Garth Crooks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Garth Crooks | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Garth Anthony Crooks | |
| Date of birth | 10 March 1958 | |
| Place of birth | Stoke-on-Trent, England | |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |
| Playing position | Forward | |
| Senior career1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1976–1980 1980–1985 1983–1984 1985–1987 1987–1990 |
Stoke City Tottenham Hotspur → Manchester United (loan) West Bromwich Albion Charlton Athletic Total |
147 (48) 125 (48) 7 (2) 40 (16) 56 (15) 375 (129) |
| National team | ||
| England U21 | 4 (3) | |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Garth Anthony Crooks OBE (born 10 March 1958 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is a retired English football player of Jamaican ancestry. He currently works in broadcasting with the BBC as a journalist.
Contents |
[edit] Career
The striker began his career at hometown club Stoke City, scoring 48 goals in 147 appearances. He became most famous following a high-profile transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in 1980, where he formed a successful striking partnership with Steve Archibald. With Crooks leading the line, Spurs won two FA Cups and the 1984 UEFA Cup, won against Anderlecht (he was an unused substitute in the final's second leg). Crooks became the first black player to score in an FA Cup final, scoring the equalising goal in a 3–2 win over Manchester City in 1981.[1] He later enjoyed a loan at Manchester United as well as spells at West Bromwich Albion and Charlton Athletic, before a knee injury forced his retirement in 1990.[2]
In 1988, he became the first black chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association but gave up the role after retiring in 1990.[2] He first worked in the media as a match analyst at the 1982 and 1990 World Cups and later worked as Match of the Day's reporter at the England camp at Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup.[2] In the late 1990s, Crooks became presenter of the political television show Despatch Box and it was rumoured he would run for Parliament.[1] In 1999 he was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to football punditry, specifically citing his ability to bring passion to football.[2] He currently regularly appears on Final Score as a pundit. He is occasionally seen, on BBC television after league football matches, interviewing the players. He also submits his "best eleven" footballers each week on the BBC website.[3] He is now on the board of North West London school Capital City Academy.
[edit] Honours
[edit] As a player
[edit] References
- ^ a b Garth Crooks biography, retrieved 11 December 2007
- ^ a b c d "Garth Crooks". BBC. 2001-08-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/football_focus/1480432.stm. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- ^ Team of the week Retrieved 03 September 2008
[edit] External links
- Garth Crooks at Screen Online
- PFA profile of Garth Crooks
- PFA profile of Garth Crooks Years:1988-1990
- BBC profile
