Albert Stubbins
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Albert Stubbins (July 17 1920 - 28 December 2002) was an English football player. He played in the position of centre forward, although his career was limited by the onset of World War II.
Born in Wallsend, but brought up in the United States, Stubbins first played for Newcastle United in 1937, appearing in official games 30 times and scoring six goals for the team. In wartime games (classified as friendlies) he scored 188 goals in just 231 appearances.
In 1946 he was signed by Liverpool for a then club record of £12,500. Stubbins had also been approached by Liverpool's closest rivals, Everton, and he settled the decision with a toss of the coin. His move to Liverpool gained him most of his fame and success; Stubbins scored 24 goals in the 1946-7 season (making him joint top scorer) and Liverpool won the League Championship.
Stubbins also scored 24 goals the following season. Although a contractual dispute in the 1948-9 season limited his appearances for the Merseyside club, he still helped Liverpool reach the 1950 FA Cup final, which they lost to Arsenal. Injuries forced him to retire in 1953, having scored 83 goals in 180 appearances. For a player with such an impressive goal ratio, he only played for England once, in an unofficial 'victory' international against Wales in 1945, that England lost 1-0.
Following his retirement, Stubbins entered a full-time career in sports journalism, although he briefly coached an American semi-professional side, the New York Americans in 1960.
Stubbins later came to fame with an appearance on the front cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, the only footballer to do so. He also has a Liverpool FC fan club named in his honour. He died in 2002, aged 83, after a short illness.
External links
- Liverpool FC website profile (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/stubbins/)
- Liverpool fans' tribute (http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/a-zofplayers/a-d/albertstubbins.html)
- Obituary in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,866835,00.html)