Tony Collins, the first black player ever to play for Torquay United and the Football League’s first ever black manager, has died at the age of 94.
Born in Kensington in 1926, Collins was spotted by Sheffield Wednesday whilst he was serving in the Army in Italy during the Second World War. Despite never making an appearance for the Owls, Collins would appear for York City, Watford and Norwich City before Eric Webber brought him to Plainmoor in 1955.
While at Plainmoor, Collins – a left winger – would form part of one of the most exciting forward lines in the ‘old’ Division Three South, which included Ron Shaw on the right wing, Don Mills at inside-forward and Sammy Collins – United’s all-time record goal scorer and no relation - up front.
He was part of the United side that narrowly missed out on clinching the Division Three South title to Ipswich Town on goal average in the 1956-57 season.
Shortly afterwards, Collins returned to Watford and later went on to play for Crystal Palace before he was appointed as manager of Rochdale in 1959. While at Spotland, he led Dale to the 1962 League Cup final, after beating Blackburn Rovers over two legs in the semi-finals before losing to his former club Norwich in the final.
After resigning as manager of Dale in 1967, Collins didn’t manage again despite applying for numerous jobs in the Football League.
His next role in the game saw him work as a scout for Bristol City and Leeds United. His role with the West Yorkshire side saw him under Don Revie, where he complied meticulous dossiers on Leeds’ opponents that became stuff of legend as Leeds became a major force in English football.
He was also at Elland Road during Brian Clough’s infamous 44 day spell in charge. Clough also acknowledges some advice that Collins gave him in his 1994 autobiography: “I know you want to make changes and that one or two players will be on their way – but don’t rush it. Don’t be in too much of a hurry. They don’t take easily to change here, so be advised – take your time.”
Following Revie’s appointment as England manager, he was employed to compile dossiers on England’s opponents – including one which he compiled for a fixture against Scotland which was leaked to the press and led to him being dubbed as ‘football’s superspy’.
In 1976, Collins returned to Bristol City as assistant manager under Alan Dicks, which coincided with the Robins’ spell in the ‘old’ First Division between 1976 and 1980 and he even had a caretaker stint in charge at Ashton Gate in 1980 in the wake of Dicks’ departure.
Collins briefly returned to Elland Road before he was appointed as chief scout of Manchester United, and he was responsible for recommending a young Lee Sharpe, then with Torquay, to the Red Devils in 1988.
Other hopefuls that he recommended to various clubs over the course of his career included Kevin Keegan, Alan Shearer and a young Ruud Gullit who he came across during a trip to Holland.
After scouting for Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United, Millwall and Derby County, Collins eventually retired from the game and was honoured for his services to Football by the League Manager’s Association in 2017.
Despite playing at a time when non-white players were a rarity, Collins was never affected by prejudice and few contemporary reports made reference to his colour. He even admitted himself once that he ‘never stopped to think about it.’
