Busby Babes
The Busby Babes was a nickname given to a group of association football players that played for Manchester United. The players with this nickname were recruited by Manchester United's chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, and would be progressed to the first team by manager Matt Busby. The term was commonly used for players who joined the Manchester United academy during the 1940s and 1950s.
History
The term was first used in 1951 by Manchester Evening News journalist Tom Jackson.[1][2] The term was commonly used to refer to the players that won the 1955–56 and the 1956–57 Football League First Division titles.
Eight of the players, being Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), Duncan Edwards (21), Billy Whelan (22), Tommy Taylor (26), David Pegg (22), and Geoff Bent (25) would die after the Munich air disaster.Jackie Blanchflower (24 at the time of the crash), and Johnny Berry (31 at the time of the crash) would survive the disaster, but they would be unable to play again.
Two players have been called "The last of the Busby Babes". The first player was Sammy McIlroy, who was the last player that Matt Busby signed for Manchester United. The other player was Jeff Whitefoot, who was one of the last living players of the team before his death in 2024.[3]
References
- ↑ Manchester United history » Busby’s babes (1950s) Archived 29 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 'Busby Babes' writer has died, aged 80
- ↑ Harby, Chris (28 January 2023). "Manchester United's oldest surviving player Jeff Whitefoot recalls his days with the Busby Babes, the Munich Air Disaster and winning the FA Cup with Nottingham Forest". Stamford Mercury. https://www.stamfordmercury.co.uk/news/meet-jeff-the-last-of-the-busby-babes-9295903/. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
