Munich – 50 Years Later
by AB on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 10:21am
I came late to Manchester United fandom. I started following soccer during the 1994 World Cup, then ramped up significantly during the 2002 edition as the US Men’s Team put on a good show in Korea. At the time, the internet was still learning what it would be, as strange as that sounds. Most teams had some sort of web presence, but Man U’s was far and away the most comprehensive. There was free audio of gamedays, and listening to streaming games made it much easier to follow a team five time zones away. The site also offered a vast section on the history of the club. Even as a newcomer, the tradition of Manchester United seemed to shine through.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of a devastating plane crash where 23 people lost their lives, eight players from the Manchester United First team included. The Busby Babes, so named for their relative youth and their performance under the tutelage of Sit Matt Busby, will forever be remebered, as an official ceremony will commemorate a portion of Old Trafford to those lost in Munich this day in 1958.
Eight United players were among the 23 people who lost their lives on 6 February 1958, when BEA flight G-ALZU crashed on the third take-off attempt after re-fuelling in Germany on the way back from a European Cup success at Red Star Belgrade.
Sir Matt Busby’s side – back-to-back English champions and well positioned for a hat-trick attempt – arguably were on course to become the best-ever United team.
The players who died in the crash were Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan.
In addition to the Manchester remembrance, a short ceremony, organised by supporters, will also take place at the memorial site in Trudering, on the outskirts of Munich.
Sir Alex Ferguson weighs in with his thoughts, and Phil Holland writes a tremendous piece that is well worth a read if you are at all interested in soccer history. Then head to The Swamp, where phirahnas has started a thread for more thoughts on the tragedy.