Garth Crooks

Garth Anthony Crooks was born on 10 March 1958 in Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent, to a family of Jamaican descent. He turned professional with Stoke City in March 1976 after coming through their youth system, and made his first-team debut the following month at home to Coventry City. That appearance made him the first black player to represent Stoke since Roy Brown in the 1940s. During his first full season, 1976–77, he was the club’s top scorer with only six goals, though Stoke’s financial troubles led to relegation to the Second Division. Like many black players of the era, Crooks faced racist abuse from crowds, but his "cocky arrogance" meant it rarely affected him.

In the Second Division, his pace troubled defences, and he again finished as top scorer in 1977–78 with 19 goals, though Stoke did not mount a serious promotion challenge. Manager Alan Durban moved Crooks to the wing at the start of the 1978–79 season, a decision Crooks openly criticised. He was later restored to striker and helped Stoke win promotion by beating Notts County on the final day. He scored 14 goals in 1979–80 as Stoke avoided relegation, but tensions with Durban resurfaced, leading Crooks to submit a transfer request. In 1979, he took part in a benefit match for West Bromwich Albion’s Len Cantello, which pitted a team of white players against a team of black players.

Crooks joined Tottenham Hotspur in summer 1980 for £650,000. He scored on his debut against Nottingham Forest and formed a productive strike partnership with Steve Archibald. At Spurs, he won the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982, and the UEFA Cup in 1984 against Anderlecht. He is often credited as the first black player to score in an FA Cup final, netting the equaliser in the 3–2 win over Manchester City in 1981, though Mike Trebilcock had done so in 1966. Later in his career, Crooks had a loan spell at Manchester United and played for West Bromwich Albion and Charlton Athletic. A knee injury forced his retirement in 1990, the same season Charlton were relegated from the First Division—just as West Brom had been four seasons earlier.

Internationally, Crooks earned four caps for England’s under-21 side, scoring three goals.

His media career began with a guest spot on BBC1’s Top of the Pops on 25 March 1982, alongside Peter Powell. He then worked as a match analyst at the 1982 and 1990 World Cups, and later as a Match of the Day reporter covering England at Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup. From 2001 until 2022, he was a regular pundit on Final Score, and occasionally appeared on Match of the Day as a stand-in or interviewed players for Football Focus. In August 2024, he ended his Premier League team-of-the-week column on the BBC News website, citing creative differences.

In 1988, Crooks became the first black chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, a role he held until retiring from playing in 1990. He was appointed an OBE in the 1999 Birthday Honours for services to the Institute of Professional Sport. Away from football, he hosted the BBC Two political programme Despatch Box in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1992, he was the subject of a prank during the "Mr. Blobby" segment of Noel’s House Party.