October 23, 1963: England v. The Rest of the World

October 23, 1963, 60 years ago: To celebrate its 100th Anniversary -- the actual Centennial was October 26, 3 days later -- the Football Association hosts a match at the old Wembley Stadium in London: "England vs. The Rest of the World." This was the 1st time a team of worldwide all-stars had played a single team, anywhere. (The FA had celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 1938 with an "England vs. The Rest of Europe" match at Wembley.)

Here are the lineups, with the player's club at the time. For England, managed by Alf Ramsey:

1, goalkeeper, Gordon Banks, Leicester City

2, right back, Jimmy Armfield, Blackpool, serving as Captain

3, left back, Ray Wilson, Huddersfield Town

4, right half, Gordon Milne, Liverpool

5, centre half, Maurice Norman of Tottenham Hotspur

6, centre half, Bobby Moore, West Ham United

7, outside right, Terry Paine, Southampton

8, inside right, Jimmy Greaves, Tottenham Hotspur

9, centre forward, Bobby Smith, Tottenham Hotspur

10, inside left, George Eastham, Arsenal

11, outside left, Bobby Charlton, of Manchester United.

Substitutes: 12, goalkeeper Tony Waiters of Blackpool; 13, fullback Ken Shellito of Chelsea; 14, midfielder Ron Flowers of Wolverhampton Wanderers; 15, left half Tony Kay of Everton; and 16, centre half Joe Baker of Arsenal, who was born in England, and thus had to play for England under the rules of the time, even though his parents were Scottish, and he'd lived most of his life in Scotland.

For "The Rest of the World," managed by Fernando Riera of Benfica, of Lisbon, Portugal:

1, goalkeeper, Lev Yashin, Soviet Union and Dynamo Moscow

2, right back, Djalma Santos, Brazil and Palmeiras

3, left back, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, West Germany and Italian team Mantova

4, right half, Svatopluk Pluskal, Czechoslovakia and Dukla Prague

5, centre half, Ján Popluhár, Czechoslovakia and Rudá Hvezda Brno (Red Star Bruno)

6, left half, Josef Masopust, Czechoslovakia and Dukla Prague

7, outside right, Raymond Kopa, France and Stade de Reims

8, inside right, Denis Law, Scotland and Manchester United

9, centre forward, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentina and Real Madrid, who served as Captain

10, inside left, Eusébio, Portugal and Benfica

11, outside left, Francisco Gento, Spain and Real Madrid.

Substitutes: 1, goalkeeper Milutin Šoškić of Yugoslavia and Partizan Belgrade; 2, right back Luis Eyzaguirre of Chile and Universidad de Chile; 6, left back Jim Baxter of Scotland and Glasgow Rangers; 9, centre forward Uwe Seeler of West Germany and Hamburger SV; and 10, midfielder Ferenc Puskás of Hungary and Real Madrid.

So, 3 from South America, 1 from Africa (Eusébio was from Mozambique, still a colony of Portugal until 1975), none from Asia, none from North America (certainly, no Americans), 6 from Eastern Europe, 5 from Western Europe, and 2 from the British Isles but not England (Law and Baxter, both Scots).

Riera had managed his homeland of Chile, including Eyzaguirre, to 3rd place on home soil in the 1962 World Cup. Yashin had helped the Soviet Union win the 1st-ever European Championship in 1960. Santos was the only member of the Brazil team that won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups to participate: For whatever reason, Pelé of Santos, who turned 23 that day, did not. Pluskal, Popluhár and Masopust were members of the Czech team that reached the Final of the 1962 World Cup, losing to Brazil. That was the closest any Warsaw Pact nation ever came to winning the World Cup.

The Captains before the match: Armfield (left) and Di Stéfano

The England attack, led by Greaves, had several good chances to score, but Yashin kept denying them. In the 2nd half, Riera replaced Yashin with Šoškić. Big mistake: Greaves assisted Paine, who scored in the 66th minute. Law, already terrorizing England for Man U in a forward pairing with Charlton (they were the holders of the FA Cup), equalized in the 82nd minute. It looked like a draw (as a friendly, there was no plan for extra time), but in the 90th and last minute, Greaves scored to make it 2-1 England.

Greaves, who had helped Tottenham win the 1962 FA Cup and the 1963 European Cup Winners' Cup (but had been with Chelsea when "Spurs" won the 1961 League title and FA Cup, "The Double"), was hailed as the best attacker in the world. Yashin was hailed as the best goalkeeper, and was soon honored with the Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) as World Player of the Year. He remains the only goalkeeper ever to receive it.

This win gave Alf Ramsey and his players the realization that they could actually win the 1966 World Cup, which would be played on home soil. Banks, Wilson, Moore and Charlton would start for England in the Final. Armfield, Greaves, Eastham and Flowers would also be selected for that winning England team. Kay would not be a member of that team, banned from the game for his participation in the 1964 British football betting scandal.

Still alive from this game, 60 years later: For England, 5 players: Milne, Norman, Paine, Eastham and Kay (Charlton just died); For The Rest of the World, 4 players: Schnellinger, Law, Šoškić and Eyzaguirre.

