Ralph Rodgerson (footballer, born 1913)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ralph Rodgerson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 December 1913[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Sunderland, England | ||
| Date of death | 18 April 1972 (aged 58)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Sunderland, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Full back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Millfield | |||
| 19??–1935 | Shotton Colliery Welfare | ||
| 1935–1942 | Sunderland | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ralph Rodgerson (25 December 1913 – 18 April 1972) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League as a full back for Sunderland.
Life and career[edit]
Rodgerson was born in Sunderland in 1913,[1] the son of Ralph Rodgerson and his wife Evelyn. Ralph senior was a professional footballer who played in the Football League for Huddersfield Town and Leeds United and in the Scottish League for Dundee.[2]
Rodgerson played Sunderland and District League football for Millfield – he also played cricket for the Miilfield club alongside his father[3] – and Wearside League football for Shotton Colliery Welfare before signing professional forms with Football League First Division club Sunderland in December 1935.[4] With the club's sixth League title already confirmed, Rodgerson was given a debut on 18 April 1936, playing at left back in a 4–3 win at home to Huddersfield Town,[5] and also played in the remaining two matches of the season, which were both heavy defeats.[6] He made two more first-team appearances, both at home to Manchester United, one in 1936–37 and the last in 1938–39,[7][8] before competitive football was suspended for the duration of the Second World War. He played for Sunderland and for North Shields in wartime matches,[9][10] but did not resume a professional career afterwards.[11]
The 1939 Register finds Rodgerson living in Sunderland with his wife, Vera, and working as a plater's helper.[12] He joined the police in December 1939.[13] He played for the Sunderland Police football team during the war,[9] and for their cricket team until well into the 1950s.[14] Rodgerson died in Sunderland in 1972 at the age of 58.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Dykes, Garth; Lamming, Doug (2000). All the Lads: A Complete Who's Who of Sunderland AFC. ISBN 9781899538157.
- ^ "Fatal collapse". Sunderland Echo. 10 July 1939. p. 7.
"Due to natural causes. Wearsider's death after trench digging". Sunderland Echo. 11 July 1939. p. 10. - ^ "In Durham cricket fields". Sunderland Echo. 11 May 1934. p. 15.
- ^ "Sunderland sign a back". Sunderland Echo. 27 December 1935. p. 9.
- ^ "1935–36: Football League Division 1 – Match 40". The StatCat. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "1935–36: Football League Division 1: Game by game". The StatCat. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "1936–37: Football League Division 1: Game by game". The StatCat. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "1938–39: Football League Division 1: Game by game". The StatCat. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Player details: Ralph Rodgerson". The StatCat. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "Shields get Sunderland back". Shields Evening News. 25 October 1939. p. 4.
- ^ "Player search: Rodgerson, R (Ralph)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ "Ralph Rodgerson". 1939 Register. RG101/2720K FDKZ – via Ancestry Library Edition.
- ^ "Testing time for North Shields F.C. New Year games decide fate". Shields Evening News. 28 December 1939. p. 3.
- ^ "Sunderland eleven wins Police Cup". Sunderland Echo. 18 September 1954. p. 7.