May 5, 1956: Bert Trautmann Breaks His Neck to Win the FA Cup

May 5, 1956, 70 years ago: Many sports fans have said they would die for their team. Most don't mean it. And most don't expect their players to die for their teams. Well, one man broke his neck to win his team a trophy, and lived to tell about it.

Bernhard Carl Trautmann was born on October 22, 1923 in Bremen, Germany. This was the same month in which Charlton Heston, Glynis Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, and New York baseball legend Bobby Thomson were born.

He excelled in multiple sports, including soccer, where he was an expert goalkeeper. Like nearly every German male of his generation, he joined the Army, fighting for the Nazis whether they liked it or not. He became a paratrooper, so he was certainly brave. He would eventually be captured by, and escape from, the Americans, the Soviet Red Army, and the French Resistance. The 4th time, he was captured by the British. This time, he accepted his fate, and was taken to a prisoner-of-war camp near Liverpool.

After The War, he was released, but declined an offer of repatriation, and stayed in England. He played for St. Helens Town, a club near Liverpool. He was allowed to marry Margaret Friar, the daughter of the club secretary. He got the club promoted, and in 1949, he was signed by Manchester City Football Club. This made him the 1st soccer player in England to wear Adidas shoes, since he was a friend of the company's founder, Adolf Dassler. (His nickname was Adi, hence, "Adi Das." His brother Rudolf Dassler founded Puma.)

Man City fans were not happy about the signing. A, Trautmann wasn't just German, he had actually fought for the enemy. B, He was replacing Frank Swift, the greatest goalie in Man City's history to that point. (Swift then became a journalist, and died in the Munich Air Disaster of 1958, covering Manchester United's European Cup run.)

A January 1950 match away to West London club Fulham changed things. He made several great saves, and, although Fulham won 1-0, their fans stopped hurling insults at him, and gave him a standing ovation as he walked off the field.

Man City were relegated to the Football League Division Two at the end of the season, but bounced back up to Division One at the end of the next season. Led by Trautmann and forward Don Revie (later the manager of the great Leeds United team of the late 1960s and early 1970s), they reached the 1955 FA Cup Final, losing to Newcastle United FC.

In 1956, they got back to the Final, and faced Birmingham City FC. The game was 1-1 at the hour, but Bobby Johnstone and Jack Dyson scored in quick succession to make it 3-1 to Man City. In the 73rd minute, Peter Murphy attempted a shot for the Brummies, but Trautmann dove at his feet to win the ball. In the process, Murphy's knee struck Trautmann in the neck.

Trautmann was knocked unconscious. Substitutes were not allowed in English football until the 1965-66 season, so if he could not continue, an outfield player would have to put on the green shirt, and City would be down to 10 men. Trautmann came to, and, with the situation explained to him, he insisted on staying in the game.

The Man City players did what they could to keep the ball away from him, but he had to make 2 more saves, the 2nd of which was another collision with Murphy, resulting in his needing treatment.

The game ended 3-1, and the Man City players climbed the famed Wembley Stadium steps to the royal box, where Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, handed out the Cup to winning Captain Roy Paul, and the winner's medals to all the players. On the film, Trautmann can be seen rubbing his neck. Prince Philip expressed concern for Trautmann's condition.

After 3 days, the pain didn't go away, so Trautmann went to the doctor. He was told he had dislocated 5 vertebrae, 1 of which was cracked. The 3rd vertebra had lodged against the cracked 2nd, possibly saving his life. He had, quite literally, broken his neck to win the FA Cup.

He missed much of the 1956-57 season, and in 1958, because he had not fully recovered, Man City became the only team in the history of England's Football League (including the post-1992 Premier League) to score 100 goals and allow 100 goals in a single League season. But he continued to play until 1964, and his final match was a testimonial at Maine Road, City's ground from 1923 to 2003. He captained a combined City and United team, with Bobby Charlton and Denis Law guesting from United, against an International XI that had England stars Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Jimmy Armfield.

He was not allowed to play for the West Germany national team, under their rules of the time, because he was playing outside the country, and so he was not on the team that won the 1954 World Cup. He later coached in England, Germany and Spain, and managed the national teams of Burma, Tanzania, Liberia and Pakistan.

