Eddie Colman

Edward Colman (1 November 1936 – 6 February 1958) was an English football player and one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.

Eddie Colman
Colman in May 1957
Personal information
Full name Edward Colman
Date of birth (1936-11-01)1 November 1936
Place of birth Ordsall, Salford, England
Date of death 6 February 1958(1958-02-06) (aged 21)
Place of death Munich, West Germany
Position(s) Wing half
Youth career
1952–1955 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1958 Manchester United 85 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
Colman (front row, far right) in a Manchester United team photo in 1957

Colman was born on Archie Street in Ordsall, Salford, Lancashire, the only child of plate player Richard Colman and his wife Elizabeth.

He joined Manchester United's youth team on leaving school in the summer of 1952. He became a first-team member at right-half during the 1955-56 season, ousting Jeff Whitefoot to play alongside Duncan Edwards. He finished the season with a Football League First Division title medal. He collected another league championship medal the following season, and also helped United reach the European Cup semi-finals. He played in the FA Cup final that season, but only collected a runners-up medal as United lost 2–1 to Aston Villa.

He made 108 first-team appearances for United, scoring two goals, the second of which came in the first leg of the fateful European Cup quarter-final tie against Red Star Belgrade. He died on 6 February 1958 in the crash at Munich airport after the plane stopped to refuel on the return flight.

In his time at United, he was nicknamed "Snakehips" for his trademark body swerve.[1]

Aged 21 years and 3 months, he was the youngest of the 23 people to die. 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.

Eddie Colman's headstone, Weaste cemetery

A statue of Colman was erected at his graveside in Weaste Cemetery, Weaste, Salford, after his death, but it was badly damaged by vandals within a few years and after being repaired was placed in the home of his father Dick. Dick, who died in October 1986 at the age of 76, is buried alongside Eddie and Eddie's mother Elizabeth, who died in November 1971 at the age of 62.[2]

Twenty-seven workers at a Manchester boxmaking firm were dismissed from their jobs for leaving work to attend Colman's funeral, but were all soon reinstated.[3]

Career statistics

Club Season League FA Cup European Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United[4]
1955–56 250100000260
1956–57 361608010511
1957–58 240205100311
Total 85190131101082

References

  1. "Legends profile:Eddie Colman". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
  2. "Eddie Colman". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Andrew Endlar. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
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