How Long It's Been: England Won a Major Soccer Tournament

July 30, 1966, 50 years ago today: England wins the World Cup, beating West Germany 4-2 after extra time, on home soil, at the original Wembley Stadium in London.

Geoff Hurst became the only man to score a hat trick in a World Cup Final -- the only person, until Carli Lloyd did so for America in the Women's World Cup Final against Japan last year.

His 2nd goal was controversial, in that some people think it didn't cross the goal line. His 3rd came in the 120th minute, the last minute of extra time (not counting stoppage time), as fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate what seemed to be a 3-2 win. BBC announcer Kenneth Wolstenholme made the most famous call in the history of sportscasting -- yes, more famous than "The Giants win the Pennant!":

And here comes Hurst! He's got... Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over! It is now! It's four!

Captain Bobby Moore led the England players up the famous Wembley steps, and received the World Cup trophy from his head of state, Queen Elizabeth II.

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Here's England's performance in major tournaments since then:

* Euro 1968: Semifinal.
* 1970 World Cup: Quarterfinal.
* Euro 1972: Did not qualify.
* 1974 World Cup: Did not qualify.
* Euro 1976: Did not qualify.
* 1978 World Cup: Did not qualify.
* Euro 1980: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* 1982 World Cup: Eliminated after 2nd Group Stage. (Effectively, Round of 16.)
* Euro 1984: Did not qualify.
* 1986 World Cup: Quarterfinal. (Cheated by Argentina's Diego Maradona.)
* Euro 1988: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* 1990 World Cup: Semifinal. (Went out to West Germany on penalties.)
* Euro 1992: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* 1994 World Cup: Did not qualify.
* Euro 1996, on home soil: Semifinal. (Went out to the reunited Germany on penalties.)
* 1998 World Cup: Quarterfinal.
* Euro 2000: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* 2002 World Cup: Quarterfinal.
* Euro 2004: Quarterfinal. (Went out to Portugal on penalties.)
* 2006 World Cup: Quarterfinal. (Went out to Portugal on penalties.)
* Euro 2008: Did not qualify.
* 2010 World Cup: Round of 16. (Went out to Germany in normal time.)
* Euro 2012: Quarterfinal. (Went out to Italy on penalties.)
* 2014 World Cup: Eliminated after Group Stage.
* Euro 2016: Round of 16. (Went out to Iceland. Iceland!)

50 years. 25 tournaments. No wins. No Finals. 2 Semifinals. 3 times eliminated by Ze Germans. 5 times (out of the last 14) eliminated on penalties. 7 outright failures to qualify.

For half a century, the English have been telling the world that they "invented football." They did not: The Greeks and the Chinese were playing it 500 years before the birth of Christ. Then they'll say they popularized it and brought it to the world. Well, you don't see Harvard (or, even more ridiculously, the school that played the first American football game, which was really a 25-a-side soccer game: Rutgers) talking about their role in popularizing that sport.

And when you point out that English "football" is terrible now, they say, "Has your country won the World Cup?"

No, not the men's version. And for 50 years, neither has yours. These same English who make fun of the Scots for still talking about the Battle of Bannockburn, over 700 years later, are clinging to the fact that England won the World Cup within the lifetimes of many people still alive today.

Including 17 of the 22 players on that England squad: Gordon Banks, George Cohen, Ray Wilson, Nobby Stiles (the one with the missing teeth in the photo above), Jack Charlton, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton (Jack's brother), Hurst, Peter Bonetti, Jimmy Armfield, Martin Peters, Ron Flowers, Norman Hunter, Terry Paine, Ian Callaghan, Roger Hunt and George Eastham. Moore died in 1993. Manager Alf Ramsey died in 1999, Alan Ball in 2007, John Connelly in 2012, and Ron Springett and Gerry Byrne both died last year.

UPDATE: Armfield and Wilson died in 2018. Banks died in 2019.

July 30, 1966. Exactly 50 years. How long has that been?

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England hasn't won the World Cup since. Brazil and Germany have won it 3 times since. Argentina and Italy have won it twice, France and Spain have won it once.

The World Cup has since been held in Mexico twice, Germany twice, Argentina, Spain, Italy, America, France, Japan, Korea, South Africa and Brazil. The Olympics have since been held in America 4 times, Canada 3 times, France twice, Japan twice, Russia twice, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Bosnia, Korea, Spain, Norway, Australia, Greece, Italy, China and Britain. Next week, you can add Brazil to that list.

Since England last won it, the Football League and its successor the Premier League have been won by Manchester United 14 times, Liverpool 11 times, Arsenal 6 times, Chelsea 4 times; Everton, Leeds United and Manchester City 3 times each; twice each by Derby County; and once each by Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City.

