Frank Swift
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Frank Victor Swift | ||
| Date of birth | 26 December 1913 | ||
| Place of birth | Blackpool, Lancashire, England | ||
| Date of death | 6 February 1958 (aged 44) | ||
| Place of death | Munich, West Germany | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1933–1949 | Manchester City | 376 | (0) |
| → (wartime league) | 134 | (0) | |
| 1939–1945 | → Aldershot (guest) | 12 | (0) |
| 1939–1940 | → Liverpool (guest) | 2 | (0) |
| 1941–1942 | → Charlton Athletic (guest) | 1 | (0) |
| 1942–1943 | → Fulham (guest) | 5 | (0) |
| 1942–1943 | → Reading (guest) | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 534 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1939–1946 | England (wartime) | 14 | (0) |
| 1946–1949 | England | 19 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Frank Victor Swift (26 December 1913 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City and England. After starting his career with local clubs near his home town of Blackpool, in 1932 he was signed by First Division Manchester City, with whom he played his entire professional career.
Swift broke into the Manchester City first team in 1933, taking part in the club's run to the 1934 FA Cup Final, where the club triumphed 2–1 against Portsmouth. Three years later Swift won a League Championship medal, after playing in every match of Manchester City's championship-winning season. War denied Swift several years of playing in his prime, though during wartime he was chosen to represent his country in international matches. After the war he made his competitive international debut, playing 19 internationals between 1946 and 1949.
Swift retired in 1949, taking up a career in journalism as a football correspondent for the News of the World. He died, aged 44, in the Munich air disaster after reporting on Manchester United's European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade.
Born in Blackpool, a coastal town in north-west England, Swift's first club was Blackpool Gas Works, where he worked as a coke-keeper. A spell at nearby Fleetwood followed, during which Swift attracted interest from a number of Football League clubs. Potential suitors included Blackpool (where Frank's elder brother Fred was the goalkeeper), Blackburn Rovers, Bradford City and Manchester City. The first to offer Swift a contract were Manchester City, who played in the First Division, the highest level of English football. Initially signed as an amateur in October 1932, eighteen-year-old Swift turned professional the following month, receiving a wage of ten shillings (50p) per week. The following December he was called up to the first team, having previously made only three reserve team appearances.
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