Athletic
, gaining promotion to the Third Division in 1963. From here, he went on to manage AFC Ajax for the 1963–64 season, before returning to Britain to manage Wrexham, Bradford
, and a second spell at Oldham
, which finished in 1969 and signalled the end of his managerial career.
Rowley was also capped 6 times for England scoring 6 goals, 4 of which came against Northern Ireland on 16 November 1949
Rowley died in June 1998, at the age of 77.
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
from the 1930s to the 1950s, mainly remembered for playing for Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. He was nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his prolific and explosive goalscoring, achieving scoring statistics with United of 208 goals in 422 appearances . His younger brother, Arthur
Arthur Rowley
George Arthur Rowley, , nicknamed "The Gunner" because of his explosive left-foot shot, was an English football player and cricketer. He holds the record for the most goals in the history of English league football, scoring 434 from 619 league games. He was the younger brother of Manchester United...
, still holds the record for the most number of goals scored in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
during a career with 434.
Career
Rowley started his professional career in 1935 with Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, although he never found a place in the first team. In 1937, he moved to Bournemouth & Boscombe
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
, scoring 10 goals in his first 11 games. His talent soon brought him to the attention of larger clubs and Rowley was purchased 8 months later by Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
for £3,000. Still only 17, his debut for the club came on 23 October 1937 against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
. In his second game, he scored 4 goals against Swansea Town.
Initially bought as a left sided winger, he was to develop into a highly effective centre forward in Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
's first United team. He helped United to the 1948 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
(scoring two goals in the final) and their 1952 championship. Rowley is one of only three players in the history of Manchester United to score over 200 goals for the club, the other two being Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
and Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
. He left the club in 1955 to become player/manager of Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
.
He later went on to manage Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
, gaining promotion to the Third Division in 1963. From here, he went on to manage AFC Ajax for the 1963–64 season, before returning to Britain to manage Wrexham, Bradford
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, and a second spell at Oldham
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
, which finished in 1969 and signalled the end of his managerial career.
Rowley was also capped 6 times for England scoring 6 goals, 4 of which came against Northern Ireland on 16 November 1949
Rowley died in June 1998, at the age of 77.
Player
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899.... |
1936–37 1936-37 in English football The 1936–37 season was the 62nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour... |
||||||||||||
| 1937–38 1937-38 in English football The 1937–38 season was the 63rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season is notable as the reigning champions Manchester City became the only team to have won the League title one season then been relegated the next.-Honours:... |
|||||||||||||
| Total | 22 | 12 | - | - | - | - | 22 | 12 | |||||
| Manchester United Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958... |
1937–38 1937-38 in English football The 1937–38 season was the 63rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season is notable as the reigning champions Manchester City became the only team to have won the League title one season then been relegated the next.-Honours:... |
29 | 9 | 4 | 0 | ||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 29 | 9 | ||||||||||
| 1938–39 1938-39 in English football The 1938–39 season was the 64th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour... |
38 | 10 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 39 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 1945–46 1945-46 in English football The 1945–1946 season was the 66th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:1945–1946 was the first football season since the 1939–1940 season was cut short due to World War II. The FA Cup was the main competition to be played this season along with the Football League North and Football... |
0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1946–47 1946-47 in English football The 1946–47 season was the 67th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The 1946–47 season was the first to feature a full football programme since the 1938–39 campaign. Eighty-eight teams competed over four divisions. Liverpool went top of the First Division with a 2–1 away win over... |
37 | 26 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 39 | 28 | ||||||||||
| 1947–48 1947-48 in English football The 1947–48 season was the 68th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour... |
39 | 23 | 6 | 5 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 45 | 28 | ||||||||||
| 1948–49 1948-49 in English football The 1948–49 season was the 69th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Portsmouth won the First Division title for the first time with a team of no recognised stars and very few international players. They won the league by five points from Manchester United and Derby... |
39 | 20 | 8 | 9 | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 48 | 30 | ||||||||||
| 1949–50 1949-50 in English football The 1949–50 season was the 70th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Portsmouth retained the First Division title by one of the narrowest margins in history ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.... |
39 | 20 | 5 | 3 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 44 | 23 | ||||||||||
| 1950–51 1950-51 in English football The 1950–51 season was the 71st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Tottenham Hotspur won their first League Championship, while Newcastle United defeated Blackpool 2–0 to win their fourth F.A. Cup. They would win it twice more over the next four seasons. The league was expanded... |
39 | 14 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 42 | 15 | ||||||||||
| 1951–52 1951-52 in English football The 1951–52 season was the 72nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour... |
40 | 30 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 41 | 30 | ||||||||||
| 1952–53 1952-53 in English football The 1952–53 season was the 73rd season of competitive football in England.-Events:This was the closest championship win in English league history at the time, with Arsenal claiming the title by just 0.099 of a goal. Both Arsenal and Preston had identical records aside from their goal averages... |
26 | 11 | 4 | 3 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 31 | 16 | ||||||||||
| 1953–54 1953-54 in English football The 1953–54 season was the 74th season of competitive football in England.-National team:The Marvellous Magyars shocked football by defeating England 6–3 at Wembley Stadium.-Honours:... |
36 | 12 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 37 | 12 | ||||||||||
| 1954–55 1954-55 in English football The 1954–1955 season was the 75th season of competitive football in England, from August 1954 to May 1955:-Overview:* Chelsea win the League Championship for the first time.* Newcastle United win the FA Cup.... |
22 | 7 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 25 | 8 | ||||||||||
| Total | 380 | 182 | 42 | 26 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 3 | 424 | 211 | |
| Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
1954–55 1954-55 in English football The 1954–1955 season was the 75th season of competitive football in England, from August 1954 to May 1955:-Overview:* Chelsea win the League Championship for the first time.* Newcastle United win the FA Cup.... |
13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 1955–56 1955-56 in English football The 1955–56 season was the 76th season of competitive football in England. The First Division was won by Manchester United, the fourth time they had won that particular accolade.-Awards:Football Writers' Association... |
16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 1956–57 1956-57 in English football The 1956–57 season was the 77th season of competitive football in England.Manchester United won the First Division to become English football champions for the fifth time. Tottenham Hotspur were runners-up. In the Second Division it was Leicester City who finished in top spot, ahead of East... |
27 | 6 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Total | 56 | 14 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 58 | 15 | |
| Career total | 458 | 208 | 44 | 27 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 3 | 504 | 238 | |
International goals
| Goal # | Date | Venue | Opposition | Highbury Arsenal Stadium Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... | 6–0 | Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 16 November 1949 | Maine Road Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003... , Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... , England |
9–2 | Win | |
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | 30 November 1949 | White Hart Lane White Hart Lane White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230.... , London, England |
2–0 | Win |
Manager
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the... |
 |
February 1955 | March 1960 | 238 | 93 | 52 | 93 | |
| Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league... |
|
July 1960 | May 1963 | 151 | 66 | 33 | 52 | |
| Ajax |  |
1963 | 1964 | |||||
| Wrexham | |
January 1966 | April 1967 | 58 | 19 | 22 | 17 | |
| Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league... |
|
October 1968 | December 1969 | 57 | 16 | 14 | 27 | |