Anthony Peter Dunne (24 July 1941 – 8 June 2020) was an Irish footballer who played as a left-back. Born in Dublin, he began his career with youth side Stella Maris before signing for Drumcondra-based Shelbourne, with whom he won the FAI Cup in his second year in the senior team in 1960. That year, he moved to England to play for Manchester United, for whom he made more than 500 appearances in 13 years, winning the First Division in 1965 and 1967, the FA Cup in 1963 and the European Cup in 1968. After being released in 1973, he signed for Bolton Wanderers, making another almost 200 appearances in six years, before playing a single season with the Detroit Express in the North American Soccer League in 1979. Dunne won 33 caps for the Republic of Ireland between 1962 and 1975, and was named Irish Footballer of the Year in 1969. After retiring, he had a brief spell as manager of Norwegian club Steinkjer FK in 1982–83.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Peter Dunne | ||
| Date of birth | 24 July 1941 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 8 June 2020 (aged 78) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Stella Maris | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1958–1960 | Shelbourne | 18 | (1) |
| 1960–1973 | Manchester United | 414 | (2) |
| 1973–1979 | Bolton Wanderers | 170 | (0) |
| 1979 | Detroit Express | 12 | (0) |
| Total | 614 | (3) | |
| International career | |||
| 1962–1975 | Republic of Ireland | 33 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1982–1983 | Steinkjer FK | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editEarly career
editBorn in Dublin on 24 July 1941,[2] Dunne played for Stella Maris as a schoolboy and Shelbourne from 1958 to 1960.[3] Having helped Shelbourne win the FAI Youth Cup in 1959, he won the FAI Cup with them the following year, beating Cork Hibernians 2–0 in the final.[4][3]
Manchester United
editA week after the final, on 26 April 1960, he was signed by Manchester United for £5,000[5] as cover for Noel Cantwell and Shay Brennan.[2] His debut for United came against Burnley on 15 October 1960, playing at left-back alongside Maurice Setters. He helped Manchester United win the FA Cup in 1963, and the First Division title 1965 and 1967. His highest honour came as part of the side that won the 1968 European Cup, beating Benfica 4–1 in the final.[6] This was despite having ruptured his Achilles tendon in the quarter-final of the competition against Gornik Zabrze.[7]
He made 535 appearances for Manchester United, behind only Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes at the time of his departure in 1973.[6][8]
Bolton Wanderers
editDunne was released by Manchester United following the 1972–73 season, and signed for newly promoted Second Division side Bolton Wanderers in August 1973, though he returned to Manchester United for a testimonial match two months later. In six years with Bolton, he made almost 200 appearances and helped them win the Second Division in 1977–78.[5]
Detroit Express
editHe joined Detroit Express in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1979.[5]
International career
editHe made his full international debut in the 3–2 home defeat by Austria on 8 April 1962.[9] Over 13 years, he earned 33 caps, appearing in both full-back positions and at centre-half.[7] He captained his country on four occasions.[9] He was named Irish Footballer of the Year in 1969.[6]
Management career
editAfter retiring from professional football, Dunne returned to Bolton as an assistant manager from 1979 to 1981; he then replaced his former Manchester United teammate Bill Foulkes as manager of Norwegian club Steinkjer FK in 1982–1983.[5]
Personal life
editDunne lived in Sale and ran a driving range in Altrincham.[8]
He died on 8 June 2020, aged 78.[10]
Honours
editShelbourne
editManchester United
edit- Football League First Division: 1964–65, 1966–67[11]
- FA Cup: 1962–63[4][10]
- European Cup: 1967–68[10][11]
- FA Charity Shield: 1965,[12] 1967[13]
Bolton Wanderers
editReferences
editFootnotes
edit- ^ "Tony Dunne". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Tony Dunne – the diminutive defender who became a Manchester United giant". Belfast Telegraph. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Former Ireland and Man United star Tony Dunne, dies aged 78". RTE. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "Former Ireland and Man United star Tony Dunne, dies aged 78". rte.ie. RTE. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Murphy, Daniel (8 June 2020). "Manchester United great Tony Dunne dies aged 78". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "Tony Dunne: Man Utd 1968 European Cup winner dies, aged 78". BBC News. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b McCormack, Richie (8 June 2020). "Former Manchester United and Ireland defender Tony Dunne dies". OTB Sports. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Tony Dunne, Manchester United European Cup winner, dies aged 78". The Guardian. 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b Malone, Emmet (8 June 2020). "Manchester United great Tony Dunne dies aged 78". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "Tony Dunne: Man Utd 1968 European Cup winner dies, aged 78". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Former Republic of Ireland and Man United defender Tony Dunne dies aged 78". thejournal.ie. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "1965/66 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ "1967/68 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
Bibliography
edit- Dykes, Garth (1994). The United Alphabet: A Complete Who's Who of Manchester United F.C. Leicester: ACL & Polar Publishing. ISBN 0-9514862-6-8.