Joe Kennedy (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Peter "Joe" Kennedy (15 November 1925 – 17 September 1986) was an English
professional footballer
who played at centre-half for the majority of his career.
, Cumberland
, Kennedy represented St. Patrick's School in Whitehaven
, as well as Whitehaven & District Boys. He joined Cleator Moor Celtic in 1941, then Workington
the following year. Kennedy had trials at Brentford
and Millwall
in 1943 and 1944 respectively, before moving to non-league Gravesend for the 1944–45 season. He joined Freelands F.C. in August 1945, before signing for Altrincham
in April 1946.
Kennedy turned professional in December 1948, when he signed for West Bromwich Albion
for a £750 fee. He made his debut away against Luton Town
in Division Two on 9 April 1949, less than two months after his first game for the reserve team. Kennedy initially played at inside-right and then right-half, but later switched to centre-half as successor to Jack Vernon
. In 1952 the Birmingham Mail
claimed that Kennedy was the highest paid footballer in the country, due to him receiving maximum club wages, regular win bonuses and various representative honours.
Kennedy suffered a leg injury in 1953–54 and lost his place to Jimmy Dugdale
. However he was called upon to replace the injured right-back Stan Rickaby
for the 1954 FA Cup Final
against Preston North End
, which Albion won 3–2. When Dugdale left to join Aston Villa, Kennedy became Albion's regular centre-half for most of the remainder of the decade.
In all he made 397 appearances for West Bromwich Albion, scoring four goals, before joining Chester City
on a free transfer in June 1961. He made his debut in a 1–0 home win over Oldham Athletic on 19 August 1961 but Chester finished bottom of the Football League at the end of the 1961–62 season
and Kennedy retired from professional football. His 35th and final league appearance for Chester came on 1 May 1962, in a 2–0 loss at Carlisle United
. He also played during the season in two league games against Accrington Stanley
that were deleted from the records when Accrington resigned from the Football League during the season, leaving Kennedy stranded on 399 rather than 401 league appearances when he retired.
Kennedy joined Stourbridge as player-manager in August 1962 and later turned out for his works team, Brockhouse Works F.C. He retired from playing in 1966 at the age of 40. He continued to work at Brockhouse until the age of 60, when he collapsed and died there in September 1986.
Kennedy also played in one Football League Cup
match for Chester.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played at centre-half for the majority of his career.
Club career
Born in Cleator MoorCleator Moor
Cleator Moor is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Cumbria and within the boundaries of the traditional county of Cumberland....
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, Kennedy represented St. Patrick's School in Whitehaven
Whitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
, as well as Whitehaven & District Boys. He joined Cleator Moor Celtic in 1941, then Workington
Workington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C. is an English football club from Workington, Cumbria. They are in the Conference North, and play their home matches at Borough Park, which has a capacity of 3,101 . The club play in red, and are known locally as the Reds...
the following year. Kennedy had trials at Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
and Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in 1943 and 1944 respectively, before moving to non-league Gravesend for the 1944–45 season. He joined Freelands F.C. in August 1945, before signing for Altrincham
Altrincham F.C.
Altrincham Football Club is an English association football club from Altrincham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Conference North, having been relegated from the Conference National at the end of the 2010–11 season.-History:...
in April 1946.
Kennedy turned professional in December 1948, when he signed for West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
for a £750 fee. He made his debut away against Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
in Division Two on 9 April 1949, less than two months after his first game for the reserve team. Kennedy initially played at inside-right and then right-half, but later switched to centre-half as successor to Jack Vernon
Jackie Vernon (footballer)
John Joseph Vernon also referred to as Jackie Vernon, is a former Irish footballer who played for, amongst others, Belfast Celtic and West Bromwich Albion. Vernon was a dual international and played for both Ireland teams - the IFA XI and the FAI XI...
