Busby Babes

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Lore & Background

The Busby Babes were notable not only for being young and gifted, but for being developed by the club itself, rather than bought from other clubs, which was customary then. The term, coined by Manchester Evening News journalist Tom Jackson in 1951, usually refers to the players who won the league championship in seasons 1955–56 and 1956–57, with an average age of 21 and 22 respectively. Eight of the players – Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), Duncan Edwards (21), Liam Whelan (22), Tommy Taylor (26), David Pegg (22) and Geoff Bent (25) – died in or as a result of the Munich air disaster in February 1958. Jackie Blanchflower, 24 at the time of the crash, and senior player Johnny Berry, 31 at the time of the crash, were injured to such an extent that they never played again. Berry was the senior player in the team by the time of the crash, having been signed from Birmingham City in 1951, by which time he was 25. A few of the players in the team at this time had been bought from other clubs. One of them, goalkeeper Ray Wood, was just 18 when he joined United from Darlington in 1949. Wood's successor in the first team, Harry Gregg, signed in December 1957 from Doncaster Rovers, as the world's most expensive goalkeeper at the time, for £23,500. Taylor had been one of the most expensive players in English football when United paid £29,999 for him as a 21-year-old from Barnsley in 1953. Berry had already been at the club for two years when Taylor arrived. Other notable "Busby Babes" include full-back Bill Foulkes, wingers Kenny Morgans and Albert Scanlon, forward Dennis Viollet, wing-half Wilf McGuinness, who later became manager of Manchester United, and forwards John Doherty, Colin Webster and Eddie Lewis. McGuinness and Webster were not on the plane when it crashed at Munich. Doherty had just been sold to Leicester City. Bobby Charlton, 20 at the time of the crash, retired from playing in 1975. He had left Manchester United two years earlier, and had continued playing as a player-manager of Preston North End. As a player, he set the all-time goalscoring record for Manchester United and England. It was later broken by another United player Wayne Rooney. Charlton's appearance record was unbroken for 35 years after his last game for United. His England record was not broken until 2015, when Rooney scored his 50th England goal. Bill Foulkes, who r

In Their Own Story

In February 1958, eight players died in or as a result of the Munich air disaster: Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), Duncan Edwards (21), Liam Whelan (22), Tommy Taylor (26), David Pegg (22), and Geoff Bent (25). The crash also permanently ended the careers of 24-year-old Jackie Blanchflower and 31-year-old Johnny Berry. Other Babes like Wilf McGuinness, Colin Webster, and John Doherty were not on the plane; Doherty had just been sold to Leicester City. Survivors like Charlton went on to set records, with Foulkes playing in the 1968 European Cup win, while others like Harry Gregg left the club years later.

Reader's Guide

The Busby Babes were first portrayed in the television film United (2011), which focuses on the relationship between Jimmy Murphy (David Tennant) and Bobby Charlton (Jack O'Connell), in the aftermath of the Munich air disaster. Although fellow Scot Dougray Scott played the role of Matt Busby, Busby's son was reportedly disgusted with the depiction of his father, claiming that Busby was the first tracksuit manager, whereas in the film, this defining feature is given to Murphy. Of the Busby Babes shown in the film, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Harry Gregg, Mark Jones and David Pegg, are portrayed by Philip Hill-Pearson, Sam Claflin, Ben Peel, Thomas Howes and Brogan West, respectively. United also depicted Jones as the club captain; in actuality, it was Roger Byrne, who was omitted from the film. The Busby Babes were next portrayed in the film Believe (2013), a semi-fictional story set in 1980s Manchester, in which an older Busby (Brian Cox) manages a boys' team in a local cup. The Busby Babes have a smaller role in the film, and are shown in flashbacks (as part of Busby's nightmares stemming from the Munich air disaster) and as a hallucination towards the film's climax. The following Busby Babes shown in the film included Geoff Bent (Lee Buckley), Roger Byrne (Daniel Shannon), Bobby Charlton (Daniel Swann), Eddie Coleman (Danny Leech), Duncan Edwards (George Gladstone), Mark Jones (Michael Jukes), David Pegg (Michael Ferguson), Tommy Taylor (Dean Bowman) and Liam Whelan (Matthew Leeming). Fulwell 73 produced a documentary film, Busby (2019), which covered Busby's time in charge of Manchester United. The film makes use of archival footage, as by this point, most of the Busby Babes had died. However, Wilf McGuinness and Jeff Whitefoot appear as talking heads, while Bobby Charlton appeared via voiceover.

