Garth Crooks

Infobox Football biography
playername = Garth Crooks


fullname = Garth Anthony Crooks
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1958|3|10
cityofbirth = Stoke-on-Trent
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height =
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1976–1980
1980–1985
1983–1984
1985–1987
1987–1990
clubs = fc|Stoke City
fc|Tottenham Hotspur
→ fc|Manchester United (loan)
fc|West Bromwich Albion
fc|Charlton Athletic
caps(goals) = 147 (48)
125 (48)
007 0(2)
040 (16)
056 (15)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = England U21
nationalcaps(goals) = 0040(3)

Garth Anthony Crooks OBE (born 10 March 1958 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is a retired English football player of Jamaican ancestry. He currently works in broadcasting with the BBC as a journalist.

Career

The striker began his career at hometown club fc|Stoke City, scoring 53 goals in 162 appearances. He became most famous following a high-profile transfer to fc|Tottenham Hotspur in 1980, where he formed a successful striking partnership with Steve Archibald. With Crooks leading the line, Spurs won two FA Cups and the 1984 UEFA Cup. Crooks became the first black player to score in an FA Cup final, scoring in a 3–2 win over fc|Manchester City in 1981. [http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2796/Crooks-Garth.html Garth Crooks biography] , retrieved 11 December 2007] He later enjoyed a loan at fc|Manchester United as well as spells at West Bromwich Albion and Charlton Athletic, before injury forced his retirement in 1990.Cite news
title = Garth Crooks
work = BBC
accessdate = 2007-12-11
date = 2001-08-10
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/football_focus/1480432.stm]

In 1988, he became the first black chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association but gave up the role after retiring in 1990. He first worked in the media as a match analyst at the 1982 and 1990 World Cups and later worked as "Match of the Day"'s reporter at the England camp at Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup. In the late 1990s, Crooks became presenter of the political television show "Despatch Box" and it was rumoured he would run for Parliament. In 1999 he was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to football. He currently regularly appears on "Final Score" as a pundit. He is occasionally seen at the end of some football matches interviewing the players of the match. He also submits his "best eleven" footballers each week on the BBC website. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/shared/spl/hi/football/squad_selector/team_of_the_week/html/ss_team.stm Team of the week] Retrieved September 03 2008]

Honours

As a player

Tottenham Hotspur
* FA Cup winner 1981
* FA Cup winner 1982

References

External links

* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/537320/ Garth Crooks at Screen Online]
* [http://www.givemefootball.com/display.cfm?article=3077&type=1 PFA profile of Garth Crooks]