He settled in the Mediterranean coastal city of Valencia, Spain. He married 3 times, and had 4 children, 1 of whom died in a car crash as a boy, which led to the breakup of his 1st marriage. Queen Elizabeth II awarded him an OBE for his efforts at diplomacy through sport, and, on the occasion, asked him if his neck felt better.

He was honored with a statue outside the City of Manchester Stadium, to which Man City moved in 2003, and is now named the Etihad Stadium.

He died on July 19, 2013, in Valencia, from the effects of a pair of heart attacks earlier in the year, up to which point he was still thought to be in good health. He was 89 years old.

Bert Trautmann was a symbol of courage, perseverance, understanding and sportsmanship. He could have been embittered by either the war he was in or his new country's reaction to his service in it. Instead, he made both his old country and his new country better places to be. That's testimonial enough for anyone.

May 11, 1985: The Bradford City Stadium Fire

May 11, 1985, 40 years ago: Bradford City Association Football Club, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, hosts their last home game of the season at their stadium, Valley Parade. It turns into a disaster -- and not the kind of disaster their fans would have considered a 4-0 defeat to be.

Unlike American sports teams, English "football" "clubs" tended to keep their old stadiums for as long as possible. This was a bad idea, since many of them still had wood in their construction, and fans liked to smoke, and drop their cigarettes.

On this day, at Valley Parade, which opened in 1886 and had hardly been modernized at all since, Bradford, in England's Football League Division Three, were playing Lincoln City, of Lincolnshire. This game is the most interesting thing that has ever happened to the "Imps."

Bradford, the "Bantams," should be so lucky: They had won Division Three that season, earning promotion to Division Two, and nobody outside Bradford remembers that. And their only major trophy is the 1911 FA Cup, and that's so far back that nobody remembers that, either.

The stand before the fire

The match was covered by British network ITV, so the key moments survive without a film crew arriving in mid-disaster. At 3:40 PM, ITV commentator John Helm remarked upon a small fire in the main stand. In less than 4 minutes, with the windy conditions, the fire had engulfed the whole stand, trapping some people in their seats.

In the panic that ensued, fleeing crowds escaped on to the pitch, but others at the back of the stand tried to break down locked exit doors to escape. Many were burned to death at the turnstile gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. A total of 56 people died, making it the biggest disaster in the history of English football to that point.

(This was topped in Scotland by the 66 who died at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow in 1971, and would be surpassed by the 97 deaths that have now been attributed to the Hillsborough Disaster in Sheffield in 1989.)

Helm reported that he could feel the heat, from all the way across the stadium. As he put it, "Quite extraordinary scenes at Valley Parade. This was supposed to be a day of utter joy, triumph and celebration. It's turning into a nightmare."

There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery.

Nevertheless, a bad year for English soccer -- which had already seen several notorious incidents of hooliganism, including a riot of Millwall fans at Luton Town 2 months earlier -- got even worse. On the same day as the Valley Parade fire, Birmingham City's promotion from the Second Division was marred by a riot by Leeds United fans, in which a 14-year-old spectator was crushed to death by a collapsing wall.

Both clubs were then known for their infamous hooligan firms: Leeds had the Leeds Service Crew, while Birmingham City had the Zulu Army -- named in tribute to the 1964 film that launched Michael Caine to stardom, but also because it was the first widely-known hooligan firm to have been racially integrated.

And there was more to come, in Brussels, Belgium, as the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Italian team Juventus resulted in 39 deaths, with severe repercussions for the English game.

Bradford City played home games at other grounds in West Yorkshire for 19 months, while Valley Parade was rebuilt, opening on December 14, 1986, just in time to get it in for the 100th Anniversary of the original stadium. Today, it is a modern all-seater stadium, holding 25,136 spectators, with a memorial to the victims at its north end.

The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in British stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. It was also a catalyst for the substantial redevelopment and modernization of many British football grounds in the years to come. 

Bradford City continues to support the burn unit at the University of Bradford hospital as its official charity.

No World Cup for U.K., U.S.: Thanks a Lot, You Stupid Brummies!

Today, FIFA, the governing body for world soccer, awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia, and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

England had been one of the favorites for 2018. Since 2010's was held in South Africa and 2014's will be held in the South American nation of Brazil, it was almost certain to go to somewhere in Europe. And that would have made 2022 sure to go to somewhere other than Europe, South America or Africa. That gave the U.S. and Australia a chance, seeing as how, like England (Great Britain, actually), they have most of the stadiums they need already in place, and strong economies.

