55 Facts About Tommy Lawton

Thomas Lawton was an English football player and manager.

Tommy Lawton went on to finish as the First Division's top-scorer in 1938 and 1939, helping Everton to finish as champions of the Football League in the latter campaign.

Tommy Lawton scored 22 goals in his 23 England appearances over a ten-year international career from 1938 to 1948, including four against Portugal in May 1947.

Tommy Lawton fell out of international contention at the age of 28 due to his contempt for manager Walter Winterbottom, his decision to drop out of the First Division, and the emergence of Jackie Milburn and Nat Lofthouse.

Tommy Lawton married twice, and had two children and one step-child.

Tommy Lawton's ashes are held in the National Football Museum, and he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Thomas Tommy Lawton was born on 6 October 1919 to Elizabeth Riley and Thomas Tommy Lawton senior in Farnworth, Lancashire.

Tommy Lawton's father was a railway signalman, and his mother worked as a weaver at Harrowby Mill.

Tommy Lawton's father left the family 18 months after Lawton was born, and Elizabeth moved back into her parents' home in Bolton.

Tommy Lawton was picked by Lancashire Schools at the age of 13.

The FA's rules meant he was unable to turn professional at a club until he was 17, and Tommy Lawton's grandfather rejected Bolton Wanderers's offer for Tommy Lawton to work as a delivery driver for two years before turning professional at the club.

Tommy Lawton instead played as an amateur for Rossendale United in the Lancashire Combination, scoring a hat-trick on his debut against Bacup.

Tommy Lawton took up temporary work at a tannery, and then joined Burnley as assistant groundsman after his mother rejected an offer from Sheffield Wednesday as she objected to him travelling to Sheffield on a daily basis.

Tommy Lawton played his first game for Burnley Reserves against Manchester City Reserves in September 1935, and though he struggled in this game he went on to become a regular Reserve team player by the age of 16.

Tommy Lawton continued to train his heading skills intensely in the summer of 1936, and played cricket for Burnley Cricket Club as a batsman in the Lancashire League.

Tommy Lawton scored 369 runs in 15 completed innings for an average of 24.06.

Tommy Lawton ended the campaign with 28 goals in 39 appearances to become the division's top-scorer.

The game against Arsenal was part of a run of six wins in the first six games of the campaign, during which time Tommy Lawton scored eight goals.

Tommy Lawton scored 35 goals in 38 league games to finish as the division's top-scorer for the second successive season.

Tommy Lawton later remarked that "I'm convinced that if it hadn't been for the War, we'd have won the Championship again, the average age of those players was about 24 or 25".

Tommy Lawton continued to play for both Everton and England during the war.

Tommy Lawton was called up to the British Army in January 1940, and his status as an England international saw him recruited to the Royal Army Physical Training Corps.

Tommy Lawton played for the British Army team and his Area Command team.

Tommy Lawton was posted in Birkenhead, which allowed him to frequently appear for Everton.

In July 1945, Tommy Lawton handed in a transfer request at Everton as he wanted a move to a Southern club so as to see more of his increasingly estranged wife.

Tommy Lawton favoured a move to Arsenal, but this was ruled out by the Chelsea hierarchy.

Tommy Lawton turned down an approach by Sunderland manager Bill Murray as he held out hope that Chelsea would relent and allow him a move to Arsenal.

Tommy Lawton made the surprise decision to drop down two divisions so as to be reunited with manager Arthur Stollery, his former masseur and friend at Chelsea, and because he was promised a job outside of football upon his retirement by vice-chairman Harold Walmsley.

Tommy Lawton found that the well paid job he was promised outside of football did not transpire.

Tommy Lawton signed two veterans in former Notts County teammate Frank Broome and Ian McPherson to play on the wings, who, with Lawton, formed an attacking trio with a combined age of 104.

Tommy Lawton was signed by manager Tom Whittaker, who had previously found success in bringing in veterans such as Ronnie Rooke and Joe Mercer.

Tommy Lawton was widely regarded as the finest centre-forward of his generation.

Tommy Lawton boasted a strong physique and good ball control skills, as well as a great passing range and a powerful shot.

Tommy Lawton was naturally right-footed, though worked to improve his left foot to a good enough standard to be considered a two-footed player.

Tommy Lawton was successful in bringing to Kettering Fulham's Bob Thomas, Harry McDonald who was previously with Crystal Palace and Sunderland's Geoff Toseland.

Tommy Lawton was appointed as Notts County manager in May 1957, controversially replacing caretaker-manager Frank Broome.

Tommy Lawton found it tedious making new signings due to financial constraints on the part of the club.

Tommy Lawton did though take on forwards Jeff Astle and Tony Hateley as apprentices, who would both go on to have long careers in the First Division.

Tommy Lawton agreed to go without his wages for six months so as to improve the club's finances.

Tommy Lawton received a total of just three months pay for his time at the club, having only a verbal offer of a three-year contract to fall back on, and nothing in writing.

Tommy Lawton was offered the job on a permanent basis, but turned it down so as to concentrate on his job as an insurance salesman.

Tommy Lawton lost his job in insurance in 1967, and then opened a sporting goods shop that bore his name after going into partnership with a friend, but was forced to close the business after just two months due to poor sales.

Tommy Lawton returned to Notts County to work as a coach and chief scout from 1968 to 1970.

Tommy Lawton was sacked after new manager Jimmy Sirrel decided to appoint his own backroom staff, and Lawton returned to unemployment.

Tommy Lawton was interviewed by Eamonn Andrews on ITV's Today programme on his fall from England star to the unemployment line.

Tommy Lawton continued to write cheques in the company's name, and in June 1972 pleaded Guilty to seven charges of obtaining goods and cash by deception.

Tommy Lawton's health deteriorated in his old age and he died in November 1996, aged 77, as a result of pneumonia.

Tommy Lawton's ashes were donated to the National Football Museum.

Tommy Lawton was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Tommy Lawton married Rosaleen May Kavanagh in January 1941; the marriage bore one child, Amanda.

Divorce was granted with a decree nisi in March 1951 after Rosaleen was found to have committed adultery with Notts County director Adrian Van Geffen; Tommy Lawton never saw Amanda again and was not required to pay child support.

Tommy Lawton married second wife Gladys Rose in September 1952, who bore him a son, Thomas Junior.

Gladys had a daughter, Carol, from her previous marriage, who Tommy Lawton raised as his own.

Tommy Lawton starred alongside Thora Hird and Diana Dors in 1953 film The Great Game, playing himself in a cameo role.

Tommy Lawton published a total of four books: Tommy Lawton's all star football book, Soccer the Lawton way, My Twenty Years of Soccer, and When the Cheering Stopped.