William Foulke (footballer)
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| William Foulke | ||
William "Fatty" Foulke, seen here in Sheffield United colours.
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Henry Foulke | |
| Date of birth | 12 April 1874 | |
| Place of birth | Dawley, Shropshire, England | |
| Date of death | 1 May 1916 (aged 42) | |
| Place of death | Sheffield, England | |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |
| Youth career | ||
| Blackwell Colliery | ||
| Senior career1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1894–1905 1905–1906 1906–1907 |
Sheffield United Chelsea Bradford City |
299 (0) 34 (0) 22 (0) |
| National team | ||
| 1897 | England | 1 (0) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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William Henry "Fatty" Foulke (also spelt Foulk or Foulkes) (12 April 1874 – 1 May 1916) was a professional cricketer and football player in England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Foulke was renowned for his great size (6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1] by some estimates) and weight, reaching perhaps 24 stone (150 kg) at the end of his career, although reports on his weight vary.
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[edit] Playing career
He played four first-class matches for Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1900, but is remembered primarily as a goalkeeper for Sheffield United although he also played for Chelsea and Bradford City. He also won a single international cap for England in 1897 against Wales.
After being discovered playing for village side Blackwell in a Derbyshire Cup tie at Ilkeston Town, Foulke made his debut for Sheffield United against West Bromwich Albion on 1 September 1894 and led the team to three FA Cup finals (winning two) and a League Championship.
At the end of the first match in the 1902 Cup Final Foulke protested to the officials that Southampton's equalizing goal should not have been allowed. Foulke left his dressing room unclothed and pursued the referee, Tom Kirkham, who took refuge in a broom cupboard. Foulke had to be stopped by a group of F.A. officials from wrenching the cupboard door from its hinges to reach the hapless referee.[2][3] In the replay, Sheffield United won 2–1, with Foulke being required to make several saves to keep United in the match. He was also in goal for United when they suffered an FA Cup exit to Second Division Burslem Port Vale in 1898.[4]
He then moved to Chelsea for a fee of £50 and was made club captain. Foulke, by now was remarkably temperamental. If he thought his defenders were not trying hard enough, he would walk off the field. Opposing forwards who incurred his displeasure would be picked up and thrown bodily into his goal. He was however a great crowd puller, and Chelsea decided to exploit this. To draw even more attention to his size, they placed two small boys behind his goal in an effort to distract the opposition even more. The boys would sometimes run and return the ball when it went out of play, and quite by accident, ball boys came into being.[5] Foulke stayed for just one season before moving to his final club, Bradford City.
Foulke died in 1916 and was buried in Burngreave cemetery, Sheffield. His death certificate gives "cirrhosis" as the major cause of death.[6] The stories of pneumonia caught whilst earning pin money at a "beat the goalie" booth on Blackpool Sands seem to be without foundation.
Foulke appears in the Mitchell and Kenyon films, playing in a match on 6 September 1902.
[edit] See also
[edit] Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2007) |
- The football chant "Who Ate All the Pies?" is said to have originally been about Foulke, although this is generally accepted as an urban myth.[7]
- During the 1896-97 season, Foulke brought a Sheffield and Derbyshire League match to a halt by swinging on the crossbar and breaking it. "Foulke covered himself with glory - splinters and network, by swinging on the crossbar and bringing it down with a crash." (Sheffield Independent 15th Feb 1897).
- Foulke's portrait was featured on the cover of the 1902 FA Cup final programme.
- The one-liner "Call me anything you want, but don't call me late for dinner" has been attributed to him, but sources are unclear. In the Chelsea match programme 2nd Dec 1905: "Foulke says he doesn't care how much they charge him, so long as they don't charge him too much for his dinner." (See "Colossus" p. 97)
[edit] Career stats
| Club | Season | Division | League Apps | FA Cup Apps | Other Apps | Total Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield United | 1894–95 | Division 1 | 29 | 3 | 5 | 37 |
| 1895–96 | Division 1 | 28 | 2 | 4 | 34 | |
| 1896–97 | Division 1 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 31 | |
| 1897–98 | Division 1 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 31 | |
| 1898–99 | Division 1 | 32 | 9 | 1 | 42 | |
| 1899–1900 | Division 1 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 40 | |
| 1900–01 | Division 1 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 36 | |
| 1901–02 | Division 1 | 26 | 9 | 0 | 35 | |
| 1902–03 | Division 1 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 25 | |
| 1903–04 | Division 1 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 31 | |
| 1904–05 | Division 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| Chelsea | 1905–06 | Division 2 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 35 |
| Bradford City | 1905–06 | Division 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1906–07 | Division 2 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 23 | |
| Total | 355 | 44 | 12 | 411 |
[edit] Honours
[edit] References
- ^ "Can footballers large it?". BBC News. 2002-08-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/2178549.stm. Retrieved on 2008-08-08.
- ^ David Bull & Bob Brunskell (2000). Match of the Millennium. Hagiology. pp. 30–33. ISBN 0-9534474-1-3.
- ^ An account of the incident by the match linesman J. T. Howcroft suggests this version may be an embellishment of the facts. See "Colossus", p. 79.
- ^ Giant Killers #63
- ^ The Sunday Times Illustrated History Of Football. Reed International Books Limited. 1996. p16 ISBN 1-856-13341-9
- ^ Phythian, Graham (2005). Colossus, The True Story of William Foulke. Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0 7524 3274 5.
- ^ Daily Mirror, Football Legend Inspired Pie Chant
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William Henry Foulke |
- BBC Guide
- William Foulke England profile at Englandstats