Liverpool had just won the Football League, while Everton had just won the FA Cup. The defending World Champions in North American sports were the Los Angeles Dodgers in baseball, the Green Bay Packers in football, the Boston Celtics in basketball, and the Montreal Canadiens in hockey. Muhammad Ali was the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Of the 8 stadiums used in that World Cup, 4 still stand: Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield (home of Sheffield Wednesday, now infamous for the disaster that killed 96 people there during the 1989 FA Cup Semifinal), Villa Park in Birmingham (home of Aston Villa), Old Trafford in Salford (home of Manchester United), Goodison Park in Liverpool (home of Everton),

Wembley has been demolished and replaced by a new stadium of the same name on the same site. The White City Stadium in London (built as the main stadium for the 1908 Olympics) is now the site of the BBC's (British Broadcasting Corporation) headquarters and main studios. Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough and Roker Park in Sunderland have both been demolished and replaced by low-cost housing, and their home clubs have built new stadiums.

Most English stadiums had "terraces" behind the goal, without seats, where people would stand. These were disasters waiting to happen, and Hillsborough 1989 was the last of a few incidents that killed people, or could have. Most stadiums had poor concession and restroom facilities, and the seated stands along the sidelines ("touchlines," they would say) had little legroom. Nearly every stadium in England would be either replaced entirely or seriously modernized in the 1990s and 2000s.

Of the 19 men (the role is currently vacant at Hull City) who are starting the 2016-17 season as managers of Premier League teams: Arsene Wenger of Arsenal was 16, Claudio Ranieri of Leicester City was 14, Francesco Guidolin of Swansea City was 10, Tony Pulis of West Bromwich Albion was 8, Alan Pardew of Crystal Palace was 5, Claude Puel of Southampton and Walter Mazzarri of Watford were 4; Ronald Koeman of Everton, Jose Mourinho of Manchester United and David Moyes of Sunderland were 3, Mark Hughes of Stoke City was 2; and Eddie Howe of Bournemouth, Sean Dyche of Burnley, Antonio Conte of Chelsea, Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool, Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, Aitor Karanka of Middlesbrough, Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspur and Slavin Bilic of West Ham United weren't born yet.

In English football in 1966, if a player was said to be "foreign," that usually meant he was from Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Occasionally, there would be a player from outside the British Isles, but not often.

Queen Elizabeth is still on the throne. Harold Wilson was the Prime Minister. He would lose the office to Edward Heath, then regain it from him. Counting the 2 tenures of this 1 person, Britain has had 9 Prime Ministers -- despite Wilson holding the job for a total of 8 years, Margaret Thatcher for 11 and Tony Blair for 10. Theresa May just became the country's 2nd female Prime Minister. America has had 9 Presidents, and will soon have a 10th. The Prime Minister of Canada was Lester Pearson. The holder of the Nobel Peace Prize was UNICEF.

The President of the United States was Lyndon Johnson. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry Truman, their wives, and the widow of John F. Kennedy were still alive. Richard Nixon was in political exile. Gerald Ford was the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Jimmy Carter was in the State Senate in Georgia, and was embarking on his 1st campaign for Governor. So was former actor Ronald Reagan, in California. George H.W. Bush was running for the House of Representatives, and his son George W. was at Yale University. Bill Clinton was at Georgetown University, and his eventual wife Hillary Rodham was at Wellesley College. Donald Trump was at the University of Pennsylvania. Barack Obama was about to turn 5 years old, and his eventual wife Michelle Robinson was 2.

The Governor of the State of New York was Nelson Rockefeller. The Mayor of the City of New York was John Lindsay. The Governor of New Jersey was Richard J. Hughes. Andrew Cuomo was 8 years old, Bill de Blasio was 5, and Chris Christie was about to turn 4.

Major novels of the year included In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Magus by John Fowles, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (which was adapted into the Cliff Robertson movie Charly 2 years later), The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry, The Fixer by Bernard Malamud, The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott, The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron, and the best-selling novel in America since World War II, Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann.

Stephen King was at the University of Maine. George R.R. Martin had just graduated from Bayonne High School in New Jersey. J.K. Rowling would have her 1st birthday the day after the World Cup Final. No one had yet heard of Alexander Portnoy, Lestat de Lioncourt, T.S. Garp, Arthur Dent, Jason Bourne, Hannibal Lecter, Forrest Gump, Jack Ryan, Alex Cross, Bridget Jones, Robert Langdon, Lisbeth Salander, Bella Swan or Katniss Everdeen.

Major films of the Summer of 1966 included a film version of the new Batman TV series (released on the very day of England's World Cup win), Daleks -- Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (the 1st film based on Doctor Who, starring Peter Cushing as The Doctor), The Glass Bottom Boat, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, How to Steal a Million, Fantastic Voyage, the Elvis Presley film Paradise, Hawaiian Style, Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (a modernized comedy version of Robinson Crusoe starring Dick Van Dyke), and a Steve McQueen film whose name would be appropriated for the 1st great soccer bar in America: Nevada Smith.

