Derek Dooley Profile

Derek Dooley MBE
By Paul Holland
December 31 2002

A Funny Old Game (AFOG) features a profile of Derek Dooley, who did not have a average Footballing Career as you will see. Today (31/12/2002) Dooley was named a MBE.

Dooley, Derek

In 1952, Sheffield Wednesday was amazingly promoted into Division One, they scored 100 goals that season, and 46 of those came from twenty year-old forward Derek ‘Thunder Boots’ Dooley. 

Yet less a year on Dooley was involved in a terrific accident, which left him with his leg amputated and thus ending his Football Career before it had really started. 

Derek was born in the Pitsmoor area of Sheffield in 1929. He attended Oller Lane Intermediate School where ‘Football was on the curriculum, two periods a week’. He represent the Sheffield district for the Under-16 team, two weeks later he made his first senior appearance for Lincoln City Reserves against Denaby United in Midland League. He recalls the game in Arthur Hopcraft’s book ‘The Football Man’. 

“I’m not sure how I got involved with Lincoln. I suppose a scout had been watching me play for the YMCA, but it all came as a surprise. I’d never been out of Sheffield before, except for our annual holiday to Blackpool, and Denaby was like the end of the earth. I had no idea what colours Lincoln wore and was horrified to be thrown a red and white striped shirt – that was sacrilege to me. I was a Wednesday-ite’. 

The game ended 6-1 to United, but Derek did score the Imps goal. He stayed at the Sincil Bank club for a further two years as a amateur before signing as a professional for Owls, however he did not prove to be a immediate effect. 

For several years at Hillsborough he played in the Reserves and the ‘A’ team while making little progress. But in October 1951 Wednesday was well down near bottom of Division Two and desperately needed striker. They had already given six strikers a trial. 

After scoring four goals in a Reserve match the Board of Directors opted to give Derek Dooley a game against Burnley in which he scored twice to set The Owls promotion battle on their way. 

Dooley became a household name, not only for his goals but also for an incident between Wednesday and Preston North End at Deepdale in February 1953. ‘Thunder Boots’ collided with the North End goalkeeper and suffered with a broken leg and was taken to hospital. 

While in hospital, gangrene set in his right leg had it had to be amputated from the middle of the thigh. He was 23 and recently married with no home to call his own and also with no trade. He was on £14.00 a week, out of which he never saved. 

The Public however helped him, they managed to raise enough money to buy him a house and a mysterious pools winner also donated £3,000 to his cause. 

Meanwhile in his hospital bed, he began to come to grips with his injury. “Well,’ I thought, ’except for the fact that you can’t play football, you can live a normal life’. 

After a while out of the game he re-joined Sheffield Wednesday in a Commercial role before moving to Red and White half of Sheffield where he became Chairman, he retired in 2001 at the age of 72. On 31 December 2002 it was announced that Derek Dooley is to be a MBE.