Aside from the time difference (an 8 PM start time in Sydney would be a 10 AM in New York), I would've been just fine with Australia hosting it. They did a great job with the 2000 Olympics, and with the facilities they already have, they might not have had to build a single new stadium. It would have been economical, they've got a good transport system despite being a far-flung country (2,500 miles from Sydney to Perth), and with Australia being mostly British by descent anyway, the passionate home fan base is there. It would have been a fine choice, and I would've only been slightly disappointed at not getting it.

That said, I'm really glad it'll be in Brazil next time, only 2 time zones ahead of U.S. Eastern. South Africa did a good job hosting this summer, but it was a bad choice for me, time-wise. A lot further east, Australia would've been an even bigger reminder of why I'm glad it only happens once every 4 years, but they still would have been a far better host than the Russkies and the Sheiks.

Russia? Where Vladimir Putin – a dead ringer for horrible English referee Mike Dean – is first among equals among mobsters? And Eastern Europe is notorious for racism. And for lousy stadiums: Communism may have inspired some great literature and film, but their architecture stinks, especially their athletic facilities.

And Qatar? Home to 1.7 million people (fewer than the city of Houston, or England's Greater Manchester metropolitan area) and al-Jazeera? How many stadiums to they have built already, one? And it's a tiny country: Where are they gonna put said grounds? No booze, and women stay covered up? (In other words, Brazilian women will probably have to stay home, and a lot of other international babes will be rendered useless as well.)

Brazil 2014 will be The Last World Cup. Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 may be called "World Cups," but FIFA have succeeded in making it a bigger joke than the Olympics. (Come to think of it, Brazil 2016 may be the last one of those worth watching, too.)

I'm disappointed with the U.S. not getting 2022, but I would have been fine with it if '18 and '22 had gone to countries not stuck in the 20th Century (Russia's gangarchy) or the 16th Century (and Qatar is considered liberal only by OPEC standards).

Who's to blame? Charges that FIFA can be bribed have been made before: A lot of people thought South Africa was going to get it for 2006, but it went to Germany instead. A nation with more money, and of course it's the homeland of FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The 2010 Cup was a consolation prize for South Africa, and they did a pretty good job, considering they're poor by comparison (although richer than most other African nations).

England (and thus America) getting stiffed might also have something to do with that Carling Cup Quarterfinal yesterday, a "derby" between the 2 teams of Birmingham, Birmingham City and Aston Villa, won by City 2-1, and at the end the City fans (a.k.a. "Brummies" or "Bluenoses") stormed the field. Sorry, forgot to speak English there: They invaded the pitch. And tore out seats.

The Zulu Army – so named because they were the 1st English hooligan firm to be racially integrated, and also because their original members loved the Michael Caine movie Zulu – lives. In the immortal words of Bowling for Soup, they're still preoccupied with 1985.

So, as an Arsenal fan and an American, I can only say... Thanks a lot, you stupid Brummies! If you hadn't torn up St. Andrews, which I thought you considered to be sacred ground, maybe England, and thus the U.S., would have had a fairer chance! Inbred cunts.

Let the record show that one of America's major steel cities, Birmingham, Alabama, was named for the English steelmaking city of the same name, except we pronounce it BIR-ming-ham, not BIRM-ing-um. As an industrial center, Birmingham, England became a producer of hard rock: Traffic with Steve Winwood, Ozzy Osbourne's original band Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest, whose breakthrough album (in 1980) was titled Britsh Steel and featured the immortal song "Breaking the Law."

I hated Priest as a kid. And Ozzy. And AC/DC, too. What can I say, I grew up. And the music that's come out since has been considerably lesser.

The most famous person from Brum, aside from politicians like Neville Chamberlain and England's answer to George Wallace, the contemptible Enoch "Rivers of Blood" Powell, is probably Ozzy. But he's a Villa fan. Hates the Bluenoses.

Maybe he's not as crazy as we thought.

Although, let's be honest: To answer Bowling for Soup's question, Ozzy became an actor in 1970, when he founded Black Sabbath. He's been playing the Prince of Darkness ever since.