Gene Roddenberry was getting ready to premiere Star Trek. George Lucas was at the University of Southern California. Steven Spielberg was at California State University at Long Beach. No one had yet heard of Billy Jack, Michael Corleone, HAL 9000, Harry Callahan, Cheech & Cong, John Shaft, Paul Kersey, Leatherface, Rocky Balboa, Howard Beale, Michael Myers, Jake & Elwood Blues, Mad Max Rockatansky, Jason Voorhees, Ash Williams, John Rambo, the Terminator, the Ghostbusters, Freddy Kreuger, Marty McFly, Robocop, John McClane, Jay & Silent Bob or Austin Powers.

Rawhide, Mister Ed, The Donna Reed Show, Ben Casey, The Addams Family and its copy (or was it vice versa?) The Munsters, McHale's Navy, The Patty Duke Show, Perry Mason and The Dick Van Dyke Show had all closed their runs on network TV; The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and My Favorite Martian soon would. The iconic Westerns Gunsmoke and Bonanza were still clippity-clopping along nicely. So were the spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E and the spy spoof Get Smart. Soon to premiere were Mission: Impossible, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Green Hornet, The Time Tunnel, The Monkees, That Girl, Family Affair, The Rat Patrol and The Hollywood Squares.

Bob Holiday had recently starred in the Broadway musical It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman.
Adam West had recently debuted as Batman. William Hartnell was still playing Doctor Who's First Doctor. There had not yet been live-action versions of Wonder Woman or Spider-Man. The comic book characters Ghost Rider, Luke Cage, the Punisher, Iron Fist, Cyborg, V (for Vendetta), Deadpool and Rick Grimes had yet to be created.

No one had yet heard of Hawkeye Pierce, Columbo, Scooby-Doo, Big Bird, Carol Brady, Monty Python, Mary Richards, Keith Partridge, Archie Bunker, Kwai Chang Caine, Fred Sanford, Bob Hartley, Theo Kojak, Arthur Fonzarelli, Barney Miller, Basil Fawlty, J.R. Ewing, Mork from Ork, William Adam, Arnold Jackson, Ken Reeves, Sam Malone, Christine Cagney & Marty Beth Lacey, He-Man, Goku, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Thundercats, Bart Simpson, Zack Morris, the Seinfeld Four, Buffy Summers, Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Ross Geller & Rachel Greene, Doug Ross, Xena, Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Don Draper, Walter White, Richard Castle or Sarah Manning.

The Number 1 song in America was "Wild Thing" by The Troggs. Elvis, as I said, was in the doldrums of the movie phase of his career. Frank Sinatra was enjoying a renaissance as he approached his 50th birthday: "Strangers In the Night" had hit Number 1, his album September of My Years and his TV special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music were both big hits, and his daughter Nancy had recently hit Number 1 with "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." The day before England won the World Cup, Bob Dylan had a nasty motorcycle crash that kept him from doing anything in music for over a year. His absence from the public eye led many people to think that the crash had actually killed him.

A car crash later in the year did not injure Paul McCartney of The Beatles, but, eventually, rumors would abound that he had been killed, and replaced by a double. Having recently released their album Revolver, the band was in the middle of a world tour and about to arrive in America, where, for what turned out to be the only time in his public life, John Lennon apologized for something: Saying that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus now. (He was right: They were.) After the tour ended in San Francisco on August 29, they decided never to tour again. They never did -- at least, not together.

That Summer, Bobby Fuller was murdered at what looked like the beginning of a great rock and roll career. Comedian Lenny Bruce was found dead of a drug overdose, but rumors that he was murdered would also persist. Frank Zappa and his band, The Mothers of Invention, released their album Freak Out! McCartney would later cite this, and The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, as inspirations for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Other albums released that Summer included Aretha Franklin's Soul Sister, The Supremes A' Go-Go, The Temptations' Gettin' Ready, The Byrds' Fifth Dimenson, And Then... Along Comes the Association, Dusty Springfield's You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Tim Hardin 1, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, The Mamas & the Papas, The Exciting Wilson Pickett, and James Brown's It's a Man's Man's Man's World.

Inflation has been such that what $1.00 bought then would cost $7.40 now. Or, more to the point of the country in question, what £1.00 bought then would cost £17.45 now. This was before the decimalisation of the pound on February 15, 1971.

Credit cards were still a relatively new thing, and there were no automatic teller machines in America. There were artificial kidneys, but no artificial hearts. Transplanting a kidney or a lung was possible, but not a heart or liver. There were birth control pills, but no Viagra. The U.S. space program was in the middle of Project Gemini, the middle stage of trying to get to the Moon.

Most American TV shows had gone over to color broadcasts, but only about 1/3rd of U.S. households had color TV sets. There were no hand-held calculators, no video games, no digital watches, no cable televisions, no mobile telephones, no VCRs, no personal computers, and no Internet. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee were all 11 years old.

In the Summer of 1966, the Vatican abolished their index of banned books. Prime Minister Wilson, President Charles de Gaulle of France, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India and Secretary General U Thant of the United Nations each made visits to the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong announced his Great Leap Forward in China. A gang led by Harry Roberts killed 3 London police officers.

