26 Facts About Dickie Bird

Dickie Bird's career was blighted by a knee injury, which eventually forced him to retire aged 31.

Dickie Bird umpired in 66 Test matches and 69 One Day Internationals, including 3 World Cup Finals.

In February 2014, Yorkshire announced that Dickie Bird was to be voted in as the club's president at their Annual General Meeting on 29 March.

Dickie Bird's autobiography, published in 1997, has sold more than a million copies.

Harold Dennis Dickie Bird was born at Church Lane, Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, on Wednesday, 19 April 1933, but when he was two years old, he moved with his family to New Lodge estate as his house was pulled down in a slum clearance scheme.

In 1944, Dickie Bird failed his 11-plus examination and went to Raley Secondary Modern School, leaving at the age of 15.

In 1956, Dickie Bird signed up with his home county, Yorkshire.

Dickie Bird played only five more championship matches that season, four in the middle order rather than his preferred opener's position, and spent most of the season as "twelfth man": hardly a situation conducive to building confidence in his batting.

Dickie Bird coached cricket at Plymouth College between 1966 and 1968, and coached in Johannesburg in 1968 and 1969.

Dickie Bird stood in his first county game in 1970.

Dickie Bird was very strict on the definitions of "intimidatory bowling", both from short-pitched deliveries and high full tosses, and made it abundantly clear he would tolerate none of it.

Dickie Bird was an umpire in the final of the inaugural Cricket World Cup in 1975.

Dickie Bird was still on the pitch at the time according to his own recounting of the event in his book.

One of Dickie Bird's strengths was his ability to manage and earn the respect of some of the more volatile players in the game, sometimes by using his infectious humour.

Dickie Bird was known as being eccentric, famously arriving at a ground five hours early as the Queen was to visit that day.

Dickie Bird's eyes had to clear quickly, though, because two minutes later he had to give England captain Mike Atherton out LBW in the first over.

Dickie Bird umpired in 66 Test matches and 69 One Day Internationals including 3 World Cup Finals.

Dickie Bird went on to write his autobiography simply titled My Autobiography, which sold more than a million copies.

Dickie Bird was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1992 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at Yorkshire Television.

Dickie Bird appeared in an episode of Top Gear in 2010.

Dickie Bird made a guest appearance in Series 16 Ep 7 of Heartbeat umpiring a cricket match.

Dickie Bird was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1986 and Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to cricket and charity.

Dickie Bird has received honorary doctorates from Huddersfield, Leeds and Sheffield Hallam Universities.

Dickie Bird was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1996.

In March 2021, Dickie Bird spoke to the BBC about his loneliness while shielding during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Dickie Bird said that exercise was the key to him keeping his spirits up.