Sammy Crooks
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Dickinson Crooks | ||
| Date of birth | 16 January 1908 | ||
| Place of birth | Bearpark, County Durham, England | ||
| Date of death | 3 February 1981 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Belper, England | ||
| Playing position | Outside right | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bearpark Colliery | |||
| Brandon Juniors | |||
| Tow Law Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1926–1927 | Durham City | 16 | (4) |
| 1927–1946 | Derby County | 408 | (105) |
| National team | |||
| 1930–1936 | England | 26 | (7) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1949–1950 | Retford Town | ||
| 1950–1954 | Shrewsbury Town | ||
| 1954–1957 | Gresley Rovers | ||
| 1957 | Burton Albion | ||
| 1958–1959 | Gresley Rovers | ||
| 1959–1960 | Heanor Town | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Samuel Dickinson "Sammy" Crooks (16 January 1908 – 3 February 1981) was an English footballer who played as outside forward or outside right for Derby County in the mid-war era. He was one of the best-known footballers of the 1920s and 1930s and was capped 26 times by England.
Crooks was born at Bearpark, County Durham, one of a family of 17 children. After leaving school, he worked in the coal-mines and played for the colliery team and then for Tow Law Town in his spare time until problems with rheumatism forced him to abandon his career underground. When his health was restored he joined Durham City in June 1926 and made 16 appearances for them in the Third Division (North).
By April 1927, he had been spotted by George Jobey and was signed for Derby County for a fee of £300, making his debut for The Rams in a 2–1 win over Leicester City on 10 September 1927. Between 1927 and 1946 he played 445 games for the Rams, scoring 111 goals. During this period, County were twice runners-up in the Football League, in 1930 and 1936.
His first appearance for England was in a 5–2 victory against Scotland on 5 April 1930. He then became a regular fixture in the England side, making 26 appearances and scoring 7 goals, including two in a 7–1 defeat of Spain on 9 December 1931. His final England appearance came in a 6–2 victory over Hungary on 2 December 1936, (playing alongside Derby County colleagues Raich Carter and Eric Keen).
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