In America, race riots struck the West Side of Chicago, the East Side of Cleveland, and in the Michigan capital of Lansing. Martin Luther King led a civil rights march in Chicago, and was hit with a rock thrown by a white counter-demonstrator. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) endorsed what it called "Black Power." The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that policemen must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them. The National Organization for Women (NOW) and the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) were founded. Richard Speck in Chicago and Charles Whitman in Austin, Texas became notorious murderers. The New York Herald Tribune ceased publication. Caesars Palace opened in Las Vegas. And ground was broken in New York for the original World Trade Center.

Delmore Schwartz, and Montgomery Clift, and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, the leading professional wrestler of the interwar years, died. Dikembo Mutombo, and Mike Tyson, and Gianfranco Zola were born.

July 30, 1966. England won the World Cup on home soil. It was the greatest moment in the history of British sport.

England have not won it since. They have not even been to a World Cup Final since. Only once since have they even made a World Cup Semifinal. And, based on their performances at the most recent editions of the World Cup and the European Championships, they're not getting appreciably close to doing it again.

I don't know what they're doing wrong. But they truly inspire a few rounds of that classic terrace chant: "You don't know what you're doing!"

July 11, 1966: England Begins Its Victorious World Cup

July 11, 1966, 50 years ago: The World Cup gets underway in England, with the host nation playing Uruguay to a 0-0 draw at the original Wembley Stadium in London.

England would go on to win the tournament, defeating West Germany 4-2 in extra time at Wembley on July 30.

Hail the Champions:

* Alfred Ernest Ramsey, a.k.a. Alf Ramsey, manager, born January 22, 1920 in Dagenham, East London. As player (a right back): 1943-49 Southampton, 1949-55 Tottenham Hotspur (a.k.a. Tottenham or Spurs, North London). As manager: 1955-63 Ipswich Town (Suffolk), 1963-74 England, 1977-78 Birmingham City (West Midlands), 1979-80 Panathinaikos (Athens, Greece).

* 1 Gordon Banks (no middle name), goalkeeper, born December 30, 1937 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. 1958-59 Chesterfield, 1959-67 Leicester City, 1967-72 Stoke City (Staffordshire, including their 1967 appearance in the United Soccer Association as the Cleveland Stokers), 1977-78 Fort Lauderdale Strikers (of the old North American Soccer League).

* 2 George Reginald Cohen, right back, born October 22, 1939 in Kensington, West London. 1956-69 Fulham (West London).

* 3 Ramon Wilson (no middle name), a.k.a. Ray Wilson, left back, born December 17, 1934 in Shirebrook, Derbyshire. 1952-64 Huddersfield Town (Yorkshire), 1964-69 Everton (Liverpool), 1969-70 Oldham Athletic (Greater Manchester), 1970-71 Bradford City (Yorkshire, player-manager).

* 4 Norbert Peter Stiles, a.k.a. Nobby Stiles, midfielder, born May 18, 1942 in Manchester. 1960-71 Manchester United, 1971-73 Middlesbrough, 1973-75 Preston North End. Managed the NASL's original Vancouver Whitecaps 1981-84.

* 5 John Charlton (no middle name), a.k.a. Jack Charlton, born May 8, 1935 in Ashington, Northumberland. 1952-73 Leeds United.

* 6 Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore, a.k.a. Bobby Moore, the Captain, born April 12, 1941 in Barking, East London. 1958-74 West Ham United, 1974-77 Fulham, 1976 on loan to the NASL's San Antonio Thunder, 1978 Seattle Sounders (the original NASL version), 1978 Herning Fremad (a club in Denmark that later merged with another to form FC Midtjylland). Despite his name and his London origin, he never played for West London club Chelsea.

* 7 Alan James Ball, a.k.a. Alan Ball or Alan Ball Jr., midfielder, born May 12, 1945 in Farnworth, Lancashire. 1960-61 Ashton United (Greater Manchester), 1962-66 Blackpool (Lancashire), 1966-71 Everton, 1971-76 Arsenal (North London), 1976-80 Southampton (Hampshire), 1978-79 on loan to the NASL's Philadelphia Fury, 1979-80 on loan to the Vancouver Whitecaps, 1980-81 back to Blackpool, 1981-83 back to Southampton, 1983 Bristol Rovers (Gloucestershire). Later managed arch-rivals Southampton and Portsmouth, and yet was beloved by both clubs' fans. His father, James Alan Ball or Alan Ball Sr., had also played and managed.

* 8 James Peter Greaves, a.k.a. Jimmy Greaves or Greavsie, forward, born February 20, 1940 in Manor Park, East London. 1957-61 Chelsea, 1961 AC Milan (Italy), 1961-70 Tottenham Hotspur, 1970-71 West Ham United, then bounced around the south of England until 1980. Was injured in the Group Stage and did not play in the knockout rounds. Later co-hosted Saint and Greavsie, a soccer-themed TV talk show with former Liverpool star Ian St. John.