. In 1952 the Birmingham Mail
Birmingham Mail
The Birmingham Mail is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, UK but distributed around Birmingham, The Black Country, Solihull, Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The newspaper, which was re-branded from the Birmingham Evening Mail in October 2005, is one of the biggest...
claimed that Kennedy was the highest paid footballer in the country, due to him receiving maximum club wages, regular win bonuses and various representative honours.
Kennedy suffered a leg injury in 1953–54 and lost his place to Jimmy Dugdale
Jimmy Dugdale
James Robert "Jimmy" Dugdale was a former English professional footballer best known for his career with Aston Villa, with whom he won a F.A. Cup winner's medal in 1957, 2nd Division Championship 1960, Inaugural League Cup Winner 1961. His playing position was Centre-Half James Robert "Jimmy"...
. However he was called upon to replace the injured right-back Stan Rickaby
Stan Rickaby
Stanley Rickaby , better known as Stan Rickaby, was an English footballer who played as a right back.-Biography:Rickaby was born in Stockton-on-Tees. He began his career with South Bank in 1940 and in July of the following year joined Middlesbrough as an amateur. He turned professional with Boro in...
for the 1954 FA Cup Final
1954 FA Cup Final
The 1954 FA Cup Final was a football match between West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End, played on 1 May 1954 at the original Wembley Stadium in London. It was the final match of the 1953–54 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup...
against Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, which Albion won 3–2. When Dugdale left to join Aston Villa, Kennedy became Albion's regular centre-half for most of the remainder of the decade.
In all he made 397 appearances for West Bromwich Albion, scoring four goals, before joining Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
on a free transfer in June 1961. He made his debut in a 1–0 home win over Oldham Athletic on 19 August 1961 but Chester finished bottom of the Football League at the end of the 1961–62 season
1961-62 in English football
The 1961–62 season was the 82nd season of competitive Football in England.-Overview:The season was notable for the remarkable achievement of Ipswich Town winning the League Championship. Under the managership of Alf Ramsey, the club progressed from the old Third Division South to the First Division...
and Kennedy retired from professional football. His 35th and final league appearance for Chester came on 1 May 1962, in a 2–0 loss at Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
. He also played during the season in two league games against Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
that were deleted from the records when Accrington resigned from the Football League during the season, leaving Kennedy stranded on 399 rather than 401 league appearances when he retired.
Kennedy joined Stourbridge as player-manager in August 1962 and later turned out for his works team, Brockhouse Works F.C. He retired from playing in 1966 at the age of 40. He continued to work at Brockhouse until the age of 60, when he collapsed and died there in September 1986.
International career
Kennedy captained the England 'B' team on three occasions and also represented the FA XI. He was a permanent reserve for the full England side during the early 1950s but never earned a cap.Style of play
In 2002 football journalist Gavin McOwan listed Kennedy at no. 17 in his list of West Bromwich Albion's 50 Greatest Players, regarding him as the best (English) Albion player never to win an England cap. McOwan says that what Kennedy lacked in pace, he made up for with tactical awareness and positioning. Albion club historian Tony Matthews meanwhile has described Kennedy as being "steady, totally reliable, consistent, superb in the air, sure and sound on the ground." Whilst at Albion, Kennedy quickly earned the nickname "Spring-heeled Joe" because of his ability to jump for high balls. He was never sent off during his career and rarely committed a foul.Club performance
| Club | Season | League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... |
FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
Charity Shield FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition... |
Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
1948–49 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| 1949–50 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 1950–51 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 1951–52 | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1952–53 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 1953–54 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 1954–55 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| 1955–56 | 31 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | |
| 1956–57 | 35 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 1957–58 | 34 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 1958–59 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1959–60 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 1 | |
| 1960–61 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| Subtotal | 364 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 397 | 4 | |
| Chester City Chester City F.C. Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the... |
1961–62 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| Subtotal | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| Total | 399 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 432 | 4 | |
Kennedy also played in one Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
match for Chester.