Top facts about Duncan Edwards, the Big Dunc

As a tradition, we start the top facts about Duncan Edwards article by introducing our hero, Duncan Edwards. He was an English footballer who represented Manchester United and the national team of England.

He was a member of the Busby Babes, a youthful United squad established in the mid-1950s under manager Matt Busby, and he played 177 games for the club. He was regarded as one of the hardest players of all time due to his physical strength, toughness, and degree of authority on the field.

He was one of eight players killed in

flight accident; he survived at first but died two weeks later in hospital from his injuries. Many of his contemporaries referred to him as one of the finest players they had ever played with.

Edwards, who was born in Woodside, Dudley, joined Manchester United as a teenager and went on to become the youngest player in the Football League First Division and the

since WWII, playing 18 times for his nation at the highest level.

In fewer than five years as a professional, he helped United win two Football League titles, two FA Charity Shields, and reach the European Cup semi-finals.

An adequate informative article of top facts about Duncan Edwards, the Big Dunc

In this article, we are going to read about Duncan’s international career as well as the information available on his Transfermarkt profile page. Additionally, as a part of his career history, we will take a look at Busby Babes and its history.

We will also try to dive deeper than ever dove before in his personal life and family story. The main purpose of this article is to uncover any fact, that is available of his well-lived life. Now, without further ado, let us hop into the article of

top facts about Duncan Edwards

.

Duncan Edwards information

For those who are unfamiliar with Duncan Edwards or who want to be prepared to read the top facts about Duncan Edwards, let's start with the most crucial facts about Duncan Edwards.

Personal information

• Full name:

  Duncan Edwards

• Date of birth:

  1 October 1936

• Date of death:

  21 February 1958

• Aged:

  21 years

• Star Sign:

  Libra

• Star sign features:

  Extroverted, cozy, and friendly

• Nationality:

  English

• Place of birth:

  Woodside, Dudley, England

• Marital status:

  Engaged

• Religion:

  Christianity

Football information

• Position:

  Left half

• Last team:

  Manchester United

• Total appearances:

  195

• Club appearances:

  177

• National appearances:

  18

Physical stats and appearance

• Height:

  1,80 m

• Hair color:

  Dark brown

• Skin color:

  White

• Facial hair:

  Clean

Now that you've learned everything there is to know about Duncan Edwards, we can go on to the next section of the

top facts about Duncan Edwards

, which will feature further elaborations and specifics on the subjects discussed before.

Duncan Edwards Transfermarkt

Profile pages of many athletes who have played football for years fall short of information on Transfermakt.com, thus it comes as no surprise that Duncan has almost nothing on this website. Of course, there are two reasons for this.

First, because of his early death at the age of 21, and second because he was playing football in the late 1900s, thus it was hard to keep track of everything and every match. But let us explore what there is left of him on his profile page on Transfermarkt.com.

His career statistics and Transfer list in full of emptiness which is sad for a player like Duncan.

His achievements list has two valuable trophies on it. He managed to win the English championship and English super cup with

. These trophies really depict his potential, now imagine if he had survived the crash, what a player he could have been.

Unfortunately, this section of top facts about Duncan Edwards falls short due to a lack of information.

Duncan Edwards international career

Let us see what he had done for his country until the unfortunate accident in this section of top facts about Duncan Edwards. Edwards was picked for the England side that flew to mainland Europe in May 1955, starting all three matches against France, Portugal, and

.

After returning from the trip, he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps for a two-year tenure in the British Army.

Under the National Service program, all males his age were required to serve in the army at the time. He and colleague

were stationed at Nesscliffe near Shrewsbury, but he was granted permission to play for United. He also played army matches, appearing in over 100 of them in a single season.

Duncan Edwards and Busby Babes

The Busby Babes were remarkable not just for being young and talented, but also for being nurtured by the club rather being purchased from other teams, as was the norm at the time.

The phrase, invented by Manchester Evening News journalist Tom Jackson in 1951, mainly refers to the players who won the league title with an average age of 21 and 22 in the seasons 1955–56 and 1956–57.

Eight players died in or as a result of the Munich air disaster in February 1958: Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), Duncan Edwards (21), Liam Whelan (22), Tommy Taylor (26), David Pegg (22) and Geoff Bent (25) – while Jackie Blanchflower (24 at the time of the crash) and senior player Johnny Berry (31 at the time of the crash) were severely injured.

Berry was the team's senior player at the time of the disaster, having joined Birmingham City in 1951 when he was already 25 years old.

Bobby Charlton, the final surviving player from the pre-Munich side, resigned from football in 1975; after leaving Manchester United two years prior, he had continued to play as player-manager for Preston North End.

He set the all-time goalscoring record for Manchester United and England, which was later broken by another United player (Wayne Rooney), and his appearance record remained unbroken for 35 years after his last game for United, while his England record was not broken until 2015 when he scored his 50th England goal by the same United player (

).

Duncan Edwards death

The plane carrying Edwards and his companions crashed on takeoff following a refueling stop in Munich,

, on their way home from Belgrade on February 6, 1958.  

At the site, seven players and 14 other passengers perished, while Edwards was transferred to the Rechts der Isar Hospital with multiple leg fractures, shattered ribs, and severely injured kidneys. Doctors treating him were optimistic that he would heal, but they doubted that he would ever be able to play football again.

He was transported to the hospital and given an artificial kidney, but the artificial organ impaired his blood's capacity to clot, and he began to bleed internally.

Despite this, he is alleged to have approached assistant manager Jimmy Murphy and inquired, "Jimmy, what time does the game versus Wolves start? I can't afford to miss that game." His condition had "dramatically improved" by the 14th of February, according to reports.