* 9 Robert Charlton (no middle name), a.k.a. Bobby Charlton, forward, born October 11, 1937 in Ashington, younger brother of Jack. 1956-73 Manchester United, 1974-75 Preston North End (player-manager), 1976 Waterford United (Ireland). Also played county cricket for the Essex youth team.

* 10 Geoffrey Charles Hurst, forward, born December 8, 1941 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. 1959-72 West Ham United, 1972-75 Stoke City, 1975-76 West Bromwich Albion, 1976 Seattle Sounders. He is the only man ever to score a hat trick (3 goals) in a World Cup Final. His 2nd goal made the difference, but many people still think it didn't cross the line. (I've seen the film a few times. I think it the goal was correctly given.)

* 11 John Michael Connelly, winger, born July 18, 1938 in Barrowford, Lancashire. 1956-64 Burnley, 1964-66 Manchester United, 1966-70 Blackburn Rovers (Lancashire), 1970-73 Bury (Greater Manchester). Played only in the opening game against Uruguay.

* 12 Ronald Deryk George Springett, a.k.a. Ron Springett, goalkeeper, born July 22, 1935 in Fulham, West London. 1955-58 Queens Park Rangers (a.k.a. QPR, West London), 1958-67 Sheffield Wednesday (Yorkshire), 1967-69 QPR again. Although he was England's starting goalkeeper in the 1962 World Cup, he did not play in the 1966 edition.

* 13 Peter Phillip Bonetti, goalkeeper, born September 27, 1941 in Putney, West London. 1960-79 Chelsea, 1975 loan to St. Louis Stars (NASL), 1979 Dundee United (Scotland), came out of retirement to play 2 games for Woking (Surrey) in 1986. Did not appear in the 1966 World Cup, and famously took the heat for England getting knocked out in 1970 when he filled in for Banks, who was ill.

* 14 James Christopher Armfield, a.k.a. Jimmy Armfield, right back, born September 21, 1935 in Denton, Lancashire. 1954-71 Blackpool. Although he was acclaimed "the best right back in the world" during the 1962 World Cup, an injury kept him out of the 1966 edition. Later managed Leeds to the 1975 European Cup Final, losing to Bayern Munich.

* 15 Gerald Byrne (no middle name), a.k.a. Gerry Byrne, left back, born August 29, 1938 in Liverpool. 1957-69 Liverpool. Famously helped Liverpool win the 1965 FA Cup Final despite playing most of the game with a broken collarbone. Selected for the 1966 World Cup team, but did not play in the tournament.

* 16 Martin Stanford Peters, midfielder, born November 8, 1943 in Plaistow, East London. 1959-70 West Ham United, 1970-75 Tottenham Hotspur, 1975-80 Norwich City (Norfolk), 1980-81 Sheffield United (Yorkshire), 1982-83 Gorleston (Norfolk).

* 17 Ronald Flowers (no middle name), a.k.a. Ron Flowers, midfielder, born July 28, 1934 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. 1952-67 Wolverhampton Wanderers (West Midlands), 1967-69 Northampton Town, 1969-71 Telford United (Shropshire). Although he played for England in the 1962 World Cup, he did not appear in the 1966 edition despite being selected for the team. His brother John Flowers was a successful player for hometown club Doncaster Rovers. So was their uncle George Flowers.

* 18 Norman Hunter (no middle name), centreback, born October 29, 1938 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. 1962-76 Leeds United (Yorkshire), 1976-79 Bristol City (Gloucestershire), 1979-82 Barnsley (Yorkshire). The epitome of the "Dirty Leeds" teams of the latter half of the Sixties and the first half of the Seventies, during the 1972 FA Cup Final in which Leeds beat Arsenal, a Leeds fan held up a banner reading "NORMAN BITES YER LEGS." He was known as Bites Yer Legs Hunter from then on. Legend has it that, when he broke his own leg in training, someone told the club trainer, "Norman has broken a leg," and the trainer said, "Whose is it?" He was named to 2 World Cup squads, but only made 1 appearance, in 1970.

* 19 Terence Lionel Paine, a.k.a. Terry Paine, winger, born March 23, 1939 in Winchester, Hampshire. 1957-74 Southampton (Hampshire), 1974-77 Hereford United, 1979-80 Cheltenham Town (Gloucestershire). Injured in the match with Mexico, and never played for England again.

* 20 Ian Robert Callaghan, midfielder, born April 10, 1942 in Liverpool. 1960-78 Liverpool, 1978 Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL), 1978-81 Swansea City (Wales), 1981-82 Crewe Alexandra (Cheshire). Did not play in the World Cup.

* 21 Roger Hunt (no middle name), forward, born July 20, 1938 in Glazebury, Cheshire. 1958-69 Liverpool, 1969-72 Bolton Wanderers (Lancashire). Hurst has always said that if there had been any doubt that his 2nd goal had crossed the line, Hunt would have rushed in to put it over. Instead, Hunt turned away to celebrated it, suggesting that it was totally legit.

