Munich Air Disaster 1958: Busby Babes – Sir Matt Busby, arguably the finest manager that Manchester United ever had, was the man who assembled a team full of young superstars that dazzled not just people in Manchester, but in the rest of the country too. On 6th February 1958, a plane which was carrying several Manchester United players and staff had crashed as eight first-team players lost their lives who had been dubbed the Busby Babes for their sporting success. A total of 23 people lost their lives as a result of the disaster. Follow InsideSport.IN for the latest news and updates.
Munich Air Disaster 1958: The plane crash that killed Manchester United players and staff in 1958 who had been nicknamed the “Busby Babes”
Sir Bobby Charlton and Duncan Edwards were the two standout players in the team. Edwards, a 21-year-old from Dudley, was considered the finest player of his generation. Many claim he would’ve gone on to become England’s greatest ever footballer.
February 6, 1958.
Forever in our hearts.#FlowersOfManchester 🌹 pic.twitter.com/eKsocj2Ufk
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 6, 2022
Munich Air Disaster 1958: The plane crash that killed Manchester United the “Busby Babes”
Earning the nickname ‘The Busby Babes’, the team won two consecutive Championships in 1955/56 and 1956/57 with an average age of just 22. Everybody loved them. Sir Matt Busby wanted to reach even greater heights though. A highly motivated individual, he wanted to conquer ground where no English club had set foot. United became the first English side to ever compete for the European Cup.
The season before the crash, the Reds reached the semi-finals, where they were knocked out by eventual winners Real Madrid. They went into the competition as favourites in 1957/58.
𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒔.
In 2018, our participants joined @ManUtd players to record this moving poem to mark the 60th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster.
Today, we share it again, as we remember the #FlowersOfManchester 🔴❤️ pic.twitter.com/rOk3tsdIDQ
— Manchester United Foundation (@MU_Foundation) February 6, 2022
Munich Air Disaster 1958: What caused the Munich Air disaster?
Domestic league matches were on Saturdays and European matches midweek, so air travel was the only choice if United were to fulfil their league fixtures and avoid a points deduction. Playing Red Star Belgrade of Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, United drew 3-3 on the night and progressed as they beat them 5-4 on aggregate.
On the flight back, most United supporters know what happened. A stop-off in Munich for refuelling turned out to be a tragedy and in the end, eight first-team players lost their lives. Geoff Bent (aged 25), Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), David Pegg (22), Tommy Taylor (26) and Liam Whelan (22) all died due to the crash. Edwards later died in hospital due to severely damaged kidneys.
How many Manchester United players were killed in the Munich air disaster?
Manchester United players
- Geoff Bent
- Roger Byrne
- Eddie Colman
- Duncan Edwards
- Mark Jones
- David Pegg
- Tommy Taylor
- Liam “Billy” Whelan
Munich Air Disaster 1958: The plane crash that killed Manchester United players and staff in 1958 which had been nicknamed the “Busby Babes”
Manchester United staff
- Walter Crickmer – club secretary
- Tom Curry – trainer
- Bert Whalley – chief coach
Crew
- Captain Kenneth Rayment
- Tom Cable
Journalists
- Alf Clarke
- Donny Davies
- George Follows
- Tom Jackson
- Archie Ledbrooke
- Henry Rose
- Frank Swift
- Eric Thompson
Munich Air Disaster 1958: The plane crash that killed Manchester United players and staff in 1958 which had been nicknamed the “Busby Babes”
Other passengers
- Bela Miklos
- Willie Satinoff
Munich Air Disaster 1958: The plane crash that killed Manchester United players and staff in 1958 who had been nicknamed the “Busby Babes”
(inputs taken from Manchester United website, Manchester Evening news and the Evening Standard)
Editors pick
