Tony Collins

Anthony Norman Collins (19 March 1926 – 8 February 2021) was an English football player, manager and scout, who played as a left winger. He managed Rochdale between 1960 and 1967, becoming the first black manager in the Football League and leading them to the 1962 Football League Cup Final, their only major final appearance.

Collins played professionally for Sheffield Wednesday, York City, Watford (in two spells), Norwich City, Torquay United and Crystal Palace (where he was the club's first mixed-race player), before ending his playing career at Rochdale. Apart from a spell as assistant manager (and briefly caretaker manager) at Bristol City, he latterly worked mainly in scouting for a number of clubs, including Leeds United and Manchester United, as well as for the England national team.

Early life Tony Collins was born in Kensington, London, on 19 March 1926 to a 17-year-old unmarried white mother. His father, who was black, was not named on the birth certificate. Collins was adopted by his maternal grandparents and grew up in the Portobello Road area.

Playing career During his three years of wartime service stationed in Padua, Italy, Collins was spotted in Army football matches and recommended to Sheffield Wednesday.

After Watford, Collins joined Norwich City in 1953 and then Torquay United in 1955. He briefly returned to Watford in 1957 before signing for Crystal Palace later that year; he was the first black player to appear for Palace. He joined his final club as a player, Rochdale, in June 1959. In total, Collins made 333 Football League appearances, scoring 47 goals, before retiring in 1961.

Collins has the distinction of having been the first Black footballer at several of the clubs he played for in the Football League: Watford (debut, 21 October 1950); Norwich City (debut, 19 August 1953); and Crystal Palace (debut, 23 November 1957). He is also likely to have been the first Black player to represent Torquay United for whom he played in 1955–1957.

Management and scouting career At the end of Collins' first season at Rochdale, manager Jack Marshall left the club to join Blackburn Rovers. After being encouraged by his teammates to apply for the post, Collins was appointed player-manager of the Fourth Division club in June 1960. He retired from playing to become a full-time manager in September 1961. , it remains the club's only appearance in a major final, and one of only two EFL Cup final appearances by a fourth-tier side. Despite this achievement, Collins failed to attract interest in his services from larger clubs. Gradually tiring of the demands the job placed on his time and family life, he resigned in September 1967. He retired at the age of 80. This led to Collins, by then 90 years old and living in a care home in Moston, Manchester, to be interviewed by BBC North West Tonight and ITV News about his life and career. He received the Service to Football Award at the 2017 League Managers Association Awards.

Collins died on 8 February 2021, aged 94. Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the League Managers Association, described him as "a true pioneer of the sport".

Personal life