Did You Know?

• The term 'Busby Babes' was coined by Manchester Evening News journalist Tom Jackson in 1951.
• Eight players died in or as a result of the Munich air disaster: Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), Duncan Edwards (21), Liam Whelan (22), Tommy Taylor (26), David Pegg (22) and Geoff Bent (25).
• John Doherty had been sold to Leicester City before the Munich crash and was not on the plane.

Origins and Development

The collective known as the Busby Babes emerged from Manchester United's youth system during the late nineteen-forties and throughout the following decade. Under the guidance of chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, these talented individuals were nurtured before entering the first team under manager Matt Busby. Unlike the customary practice of purchasing players from other clubs at that time, this squad was notable for being developed internally by the organization itself. The specific term was coined in nineteen-fifty-one by Manchester Evening News journalist Tom Jackson. While it generally refers to the championship-winning teams of nineteen-fifty-five and nineteen-fifty-six, the name is most strongly associated with the nineteen-fifty-seven to nineteen-fifty-eight season. This particular group boasted an average age of twenty-two years old and was widely expected to dominate European football for several subsequent years before tragedy struck.

The Munich Tragedy

The legacy of the team is inextricably linked to the Munich air disaster which occurred in February nineteen-fifty-eight. Eight players from this squad died either during or as a result of the crash, including Roger Byrne, Duncan Edwards, and Tommy Taylor. Among those who perished were Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, Liam Whelan, David Pegg, and Geoff Bent. The disaster also severely injured Jackie Blanchflower and senior player Johnny Berry to such an extent that neither ever played professional football again. Berry was the oldest member at thirty-one years old when he had been signed from Birmingham City in nineteen-fifty-one. Although most players were homegrown talents, some exceptions existed; goalkeeper Ray Wood joined from Darlington at eighteen, while Harry Gregg arrived later as a record-breaking signing. The loss of these young men, many averaging just twenty-two years of age, marked a devastating end to an era promising future dominance on the continental stage.

Survivors and Longevity

Several survivors went on to achieve significant longevity and success following the tragedy. Bobby Charlton was only twenty years old during the crash but continued playing until nineteen-seventy-five, eventually setting all-time goalscoring records for both Manchester United and England before Wayne Rooney broke them decades later. Bill Foulkes remained at the club long enough to win the European Cup in nineteen-sixty-eight after retiring in nineteen-seventy. Harry Gregg, who signed as the world's most expensive goalkeeper for twenty-three thousand five hundred pounds, left the club during the nineteen-sixty-six to sixty-seven season. Wilf McGuinness suffered a career-ending leg injury but stayed on as coaching staff and later served eighteen months as manager after Busby retired in nineteen-sixty-nine. Sammy McIlroy arrived in nineteen-sixty-nine as Busby's final signing, often cited alongside Jeff Whitefoot as the last of this legendary generation of players who defined the club's identity during that period.

Cultural Depiction

The story of these players has been frequently adapted for television and cinema in recent years. The two-thousand-and-eleven film United focused on Jimmy Murphy and Bobby Charlton following the disaster, though Busby's son criticized the depiction of his father regarding tracksuit attire. In this production, actors portrayed figures like Eddie Colman and Duncan Edwards, while Roger Byrne was omitted despite being captain. A semi-fictional narrative appeared in the two-thousand-and-thirteen film Believe, featuring flashbacks and hallucinations involving an older Busby managed by Brian Cox. This movie included portrayals of Geoff Bent and Tommy Taylor among others. More recently, the two-thousand-and-nineteen documentary Busby utilized archival footage since most Babes had passed away. However, surviving members Wilf McGuinness and Jeff Whitefoot appeared as interviewees, while Bobby Charlton contributed via voiceover to share his perspective on this historic chapter in football history.