| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin James Hector | ||
| Date of birth | 2 November 1944 | ||
| Place of birth | Leeds, England | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1962–1966 | Bradford Park Avenue | 176 | (113) |
| 1966–1978 | Derby County | 430 | (147) |
| 1978–1980 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 63 | (39) |
| 1978 | → Boston United (loan) | 13 | (4) |
| 1979–1980 | → Burton Albion (loan) | 11 | (9) |
| 1980–1982 | Derby County | 56 | (8) |
| 1982 | Shepshed Charterhouse | ||
| 1982–1984 | Gresley Rovers | 38 | (3) |
| 1984–1985 | Belper Town | ||
| 1985–1986 | Eastwood Town | ||
| 1986–1987 | Heanor Town | ||
| 1987–1994 | Shardlow St James | ||
| National team | |||
| 1973 | England | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Kevin James Hector (born 2 November 1944 in Leeds)[1] is an English former footballer who scored 268 goals from 662 appearances in the Football League playing for Bradford Park Avenue and Derby County.[2] His 486 League appearances for Derby County is a club record. He also played in the North American Soccer League for the Vancouver Whitecaps,[3] and was capped twice for England.[1]
After a successful start to his playing career in the lower leagues at Bradford Park Avenue, he signed for Derby County in 1966 and was a key player in their success under the management of Brian Clough and Dave Mackay over the next few seasons, forming a formidable partnership with John O'Hare. Hector played for the Rams for a total of 12 years, during which time they won the Football League First Division championship twice (the first time in 1972 under Clough and the second time in 1975 under Mackay), the Football League Second Division championship and promotion to the First Division in 1969, and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, FA Cup and the League Cup. He rejoined the club for a brief spell in 1980, when they had been relegated back to the Second Division, and stayed with them for two years. He made a total of 486 league appearances, and scoring 155 goals. He was also capped twice for England. His 486 league appearances is a record for a Derby County player.
He is regarded as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Derby County shirt and was nicknamed "The King" by the Derby fans.
Hector made his breakthrough with Bradford Park Avenue after having played in Leeds United's youth team.His goal scoring exploits for Avenue include 44 league goals in 1965-66, the season in which he became the third youngest player to reach 100 league goals, headed only by Jimmy Greaves and Dixie Dean. In September 1966 he was signed by then Derby County manager Tim Ward for the sum of £34,500. He left Derby for Vancouver Whitecaps when Tommy Docherty would not play him in the first team, scoring 15 goals for the Canadian outfit as they won the 1979 NASL title.[4] He returned to Derby under Peter Taylor and scored in his final game. Hector then played for Burton Albion, a non-League club at the time, continuing to live in the Derby area.
On leaving football Hector became a postman, but was a regular player for Derby County charity events, including scoring his first overhead kick at age 59.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Colin Todd |
Derby County Player of the Year 1972-73 |
Succeeded by Ron Webster |
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