Jack Walker

Lore & Background

Walker was born in Blackburn, the youngest of three children, and left school at 13. He worked as a sheet metal worker and a conscript craftsman in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. In 1951, after his father Charles died, Walker took over the family sheet metal business and built Walkersteel into the largest steel stockholder in Britain, employing 3,400 people at 50 sites. He sold Walkersteel to British Steel for £360 million. He also owned Jersey European Airways, which later became Flybe. Walker took full control of Blackburn Rovers in January 1991, spending £25 million on players in three years, including British record transfers for Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. Under his ownership, Rovers won the 1994–95 FA Premier League, their first top division title in 81 years. He died of cancer on 17 August 2000.

Reader's Guide

Jack Walker is best known as the owner of Blackburn Rovers, not Everton. He transformed the club from a second-tier side into Premier League champions. His business career began with a family sheet metal business and grew into Walkersteel, a steel giant. He also owned Jersey European Airways, which later rebranded as British European and then Flybe. His motto was 'think big'.

Did You Know?

• Walkersteel was sold for £360 million, the highest price ever paid for a private company at the time.
• Walker broke the British transfer record twice: signing Alan Shearer for £3.3 million in 1992 and Chris Sutton for £5 million in 1994.
• Blackburn Rovers won the 1994–95 Premier League under Walker's ownership, their first top division title in 81 years.
• Walker's estate sold its 48.1% shareholding in Flybe in 2013.