| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Blanchflower | ||
| Date of birth | 7 March 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 2 September 1998 (aged 65) | ||
| Place of death | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Half back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1949–1951 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1951–1958 | Manchester United | 105 | (26) |
| National team | |||
| 1954–1958 | Northern Ireland | 12 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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John "Jackie" Blanchflower (7 March 1933 — 2 September 1998) was a Northern Irish football player. He graduated from Manchester United's youth system and played for the club on 117 occasions, before his career was cut short due to injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster. He was the younger brother of Danny Blanchflower, the captain of the Tottenham Hotspur side that dominated English football in the early 1960s.
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Blanchflower's first appearance in a professional game was for Manchester United on 24 November 1951 against Liverpool, away at Anfield. He helped the club to two league titles during the 1950s. Nicknamed "Twiggy" by his teammates, he was renowned for his versatility. Initially, he played many games as a forward, but the Manchester United manager at the time, Matt Busby recognised his intelligent positioning sense and aerial power and chose to play him at centre-half. He scored 27 goals during his time at the club.
On 6 February 1958, the Manchester United team that had travelled to Belgrade for the second leg of a European cup tie had their chartered plane stop in Munich to refuel. Weather conditions caused the plane to crash when the pilot attempted to take-off from Munich airport and 23 of the 43 passengers on board were killed. Blanchflower was severely injured, suffering from a fractured pelvis and arms and legs, and crushed kidneys, and his right arm was nearly severed. He was in hospital for two months and was read the last rites in the early days, but survived.[1]
He tried to return to football, but never made a full recovery. Doctors advised him not to return to football because of fears he would damage his kidney and, a year later, Blanchflower retired from football. The Munich air disaster had ended his career at the age of just 24, having earned 12 caps for Northern Ireland.
The callous attitude of Manchester United towards Blanchflower after injury forced the end of his playing career was revealed by journalist David Conn in a 2000 article in The Independent:
Jackie Blanchflower, who like most of the players, lived in a house owned by the club, had to vacate it. "It was made pretty clear we had to leave," says Jean, his wife. "United were very cold, very harsh, after the crash." By January 1959, Blanchflower was on the dole. Louis Edwards offered him a job in his meat factory, loading pies on to lorries, but he declined, working in a succession of jobs until he later had some success as an after-dinner speaker.[2]
He and Jean married in 1956[3]
After retiring from football, Jackie Blanchflower tried various jobs in the Manchester area, but misfortune dogged him:
He eventually pursued studies in finance and began a career as an accountant. He later became an after-dinner speaker and was a regular on the after-dinner circuits until his death from cancer on 2 September 1998. He was 65 years old.
He is survived by his three children; John senior (born 1961), Helen (born 1964) and James (born 1966).[4] He had been a widower since the death of his wife Jean in 1990.[5]
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