On February 19, it was reported that he was "sinking swiftly," with the artificial kidney machine becoming a "vicious circle, steadily draining his power." Doctors were "amazed" by his struggle for life, and the next day his health showed a "very tiny improvement," but he died at 2:15 a.m. on February 21, 1958.

A new edition of Charles Buchan's Football Monthly was released in the United Kingdom only hours before his death, including an image of a smiling Edwards on the cover.

Edwards was buried alongside his sister Carol Anne at Dudley Cemetery five days later.

For his funeral, about 5,000 people lined the streets of Dudley. "A day of recollection, sad to recall, without farewell, He left us all," his monument says, and his burial is frequently visited by fans.

Duncan Edwards all that is left of him

Duncan died but he is still alive in the hearts and minds of people who loved him. Let us see what’s left of him either in his hometown or in the world in this portion of

top facts about Duncan Edwards

.

In his hometown of Dudley, Edwards is honored in a variety of ways.

Matt Busby unveiled a stained-glass window depicting Edwards in St Francis's Church, the parish church for the Priory Estate, in 1961, designed by Francis Skeat and paid for with donations from Football League clubs Brentford and Crystal Palace, and a statue of Edwards unveiled in the town center in 1999 by his mother and former team-mate Bobby Charlton.

Duncan Edwards Close, a cul-de-sac of housing association dwellings near the cemetery where he is buried, was named for him in 1993.

In 2001, the Wren's Nest bar on the Priory Estate, near where he grew up, was renamed "The Duncan Edwards" in his honor, however, it closed five years later and was later burned down by arsonists. In 2006, a £100,000 games facility was dedicated in Edwards' honor at Priory Park, where he used to play as a child.

Duncan Edwards Way, Dudley's southern bypass, was renamed in his honor in 2008. Dudley Museum and Art Gallery had an exhibition of artifacts related to his career, including his England caps, until it closed in 2016.

Edwards was one of five players chosen to appear on British stamps released in 1996 to commemorate the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament as part of a "Football Legends" set. In the 2011 British TV film United, based on the Munich catastrophe, he was played by Sam Claflin.

Duncan Edwards before professional football

Let us get to his prime years of life in this section of top facts about Duncan Edwards.

Edwards was born at 23 Malvern Crescent in Dudley's Woodside neighborhood on October 1, 1936. Gladstone and Sarah Anne Edwards' first child and only child to live to maturity, with his younger sister Carol Anne dying at the age of 14 weeks in 1947. Dennis Stevens, his three-year-old cousin, went on to become a professional football player as well.

The Edwards family eventually relocated to the Priory Estate, also in Dudley, to 31 Elm Road. From 1941 to 1948, Edwards attended Priory Primary School, and from 1948 to 1952, he attended Wolverhampton Street Secondary School.

This legend was a football player for his school, as well as for the Dudley Schools, Worcestershire, and Birmingham, and District teams, and he also competed in morris dance for his school.

He was chosen to compete in the National Morris and Sword Dancing Festival, but he was also given a tryout for the English Schools Football Association's under-14 squad on the same day, which he chose.

Edwards pleased the selectors and was selected to play for the English Schools XI, making his debut at Wembley Stadium on April 1, 1950, against the Welsh corresponding squad. He was quickly named team captain, a position he retained for two seasons.

By this time, he had piqued the interest of prominent teams, with Manchester United scout Jack O'Brien informing manager Matt Busby in 1948 that he had seen him play "Today, I saw a 12-year-old youngster who deserves extra attention. Duncan Edwards of Dudley is his name."

Joe Mercer, the England schools coach at the time, wanted Busby to sign Edwards, who was also being pursued by Wolverhampton Wanderers and

.

Edwards joined United as an amateur on June 2, 1952, although stories differ as to when he initially signed a professional contract. Some sources claim it happened on his 17th birthday in October 1953, while others claim it happened a year earlier.

According to those who favor the earlier date, a club official, either Busby or coach Bert Whalley, visited at the Edwards family house shortly after midnight to obtain the youngster's signature as soon as possible, although other stories suggest that this happened when he signed his amateur contract.

Wolves manager Stan Cullis was furious at missing out on a highly regarded local prospect, accusing United of unlawfully bribing Edwards or his family, but Edwards insisted he had always wanted to play for the Lancashire side.

To hedge against the potential that his football career might be a failure, he began an apprenticeship as a carpenter.

Duncan Edwards out of the field

For the last part of the top facts about Duncan Edwards we are going to take look at his activities in other fields. Edwards was a teetotaler who, outside of football, was renowned for being a very quiet person who enjoyed fishing, playing cards, and going to the movies.

Despite attending dances with his colleagues, he was never comfortable in social situations. Jimmy Murphy characterized him as an "unspoiled youngster" who preserved a pronounced Black Country accent that his colleagues imitated.

When he was stopped by the police for riding his bicycle without lights, the authorities fined him five shillings and his club docked him two weeks' earnings.

Edwards was residing at Gorse Avenue, Stretford, at the time of his death. He was engaged to Molly Leech, a 22-year-old textile machine manufacturer's office worker in Altrincham, with whom he planned to marry.

They met at the hotel reception at Manchester Airport, dated for a year before getting engaged, and became godparents to Leech's friend Josephine Stott's kid.

Edwards had starred in commercials for Dextrosol diabetes pills and had authored a book called Tackle Soccer This Way, a commercial venture that supplemented his weekly income of £15 during the season and £12 during the summer.

The book was released shortly after his death, with his family's agreement, and was re-issued in November 2009 after being out of print for many years.

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