Seniority Killed the Cat

Bert Williams, the man who blew the 1950 World Cup for England, has died at the age of 93. Heavy favorites to win the Cup and coming off a crushing pre-tournament win over a European team and a win in their first match, England was expected to blow a ragtag bunch of American part-time players who arrived at the stadium smoking cigars and wearing cowboy hats to celebrate Stereotype Day off the pitch. While his teammates kept pressure on the American goal, Williams was free to daydream, smooth out the grass, and look for hot Brazilians in the crowd while standing in his own goal. After making one save, Williams decided his work was done for the day and the second shot on goal by the US trickled by as the day’s only tally. The US 1-0 win, dubbed the Miracle on Grass, was so inconceivable that many British fans assumed a teletype had incorrectly reported a 10-1 British win. Despite this ignominious defeat, Williams was regarded as one of the greats of British soccer, leading the Wolverhampton Wanderers to the FA Cup in 1949 and the League Championship in 1954, and his 420 matches for the Wanderers stood as a club record for a goalkeeper for more than 40 years.