* 22 George Edward Eastham, forward, born September 23, 1936 in Blackpool, Lancashire. 1953-56 Ards (Bangor, Northern Ireland), 1956-60 Newcastle United (Tyne and Wear), 1960-66 Arsenal, 1966-73 Stoke City (teammates with Banks, including in their sojourn in Cleveland), 1974-76 Hellenic (Cape Town, South Africa). Best known as the player whose legal case broke England's maximum wage for footballers. This did not stop him from playing for England in the 1962 World Cup, although he was not put into any of the games for the 1966 edition. Later fought apartheid in South Africa as a white manager of black teams.

On the books of these teams at the time: 3 for Liverpool, 3 for Manchester United, 3 for West Ham United, 2 for Blackpool, 2 for Leeds United, and 1 each for Arsenal, Blackpool, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Including Ramsey, these men could be claimed at one time or another by these teams: 4 for West Ham; 3 each for Liverpool, Man United, Southampton, Stoke and Tottenham; 2 each for Arsenal, Blackpool, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Leeds and Preston; and 1 each for Ashton, Barnsley, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Bradford City, Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Burnley, Bury, Cheltenham, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Gorleston, Hereford, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Leicester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Northampton, Norwich, Oldham, QPR, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Swnasea, Telford, West Brom, Woking and Wolves.

Also with England at the 1958 World Cup: Bobby Charlton.

Also with England at the 1962 World Cup: Wilson, Moore, Greaves, Bobby Charlton, Connelly, Springett, Armfield, Flowers, Hunt, Eastham.

Also with England at the 1970 World Cup: Banks, Stiles, Moore, Ball, both Charltons, Hurst, Bonetti, Peters, Hunter.

Some of them might have made the team for England at the 1974 World Cup, but England did not qualify.

Queen Elizabeth II handed the World Cup itself, the Jules Rimet Trophy, to Captain Bobby Moore. There is a movement to convince her to grant him a posthumous knighthood. But if Horatio Nelson, Alan Turing and John Lennon aren't going to be posthumously knighted, then Moore stands little chance. Thus far, the Queen has knighted 2 members of the team: Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Geoff Hurst.

All of the players lived to see the 25th Anniversary of the achievement. All lived to see the 30th and the 40th, except for Moore: He died of colon cancer on February 24, 1993. He was only 51.

Alan Ball, the youngest member of the team, died on April 25, 2007. He was only 61. His father had also died young, in a car crash at age 57. John Connelly died on October 25, 2012, apparently of heart failure. He was 74. Ron Springett died on September 12, 2015, also apparently of heart failure. He was 80. Gerry Byrne died on November 28, 2015, of complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 77.

Now, in addition to Byrne's battle with Alzheimer's, 4 other members of that team are experiencing dementia: Wilson, Stiles and Peters have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and Jack Charlton says, "I haven't got a memory now. I forget things easily." He is no longer allowed to drive, or to go fishing alone. Stiles, Banks and Greaves are also battling cancer. Greaves, the Football League's all-time leading goalscorer, has had strokes, and is now wheelchair-bound.

Their numbers do not include Jeff Astle, perhaps the best-known English footballer to have had football-related dementia. He starred as a forward for West Midlands club West Bromwich Albion, and played for England in the 1970 World Cup. He died in 2002. Nor do they include Gerd Müller, the German star who did not make that World Cup, but would eliminate England from the 1970 edition and win it in 1974, and was diagnosed last year. (UPDATE: He died in 2021.)

Pat Wilson, Ray's wife, says, "There are people he played with at Huddersfield and Everton with Alzheimer's. They are all over. They have talked about heading the leather ball causing it."

The balls of that era were heavier than they are today, and, being made of leather, got heavier still when wet.

The surviving players have a golf outing every year. John Stiles, Nobby's son, says, "It's a real shame he can't go to the get-together anymore, because he loved going. He loved the camaraderie they had. That is what made them so special. But, unfortunately, like so many who played in that era and headed those heavy balls, my father has now got dementia. Many other players have some sort of degenerative brain disease."

When an event like winning a world championship happens, they say the participants and the spectators "will never forget."

Sadly, we now know that this is not necessarily true.

UPDATE: In 2018, Jimmy Armfield died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma on January 22; and Ray Wilson died of Alzheimer's disease on May 15.

In 2019, Gordon Banks died of cancer on February 12, and Martin Peters died of Alzheimer's disease on December 21.

In 2020, Peter Bonetti died on April 12, of what was only listed as "a long illness"; Norman Hunter died from COVID-19 on April 17; Jack Charlton died of lymphoma on July 10, also having dealt with dementia; and Nobby Stiles died on October 30, from the combined effects of cancer and dementia.

In 2021, Jimmy Greaves died of cancer on September 19; Roger Hunt died on September 27, of what was only listed as "a prolonged illness"; and Ron Flowers died on November 12, of an undisclosed cause.

George Cohen died on December 23, 2022. Bobby Charlton died on October 21, 2023. George Eastham died on December 20, 2024. That leaves Hurst, Paine and Callaghan, and only Hurst among those who played in the Final.

