Eddie Colman
Encyclopedia
Edward "Eddie" Colman was an English
football player and one of the eight Manchester United
players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster
.
Colman was born in Salford, Lancashire
and joined Manchester United's youth team on leaving school in the summer of 1952. He became a first-team member during the 1955–56 season. Over the next two-and-a-half years he made 107 first-team appearances, scoring two goals, the second of which came in the first leg of the fateful European Cup
quarter-final tie against Red Star Belgrade
. In his time at United, he was nicknamed "Snakehips" for his trademark body swerve.
Aged 21 years and 3 months, he was the youngest person to die in the Munich air disaster. An accommodation building at the University of Salford
is named after him – the Eddie Colman Court is a block of flats located near the main campus.
A statue of Colman was erected at his graveside in Weaste
Cemetery, Salford, after his death, but it was badly damaged by vandals
and after being repaired was placed in the home of his father Dick, who died in October 1986 at the age of 76 and is buried alongside Eddie as well as Eddie's mother Elizabeth, who died in November 1971 at the age of 62.
27 workers at a Manchester
boxmaking firm had been dismissed from their jobs for leaving work to attend Colman's funeral; however they were all swiftly reinstated.
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...
football player and one of the eight Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
.
Colman was born in Salford, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and joined Manchester United's youth team on leaving school in the summer of 1952. He became a first-team member during the 1955–56 season. Over the next two-and-a-half years he made 107 first-team appearances, scoring two goals, the second of which came in the first leg of the fateful European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
quarter-final tie against Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
. In his time at United, he was nicknamed "Snakehips" for his trademark body swerve.
Aged 21 years and 3 months, he was the youngest person to die in the Munich air disaster. An accommodation building at the University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
is named after him – the Eddie Colman Court is a block of flats located near the main campus.
A statue of Colman was erected at his graveside in Weaste
Weaste
Weaste is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is an industrial area, with many industrial estates. The A57 road passes through Weaste, which lies close to the M602 motorway...
Cemetery, Salford, after his death, but it was badly damaged by vandals
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
and after being repaired was placed in the home of his father Dick, who died in October 1986 at the age of 76 and is buried alongside Eddie as well as Eddie's mother Elizabeth, who died in November 1971 at the age of 62.
27 workers at a Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
boxmaking firm had been dismissed from their jobs for leaving work to attend Colman's funeral; however they were all swiftly reinstated.