By John Harding 13-Oct-04
This month sees the launch of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (DNB): 60 volumes, 50,000 biographies, 62 million words written by 10,000 contributors, it tells the stories of 50,000 men and women who 'shaped British life and culture'.
Included are over 50 soccer 'greats', among them early Professional Footballers' Association notables such as Billy Meredith, Charlie Roberts, Colin Veitch and Joe Mercer. Also included is the first recognised professional footballer, Fergus Suter from Scotland.
Black footballers, however, are poorly represented, meriting just three entries: Arthur Wharton, Walter Tull and Laurie Cunningham.
Wharton is included as the world's first black professional player, but also as a fine track athlete (He was a world record holder for the 100 yard dash). Walter Tull is featured primarily because, serving with the Middlesex Regiment during the First World War, he received a posthumous Military Cross. Finally, Laurie Cunningham is there because he was the first black player to represent England at any level.
However, the story of the Black presence in Britain is still being written and it's clear that the DNB has either overlooked or missed some key individuals. Big names are missing.
The first of these must be Andrew Watson, a black Scotsman and perhaps the world's first great black footballer. Born in Demerara in what was then British Guyana in 1857, it's thought likely that his father was a Scot, for the young Watson came to England to complete his schooling in Halifax and Rugby before moving to Glasgow. Ironically, this means he is probably the first known black rugby player!
He studied at Glasgow University but, in 1874, he is recorded as playing for Maxwell FC in Glasgow, mostly at left or right back. Whilst there, he also appears in the SFA Annuals as 'Match Secretary', so not only is he the world's first known black player, he is also the world's first black football administrator!
In 1879, he joined the world's greatest club of the time, Queen's Park FC of Glasgow and enjoyed an illustrious career that lasted until 1887, which even included touring with the elite English Corinthians!
Because Watson moved around Britain with his work, he can also claim another 'first'. Turning out for the London Swifts in 1882, he is surely the first black player to play in the English FA Cup. This follows up his Scottish Cup Final win in 1882 when Queen's Park beat Dumbarton, making him the first black player to win a major competition!
To top it all, the move to Queen's Park brought Andrew to international notice, for he played three times for Scotland. On March 12th, 1881 he captained the Scotland team which thrashed England 6-1 at the Oval. In his other two games he won 5-1 against Wales in 1881 and 5-1 against England in 1882.
Watson is therefore the world's first black internationalist and the world's first black international captain! Surely enough to have earned Andrew entry into the hallowed DNB halls? Sadly, they have missed him out completely.
Watson certainly beats Northampton Town's John Parris for the accolade of being the first black player to represent any of the home national sides. Parris played for Wales in the late 1930s and is often cited as the first black 'internationalist'. His career has not been widely celebrated, however, even by the Welsh FA and certainly not by the DNB.
Incidentally, Jack Leslie, who played for Plymouth Argyle between the Wars would have been the first black England international, beating Viv Anderson by some 50 years. However, two days after being picked for the squad, he was mysteriously omitted.
In a 15-year career with Argyle that saw him notch up an impressive 400 appearances and over 130 goals, Leslie had certainly earned his chance, but it later emerged that FA officials hadn't known that he was, as they called him, 'a man of colour' - and thus not eligible!
After the Second World War, there are others whose careers ought have earned them entry into the DNB. During the 1950s, one of the most popular and successful African-Caribbean players playing in the Football League was Jamaican-born Lloyd 'Lindy' Delapenha, who played for Middlesbrough. A great favourite at Ayresome Park, Lindy scored 90 goals in 260 appearances for the club, having previously played for Arsenal (as an amateur) and for Portsmouth during their 1948-49 League championship winning campaign. The first black player to win a League Championship medal?
Perhaps the most famous black player in England during the sixties was Albert Johanneson, a South African signed by Leeds United in 1961 when Leeds were establishing themselves as one of Europe's major footballing forces. In 1965, Johanneson became the first black player to play in an FA Cup Final, surely enough to merit inclusion in the DNB? Apparently not. He retired in 1970, and lived in poverty in Leeds for some years, forgotten or ignored. He died an early death.
Another great black player who died too early is, however, the last of three Black DNB entries: Laurie Cunningham. A left-footed wing forward, at his peak he was tremendously popular with deft footwork, speed, and poise. Failing to impress Arsenal as a 15-year-old apprentice, he moved to Leyton Orient in 1972 and in 1977 was sold to West Bromwich Albion for £110,000.
At this point, it was thought he would become the first black player to gain full England honours, such were his prodigious talents. In fact, Viv Anderson of Nottingham Forest beat him to that honour by a few months in 1979. Laurie did, however, become the first black player to represent England, when selected for the Under 21 side against Scotland in April 1977. He marked the event by scoring a goal.
From West Brom, he moved to Real Madrid for £995,000 in June 1979. Once again he scored on his début, this time in front of 100,000 fans at the Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid. In Madrid he was idolised and dubbed 'El Negrito' and, in his first season with the club, scored 15 goals and helped the side to a league and cup double. His career began to fall away, however, after he had gained the last of his six full England caps in 1981. In March 1983 he moved on loan to Manchester United but made just five appearances.
For the next six years he moved between several clubs without managing to re-establish himself but, after a final move to Rayo Vallecano of Madrid, a Spanish Second Division side, his career seemed to settle down. He married, had a child and helped the club gain promotion but, in the early hours of 15 July 1989, he was killed in a car crash in Madrid.
Laurie deserves his accolade, but to remain the only black player since the First World War considered worthy of entry into the DNB is surely wrong. Players like Watson, Parris, Leslie, Johanesson and others were pioneers in their time, achieving notable successes against all the odds and their exclusion diminishes what is one of the country's most prestigious biographical records.