October 17, 1973: The OPEC Oil Shock

October 17, 1973: The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) proclaims an oil embargo at its meeting in Vienna, Austria. It is targeted at nations perceived as supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War, which was ongoing at this point. (OPEC's headquarters has been in Vienna since 1965, even though Austria is not a member.)

The OPEC member nations are the Middle East nations of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Libya; the East Asian nation of Indonesia; and the South American nation of Venezuela. For those of you old enough to remember the 1990s, it may seem shocking to see Iraq and Kuwait working together. For those of you, like me, old enough to remember the 1980s (if not quite 1973), it may seem shocking to see Iraq and Iran working together. But it would take until 1979 for the Islamic Revolution to take over in Iran, and the same year for Saddam Hussein to do so in Iraq.

The targeted nations are America, Britain, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands. It is later extended to Portugal, and the apartheid nations of South Africa and Rhodesia.

In America, this drives the price of gasoline way up, and they had already gone up a lot this year, as a general inflation jacked up the prices of everything. It didn't help that President Richard Nixon was paying more attention to defending himself in the Watergate scandal than to the economy. Three days later came his firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, and of 2 aides who refused to help him do it, an event known as "the Saturday Night Massacre."

The embargo ended in March 1974, with the price of oil per barrel having gone up from $3 to almost $12. This had such an effect on the American economy that, when Time magazine named its Man of the Year for 1974, 9 months after the end of the embargo and 4 months after Nixon was forced to resign the Presidency, it didn't name Nixon; or his replacement, Gerald Ford; or any of his opponents, such as the new Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski, or House Judiciary Committee Chairman Peter Rodino, or, collectively, the U.S. Supreme Court. It named King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.

One of the ways America dealt with the gas shortage was to institute the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit. Another was to ration gas: If your license plate ended with an odd number, you could buy gas on an odd-numbered day; if it ended with an even number, you could buy it on an even-numbered day. This policy would be adopted again in 1979, the next time an oil embargo was launched.

But there was another way America dealt with the oil embargo, which had nothing to do with cars: An additional reliance on nuclear energy. In 1979, a near-disaster at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania showed why that idea was so dumb.

*

October 17, 1973 was a Wednesday. On the same day, Motorola engineer Marty Cooper was granted the patent for the handheld mobile telephone.

It was midweek for the NFL and college football. But Game 4 of the World Series was played at Shea Stadium. The New York Mets evened the Series at 2 games apiece with a 6-1 win over the Oakland Athletics at Shea Stadium. In support of Met starting pitcher Jon Matlack, Rusty Staub went 4-for-4 with a homer and 5 RBI. The New Orleans chef was really cooking that night.

A's manager Dick Williams was tired of team owner Charlie Finley's meddling, and told his players that, win or lose, he would resign when the Series was over. In the 8th inning, as a pinch-hitter, he sent Mike Andrews, the 2nd baseman whose 2 errors in the 12th inning of Game 2 at the Oakland Coliseum gave the Mets a win, and whom Finley had unsuccessfully tried to have removed from the World Series roster. The Met fans, showing an intelligence for which I tend credit them, gave him a standing ovation. He grounded out. It turned out to be his last major league at-bat.

There were 2 NBA games played that day. The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Golden State Warriors, 109-95 at the Milwaukee Exposition and Convention Center Arena (MECCA). And the Kansas City-Omaha Kings beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 108-106 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

There were 3 ABA games played: The Kentucky Colonels beat the Virginia Squires, 116-106 at Freedom Hall in Louisville. The Carolina Cougars beat the Memphis Tams, 108-95 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. And the Denver Rockets beat the Utah Stars, 112-97 at the Auditorium Arena in Denver. The Rockets would become the Denver Nuggets at the start of the 1974-75 season.

There were 6 NHL games played. The New York Rangers beat the St. Louis Blues, 4-0 at Madison Square Garden. Eddie Giacomin had the shutout, and was backed by goals from Bruce MacGregor, Steve Vickers, Rod Gilbert and Jim Neilson.

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens, 5-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The Atlanta Flames beat the Boston Bruins, 4-3 at The Omni in Atlanta. The Chicago Black Hawks beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-0 at the Chicago Stadium. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Minnesota North Stars, 4-2 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. And the Philadelphia Flyers beat the California Golden Seals, 5-1 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. Finley owned them, too, and they went out of business, but not before playing the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons as the Cleveland Barons.

There were 2 games in the World Hockey Association. The Winnipeg Jets beat the New England Whalers, 3-1 at the Boston Garden. And the Houston Aeros, with 44-year-old Gordie Howe leading a line with his sons Mark and Marty, beat the Vancouver Blazers, 7-2 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

There was one more sporting event on this day that I should mention: The England national soccer team can only manage a 1-1 draw against Poland in a European qualifying match for the 1974 World Cup at the old Wembley Stadium in London. It means that England won't even qualify for the World Cup, and manager Sir Alf Ramsey, who guided them to the 1966 World Cup, is soon fired. Poland will go on to reach the Semifinals, their best performance ever. (They would match that in 1982, but have yet to surpass it.)